Summer!

Well here in the Southern Hemisphere the days are getting warmer, the beach is inviting, the kids are in their last week of school and I am finding myself doing a lot of yawning.  As the year quickly draws to a close and Christmas activities ramp up into full swing I look back and am amazed at the work of God in my life the past year…  Now I know we should never really be amazed at the work of God but He sure has switched some things around in my life during the past year.  Above all the details of those and how they will work out in the future though is the incomparable joy that is found in seeing God so near and experiencing Him acting in my life.  That is the real treasure…

I pray for you that in this crazy season whether you are starting to sweat or shiver that you take some time to recall the works of God in your life this year and thank Him for all He’s done and all He’s yet to do in and through you.

I am now going to shift into Summer mode with my blog which will mean that I will not be posting my regular Tuesday article but will endeavour to stay in touch over this period.  I may also have some guest writers drop in some material for you… Should be fun!  If you have not yet subscribed by email I suggest you do so as the posts will not be available in the same regularity you are used to and I don’t want you to miss the Summer fun!!

I wish you all a wonderfully blessed Christmas time and enjoy the changing seasons ahead (both as they relate to the weather and life)!

Clare xxxx

What’s One in a Gazillion?

Photo by: brokenarts@stock.xchng

I recently celebrated a birthday and on that particular morning I was having my quiet time with God first thing in the morning.  Sitting with a hot cup of tea in my hand, reflective, as birthday’s often cause us to be, I had the thought “count your blessings”… This was a dialogue kind of thought, one that felt like maybe God was speaking to me and it didn’t have the cliched “think good thoughts” common meaning but I felt like I was being literally asked to count (add up, list) my blessings…

 

So I began…

1. Friendships
2. Job I enjoy
3. Great church
4. Fantastic kids
5. Nice house…

Now these added up in no particular order, I was just reflecting on all the blessings in my life and was pushing myself to keep finding more, as I kept thinking I was getting more excited about really how good my life is.  I got to around the mid-teens and started really slowing down and thinking that many of the categories I had listed could be broken into a few parts really (or is that cheating!) I stopped and it occurred to me that I had missed a really big one…

 

I added to my list “relationship with the creator of this world, my God” – I realized that this was not just number 17 but numbers 17, 18, 19, 20, 21… I must be up to about 50 with that one… Then it occurred to me that God had placed the Holy Spirit within me to dwell within me and guide me into all that God had for me – WOW – I realized that I had just jumped into the thousands with one thought.  And then the cross – God himself came to die in my place, grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy… Jesus!  I knew then that I was at about a gazillion…

 

The next thought I had really hit home to me both all that I had and that all I didn’t have was ok… My next thought was “oh I left off my Connect group at church, they definitely make it on to the list”… A gazillion and one…

 

Perspective is an amazing thing and if you are reading this and are not sure about the whole Christian thing this may seem foreign…  For me I am genuinely incredibly blessed and joyful because of the 1,2,3, and so on… on my list – including the ones that I could add on after “a gazillion”.  The things that God gives us to enjoy on this earth are truly wonderful, however, I am really floored when I think about the immeasurable gift that God gives us in knowing Him, in coming to a place of being in right relationship with Him and in being transformed by Him towards His likeness and goodness.

 

 

For Christians this is your reminder of all that we have received… For those who are wondering about the whole Jesus deal this is a first hand account of the amazing value of knowing Jesus personally… If you want to know more I would recommend you find a good church near you and speak to a pastor about what it all really means.  I personally recommend C3 (Christian City Church) churches if you’re not sure where to start… With locations all over the world you’ll be sure to find one here near you.  

Thinking about what you’re thinking about!

Are you a daydreamer?  Do you catch yourself staring off into space, caught up in another world?  In primary school I prided myself on being a good student, well behaved and attentive… To my surprise though one day I ended up being sent to sit on the bench outside the principals office.  Our teacher had been yelling a lot that day and at one point was particularly insistent that a particular child should sit down, I remember thinking gee that kid is going to be in trouble… Immediately after that thought… “Right!  You can head to the principals office. Now!” and suddenly 30 sets of eyes were upon me and I realized that poor child was I…  I didn’t realize I was standing, I was off in my own little universe…  And so it often is… we don’t realize how much time is spent on the inside of our own heads!  So what we think about is worth thinking about!

