What's in a story...

Walking through a Nursing Home, I am confronted with the degradation of mankind when they near the end of their life's journey.
A reality that hits me when I see humans lying in an empty state of mind, lonely and unattended to - I find myself at times not wanting to engage with them either by eye contact or vocally because I don't have enough time to just sit and listen - this makes me feel sad and guilty.

What are they thinking?
How do they feel about it all?
Do they have people who have forgotten them, are their people too busy?
Perhaps they can't face the reality of the futility of life. The thought that this will be me someday certainly leaves me dismayed.
Though I must say.. as I sit here in my lounge room tonight with my parents, and my Father talks of all the things he has in his shed, it occurs to me that everything we own has a story and this story is a part of us. To give it all up and be thrown into a nursing home with nothing to remind of others, this must be heart breaking and scary for the elderly.

I consider all the things in my home and realise that if you would walk with me for a little bit and allow me to share, then I could tell you a story behind every single item in my house.
I am not a hoarder by any means, I am a minimalist, however I do have some extremely beautiful friends & family who have given me gifts over the years, each gift comes with a story which reminds me of how much I am loved.

Have you ever studied the 5 Love Language books? I always thought my love language was 'acts of service', but as I am getting older I am thinking that it may be 'gift giving'; I seem to display the gifts given to me in a way where I can stop and admire them whilst remembering the person who gave it to me and how special they made me feel by loving me this way.
It dawned on me that everything tells a story... every photo I have up, everything from the little angel on my piano to the chandelier hanging in my dining room that my Mother gave me... there is a story there.
How sad it is that we are too busy to listen or be interested in others... This has definitely been a lesson for me, to not place MY value on another persons story, but to try to learn to place their value on it. After all, that is compassion isn't it?
Jesus listened.....
Be challenged and be blessed.

With Each Pen Stroke..

The Author & Perfecter

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

So Jesus is the Author & Perfecter.. do you believe that? 

If in fact He is the Author, let us consider for a moment what an author does. 

They ponder, search, create, invent, dictate, formulate.. then when they have the full picture (including the ending) in their own head and heart, that's when they put pen to paper and follow the creative flow... always feeling what they write, looking at every angle and penning something from nothing to formulate a story which will be intriguing, fulfilling, awe inspiring and at times climatic and breath taking.

As the Perfecter He rubs out the mistakes, and re-writes it in a new interesting way, bringing life to the story until it is finished.

Our life is our story; our Lord holds the pen that forges the next chapter, the next defining pen stroke of what is 'me'. 

Each time I put my foot out in front of me, or open my mouth, or turn my head and lift my eyes.. it was written. 

When I was created, my author gave me free will to write my own story, but it kept failing to meet even my own standard of excellence! It gave me temporary pleasures and though it touched the lives of others, it always ended in depression and disappointment for myself.

Through taking my eyes off myself, out of my own head space and away from my 'all-consuming' heart thoughts, and lifting my eyes up with an acknowledgement that my creator can do it better - I find the story gets deeper, richer and far more effective in it's purpose.  

I choose to fix my eyes on Him and allow the pages of my life to be re-written. 

The moral of the story - our story - is in the fixing of our eyes...... 

All too often we drop our eyes for a moment to see where we are placing our feet, forgetting that when we do so, we surely stumble until we are fixated on Him yet again. 

Then, without thinking, we do it again... and again...and again. It is almost like our spirit has alzheimer's disease. 

How to fix our eyes on Jesus...

It is not as hard as we make it out to be - read His word in the Holy Scriptures, take time to pray and be in His presence alone, and don't forget to fellowship with like minded people. We were never created to be alone, in fact God said it is not good for man to be alone.. so fellowship, share your heart with others and share in their lives. 

Walking out your journey with the Lord Jesus is the body of a perfect story line, the resolution or ending is the best part of all.

I hope your cup is full to overflowing - if not then get back in His Word...