 

Grant Windle in his book “The Jesus Life” says… “your believing is the strongest factor that determines the direction of your life”. (p79)  We all know people who go through the most challenging times and seem to sail through them effortlessly.  This can so often be attributed to how that person thinks, about their current situation, about their future and for believers in Jesus, about God.  This is not simply positive thinking but it certainly incorporates ideas of positive thinking.  It is an ability to engage the creative parts of our brain which can perceive of something outside our current reality.

 

In the article “What are God dreams” I have discussed the reality of needing to work through the pain associated with restoring dreaming and I suggest you reread that if the idea of thinking about your future is tinged with a lot or a little pain.  Beyond that lets look at how gaining a clear idea of vision can help to align your life in a good direction which can move your life in positive directions…

 

My friend Nicoleen is helping with this article and she will now impart to you her wisdom in this area…

 

Just this morning I was reading about a poem “Optimism” written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox in 1850, in which she wrote, “Say that you are well and that all is well with you, and God will hear your words and make them true.”

 

I believe that it is important to take the time to have a clear vision of our future, to spend some of that “thinking about time”, thinking about this idea of our future . . . Will that guarantee a trouble free future? Of course not. But it will help us see what can lie beyond, and our thoughts can translate to positive actions in our lives to bring about the future we envision.

 

For me, it is important to see that vision in the context of my faith, and trust God, and not to “lean on my own understanding.” The verse Romans 8:25 comes to mind.

 

“We are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently”

 

There was a time in my in my life that I tried to walk my journey by myself, but since I started walking my path in the light of God, God has not only brought many visions to fruition in my life, but, I believe He placed them there in the first place. To quote Clare, I am dreaming God dreams, and stand amazed as I start seeing them come to life.

 

For those who may want to look further at thinking about what they are thinking about and this idea of creating a vision of the future I highly recommend a resource “Creating a Life Plan” by Mike Hyatt.

The Good Way…

Photo by: chelseagirl@flickr.com

The LORD said to his people:  “You are standing at the crossroads.  So consider your path.  Ask where the old, reliable paths are.  Ask where the path is that leads to blessing and follow it.  If you do, you will find rest for your souls.” (But they said, “We will not follow it!”)    Jeremiah 6:16 NET

I have been thinking about journey lately… God has certainly had me on somewhat of a journey, one in which I have made some intentional choices and taken particular paths and others that have happened somewhat providentially to me.  I was reminded of this verse by a friend lately… It was a verse that spoke particularly to me as an older teen.  It conjures images of multiple paths, multiple directions to travel… It speaks of a good way…

 

The bible translation above I think brings out the text with new insight and meaning… We ask for the good paths, the paths of blessing and the little Hebrew word ‘owlam, often translated old or ancient which picks up new meaning when investigated further… It also means traditional, proven, reliable… It is a path with a good track record.  When we follow such paths then rest is promised for our souls.  I want that kind of rest – I don’t know about you?

 

How do we get on such a path?  This passage from the bible tells us to ask and consider our ways… To ask for the good way, the reliable way, the way of blessing.  Sounds so simple doesn’t it… Maybe it is – remember I am often preaching to myself!  How is it that we so often want to complicate things when they could be as simple as considering what is in front of us and then asking God for the good path… Following this we need to take the final step – to walk along that path.  This is the step that the people in Jeremiah’s time failed to take… Let it not be the step that we fail to take!

 

Do you need to assess the paths you are on?  Is there a good way you’re missing?

 

Don’t miss it!

I’d like to introduce you to a new little friend I made – well really only an acquaintance!  This gorgeous little Jida (Blue Wren) was having a rest on a bush when I went walking on Sunday.  It would have been so easy to have missed it as I had many distractions… My son was wingeing about having to go for a walk on a Sunday afternoon and making a lot of noise about it.  My daughter and her friend were walking our puppy and it was a constant task trying to keep them out of the way of oncoming cyclists.  I was trying very hard to both deal with my children’s needs and to do what I had wanted to and relax in the beauty of God’s creation.

So it is often with our lives… We often miss seeing the wonders of this life and the little gifts that God has for us because we get caught up by what is more immediate.  Sometimes we need to remain attentive to our responsibilities while also allowing our hearts to remain open to the beauty around us.  I know this is not easy, what is more easy is to allow our lives to be overwhelmed by what is immediate.  Many of us find it easier to allow our busy-ness to take the primary place in our lives and thoughts in order to suppress those things that would cause us pain were we to stop and be present in the moment.