A New Hobby

Life as we know it is short! It comes - it goes. Jesus came to give us life and life to the fullest..

Can you honestly say that you are enjoying your life? Filling it with new experiences that come along the journey? Doing everything at 110% - Being excellent in all that you do?

I don't want to waste this life. I realise I am half way through it and give a lot of my time to my children and other people.. sometimes in fact, I get to a point when I realise I have lost myself for a bit and then I work at getting me back by spending time doing something I love - like painting or sewing and craft.

One morning I got up early and took some photos.. they turned out beautiful! It was something I had never really done before. I love to be challenged and put out of my comfort zone, it helps me to trust in the Lord so much more.

Looking through the lens of my camera, I can see the hand of my Lord and Saviour so much more!
I just thought I would share it with you as it has given me so much joy.. These are all my photos.

May your cup overflow in 2014! Visualise this - as you outpour your heart into another, the Lord refills your cup until it overflows helping you to pour out easier.. a beautiful cycle.

http://www.pinterest.com/beckyjane73/my-photos/

Letting Go.. A Tad Bit Hard

How's your imagination - do you still have it?
Our imagination can be a friend and a foe!

It helps us to imagine all the great things of God! It allows us to paint pictures in our mind of what wonders await us in Heaven, and it takes us to a different place as we draw a deep breath, and enjoy the simplicity of creation while it momentarily eliminates our 'mundane - see it everyday' attitudes.

On the contrary - It also invokes in us the worst case scenario that could possibly happen and prevent us from full enjoyment in life - ESPECIALLY as parents!

I face this everyday and feel it is something I need to get a grip on.
As a Mother, my children are always asking me if they can go somewhere..with someone..to do something...
Today my 17 year old son asked me if he could go on a fishing trip with some mates after school finishes.
I instantly panicked - I saw him jumping off cliffs into the ocean and being forced up against rocks.. Then I saw him eaten by sharks.. or getting a rusty hook in his foot.. or falling in the camp fire with no help for miles.. Or eating food that makes him sick and his friends playing jokes on him that land him in hospital.. I saw the car they were in getting stuck in the tides or rolling on the sand dunes.. SAND DUNES! I saw the sand dunes falling on him and suffocating him.. and I tried to imagine how he would be able to get out of these troubles... OH NO! What if someone kidnaps him...

I simply replied 'I don't think that is a good idea"... Then came the argument lol!
I couldn't tell him all my fears because that's not the sort of man I want to raise...
How did my parents let me do so many things! I just don't understand - Has the access to media made us more aware?

I am now confronted with the following verses to bring me back to the Lord:
2 Tim 1:7 - God did not give me a spirit of fear or timidity but of power, love and self-discipline.
Prov 3:5-7 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding  but acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make straight your paths.
2 Co 4:17 - For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outways them all.
Ps 121:3 - He will not let your foot slip, He who watches over you.
Matthew 6:25-34 - Jesus tells me not to worry about my life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the field, they do not sow or reap or store away and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable then they. Can any one of you by worrying, add a single day to your life.

The list goes on. I get the point.. My children are a gift from the Lord, they are His to take back should their predestination be complete. Only He knows the path ahead for them and I am not to worry.
I try with all my might to keep them safe but in the end they belong to the Lord - I need to trust Him and pray more for my children..

Again I sigh.. this parenting thing is so hard! I just wish I learnt this lesson with my almost 19yr old so I don't have to go through it with my other 5 children..
Do you find it hard as well? Are your children grown up - perhaps you could help me through this part of my navigation through the valley...

Be blessed today I pray - In the name of Jesus!

Oh dear.. not 'forgiveness' AGAIN!

Forgiveness... sigh.

The very word conjures up a fear of 'tackling the topic' and a resignation to the necessity of facing it.

I saw the topic heading last week and closed the book again with a sigh!

I decided I wouldn't do that until I was completely out of time, and then I could do it in a rush without having to put too much thought into it!! Haha - It doesn't really happen that way when you lead the study... Have you ever put something off because it seems too hard?

Today I stole a glance at the next lesson - now that is more like the study I WANT to do - 'Laying Aside Busyness and Running With Rest".. A timely topic after the heaviness of 'Forgiveness'.

I started it on Saturday, spending a couple of hours on the first two pages - what a challenge!

I did more on Sunday and finished it on Monday morning at 7am, just in time for our group fellowship.

We tackled:

                 The root of bitterness - And oh how deep those roots go! At times you don't even know that root is still there until your world is shaken a little  and BAM! There it is. J.B.Philips likens these roots to 'a poison that affects the lives of many others''. (Heb 12:15)

                 Putting off falsehood and speaking the truth to others, building them up  and getting rid of all bitterness, forgiving as Christ forgave us. (Eph 4:25-32)

                 Clothing ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and putting on love - to forgive all grievances as Christ forgave us.

I heard a visiting Paster say once that Forgiveness is allowing someone free passage through our mind without ill thought. I started to think about certain people and realised that when I consider them, I still have some speed bumps to deal with before I can allow them free passage...

Our study revealed (or highlighted should I say) a forgiveness that is nothing like what our human nature tries to do.

The forgiveness of Christ is instantaneous, second by second He is ready and willing to forgive us. He forgives and allows us free passage to the throne of the Father. Not only does He forgive freely, but He takes our shame and does not hold our crimes against us - because He cleaned us! 

On the contrary, we are offended and hold onto wrongs.. we share it with all our friends and when given the chance we tell people how wrong they were... (well I don't know about you, but I like to be real honest with my human nature). Holding on as opposed to letting go...dragging that behind me wherever I go - just to remind me how right I was and how wrong they are and and and....etc

Jesus, when falsely accused, remained silent, and for the joy set before Him endured the cross and took on it's shame. He did not throw slander back nor did He correct their false accusations, instead He prayed for 'His enemies' (though not really enemies). He did not hold on.. gone faster than how long it took to accuse..

I love the Lord and the example of His life for our living.

I had an 'Aha" moment when I realise that forgiveness is not about the other person, it is about me! Doing this free's me from holding onto pain and hurt.

Though a valuable lesson I have learnt just this week is that I do not own other people's wrestling.. if they have an issue with me then it is not always my fault and all I can do is pray for them. I/we are accountable for our own behaviour and wrong-doings, that we need to keep a clean slate between us and the Lord, AS DO OTHER PEOPLE, but they are none of our business and we are not to hold them accountable - we are to pray for them and put on love being kind and compassionate to them. If they would like to blame us for things, we should examine our heart before the Lord and be completely honest and open to the possibility that there may be some truth or no truth to the accusation, and move forward from there. 

Great lessons - I hope my 'rawness' encourages you to search your own heart.

I hope your cup is full to overflowing.. if not go deeper.

(For research for yourself - Eph 4:31-32; Heb 12:1-17; Lamentations 3; Eph 1:7-8; 1 Jn 1:9; Col 3:12-13; Lk 23:32-34)

Hold Unswervingly..

Unswervingly

Hebrews 10:23 'Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for HE who promised is faithful'.

(J.B.Philips Version says:

Further, since we have a great High Priest set over the household of God, let us draw near with true hearts and fullest confidence, knowing that our inmost souls have been purified by the sprinkling of His blood just as our bodies are cleansed by the washing of clean water. In this confidence let us hold on to the hope that we profess without the slightest hesitation—for He is utterly dependable—and let us think of one another and how we can encourage each other to love and do good deeds. And let us not hold aloof from our church meetings, as some do. Let us do all we can to help one another’s faith, and this the more earnestly as we see the final day drawing ever nearer. ⁾

Web definition: In a constant and steadfast manner.
Have you ever seen the Australian Malteser's advertisment? (I have put it at the bottom just incase.)