Many faith traditions, even those outside of Christianity, have placed importance on this expression of faith – of presence, quiet and reflection.  We could do well to drink of the wisdom of both the ages and our own traditions, to step into what seems at times another world.  A world where nothing matters but breathing in this moment, a moment of recognizing a sovereign God, a moment where even our own souls can be quiet and we can be open to the whispers and gifts of God.  In my experience this is where true peace and joy are often found… sometimes after tears have dried… where the peace of God descends and our hearts can rest as they rest in Him, just as one of the Fathers of the church, Augustine, encouraged us centuries ago…

Where do you miss things because of the distractions of this world?  Where and when do you or can you make time to find rest in God alone?

It’s all about relationship…

There’s a God issue that I’ve been wrestling with for years.  Let me set up the problem for you… I believe that God cares about me and wants to be intimately involved in my life, so that when I pray and ask Him for things He listens to me and will sometimes give me what I’m asking for.  I see this also in the bible, that He hears people and answers their prayers and requests of Him.  However I become uncomfortable with the idea that when He doesn’t answer my prayers, especially in the way I want Him to, that it is through a lack of faith on my part.  I know people who say that I should name and claim His promises and demand things of God.  As a result I have at times wavered in my faith because I haven’t known whether to keep “demanding” or persisting with the things I have wanted or thought God has said.  I feel at these times a need to be humble before God and recognize Him as such.

Recently I feel I have come to a new understanding with this dilemma and see it spilling over into different applications.  So today I offer you maybe a slightly different take on this common Christian issue and an application that is particularly relevant to single people…

I see truth in both sides of this issue; the fact that they can’t be resolved meant to me that I must be missing something in the way I was looking at it.  Let me explain the problem that arises if either of these postures is taken to the extreme…  If I demand upon God then I essentially set myself as a god and see God as a mere “Sugar Daddy” who hands out favours.  If I shrink back and resign myself to God’s will alone, in false humility, I disconnect myself from Him – if He is going to only do what He wants and is uninterested in what I want then He can run my life for me “remotely”.

I believe God neither wants to be our Sugar Daddy or to run our lives remotely from His great throne in the sky.  Matthew 7:11 says “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him.”  This describes a God who is relational in His giving, He is described as our Father who wants to give us good things… What hit me recently was that either position taken to the extreme made getting what I want into a formula – either I demand and get or He dictates and I get.  In these scenario’s there is no relationship and so I believe that taken to the extreme neither view is biblical as the whole bible and Christian ideal is all about relationship…

I now believe that I can both ask God persistently and courageously for my needs, I can also be humble enough to realize that I should not come before God with a demanding attitude.  In my new paradigm I come to God and bring my needs into relationship with Him while also recognizing His needs… True relationship always has this balance… So I neither demand my way without paying heed to God and His concern for His other children and world nor do I deny my needs and wants as He cares about them as He cares about me.

I saw this applied so beautifully when thinking about two almost contradictory answers I heard to a question asked at a conference I attended recently.  The question was something like “Is there such a thing as a Mr Right?” (it was a woman’s conference)  The first answer given was that there was no such thing as Mr Right but there could certainly be lots of Mr Wrongs…  The second was that there really was a kind of Mr Right and God certainly gave guidance when choosing a life partner.   Well, it was funny because I had been thinking just that morning that I believed in both views… You see I had become convinced that there wasn’t a “one and only” out there for me but that I had some say and choice over the man I would one day marry but I was also convinced that God would guide me to a man who He knew better than me would be a good match for me.  I again went back to my new understanding and realized that both could together be right as understood together they represented the closest biblical ideal… One of God wanting to know our thoughts, ideas and desires about relationship and particular people we met while also us respecting and deferring to God’s greater perspective about who we are and who others are that we may meet.  Again He draws us into a relational perspective where we neither run off choosing whoever we want without care for God’s greater understanding nor give in to the victim or lazy stance of “God will set me up with whoever He wants without regard of whether I have any desire for that person or not”…  He wants us to enter into relationship with Him and engage with us about the big issues of His heart and the big issues of our hearts.

Is there any area in your life where a new relational perspective on your desires vs. God’s will could be helpful?