Whilst driving home from a Women's Conference, my dear friend just happened to have a bag of Malteser's and suggested we copy the ad. Of course I jumped in boots-and-all! As we were driving along a straight road we would swerve to make the Malteser's come to my side..We were laughing the whole time and IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
However, later when we explained to our husbands how much fun we had (amidst our uncontrollable laughter), they reminded us of the dangers of swerving the car like that.

The conversation progressed and we came to the point where we had a practical application for our faith.

Very simple:
It is dangerous to swerve off our path for temporary pleasures that do not last and will have you wanting more! When we walk with the Lord,  it is only safe when we stay the course, stay on the straight path - to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
Romans 6:21 'But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.'

There! I did it!!! A short post.... Bet you never thought I could :)
I hope your cup is full to overflowing.. if not drink in the word.

My House Fell On Me...

Mary and Martha lessons have been at the forefront of my life over the past 15 years (though I have been married for 20). I long to be a Mary but realise Martha chores are essential to keeping the house and family going.. and that is my role - However Jesus would have me do both! So finding the fine line has been the journey.

The day I started to understand the balance, I realised that my house had fallen on my shoulders and was preventing me from being thankful and enjoying life.

Are you house proud?
Does the cleanliness and tidiness consume you in ways that make you:
- an angry Mum/woman
- a 'too busy'/'too tired' wife..
- an 'absent friend' who doesn't notice the needs of her friends?
- a working woman who simply has too much to do and can't fit in time with other people...

My husband has had us renovating the last two homes (three if I include the house we built). Through this process I have always started out embarrassed and after a few years house proud. We always sell the house just when everything is finished. We make the children share rooms - at one stage we had two bunk beds and a cot in one room!
It brings a lot of work and frustration to our family. We seem to always be sacrificing our lives/enjoyments for something else to be done on 'the house'. Eventually it becomes a home and we are all happy, but then we realise the value and sell.. the goal was always to get ahead.. I am now asking the question "Ahead of what?" (but that's another blog..)

When I stopped chasing after the wind I started seeing that a house is just a roof with walls; it keeps you safe from the elements.. it does not keep you safe from life.
My furniture all came with a cost, not a financial cost but the price of my time and energy! It forced me to teach my children lessons through it - sometimes with me losing my self-control.. for example: My lounge is fabric, so no eating or colouring on it, and no shoes on it.. it needs to be spot cleaned and once a year professionally cleaned. Also my dining table is solid timber.. I needed to make sure the kids didn't draw on it or scratch it.. the walls are freshly painted so I tried to keep the kids from running toys up it..
ARRRRRGH! The intensity of watching 6 children all the time so they didn't damage or destroy these materialistic possessions drove me crazy, not to mention then when visitors brought their children over who would jump on my lounge and break things. I would then have a breakdown emotionally and take it out on my husband and children..
To be a Mary, which is encouraged by the Lord, is not as hard as we think.
We must see things in the eternal view, rather than in a wordly view.

2 Co 4:17-18 - 'For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outways them and will last forever. So we don't look at the trouble we can see now; rather, we fix our eyes on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.'

Materialistic possessions.. we shouldn't hold on to them too tightly - they don't last anyway and they are not worth investing time. I only have one life to live and I want to live it for Jesus.. You don't know what you have until you meet someone who has nothing.. that's when we should see that our house is massive and full of 'things'. To love is what is important and to share the gospel is where our priority is!

Today, look past the things that are burdening you.. hand them over to Jesus (Mt 11:28-29). Your house work is temporary as we all know.. so don't let it steal from you the joys of sharing your life with your children, husband and friends. Fit in the housework and cooking when you can, but make sure you read the Bible.. for out of your relationship with Jesus and from reading the word, praying and fellowship in the body.. your cup will overflow and your priorities will be that of Mary even when you have to do that of Martha...

I hope you leave here with meat to chew on - so to speak :)