BUT I DON'T WANT TO!

I’m going through a phase in life just now where everything is fluid and nothing is stable any more.  Sure, there are some constants, like my eyes are still brown and my husband still loves me, but other things are topsy-turvy and these instabilities could trigger panic attacks if I dwell on them for too long.

 

People would say “Just relax, trust in God.  He knows what He’s doing. He’s got this.  All things work together for good.  For He knows the plans he has for you.  He’s not going to leave you destitute.  Accept His will for your life.”  Here’s the thing.  Some days I don’t want to.  Some days my mind races so fast trying to churn out solutions that I can’t keep up with it. And the scary thing is, there are no solutions.  At least, not any that I can manufacture. That’s part of the problem.  I like to be in control.  To fix things.  To find the solution.  I’ve always been this way.  I was an independent child, wanting to do things myself, and I became an independent, self-sufficient adult not used to relying on anyone except myself.    I’d say that circumstances meant I had to be that way, and while that’s true, it’s also me trying to justify less than admirable qualities in myself.

 

The thing is, scripture is not a bag of pick n mix, where I can choose the bits I want to live by, and ignore the rest of it.  It’s suitably equipped to advise me in every aspect of my life.  For every choice, every behaviour, every situation and every relationship.  It’s easy for me to pretend “do not be anxious about anything” is a nice saying, rather than a God-given command.  It’s easy to think that peace is something we don’t really attain in this life.  That worrying is actually ok.  But let’s be straight with ourselves, that is not what God’s word tells us.  It’s as plain as the nose on my face (and that’s pretty plain, believe me) whether I try to ignore it or not.  Me sticking my head in the sand doesn’t change the facts. 

 

Philippians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

 

Matthew 6:34 says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” 

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

 

Philippians 4:19 encourages us by telling us  “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

 

And finally, Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

 

I have to ask for His help in not being anxious, or worrying, and in truly trusting His way.  It’s worth noting that the Lord will make your paths straight when you submit all your ways to Him.  That’s conditional.  It’s a promise with an action required on our part.  If we’re lacking God’s blessing in that area of our life, perhaps we need to re-examine if we’re honouring him as we should. 

We are also told that He will meet all our needs.  Not our wants.  Not our wish lists. Not like some magic genie.  Our needs are quite simple.  Perhaps that’s the bit I’m rebelling against.  Could I really cope with a very simple and frugal life if that’s the path He leads me down?

 

And what about that peace mentioned in Isaiah?  Is it evading me because my mind isn’t steadfastly fixed on Him?  Yep, that’s very likely. It’s fixed on a hundred other things vying for attention in my busy mind.  Where is my focus?  It’s still on the external things I am still trying to fix.  It’s on the “What Ifs” in my life.  Those things I really don’t have any control over.

 

So I have 2 choices.  I can give myself a nervous breakdown by continuing to contradict scripture and do it all myself, or I can let it go, hand it over to the Creator of the universe and everything in it, and breathe easy, because He is capable and I am not.

 

May we find the humility to say “Thy Will Be Done” and to mean it sincerely, because whatever comes, he will give us the strength to face it, and will bring new mercies every morning in spite of us being so undeserving of his mercy and grace.

 

So, I will take a deep breath, and be confident that He holds the future in the palm of His hand, even though  our bank balance continues to dangerously dwindle until suitable employment is found again for my other half.  The “what ifs” of that situation are terrifying, and would seriously rattle me if I give into them. 

               

But I don’t want to.

 

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Keep it.

Christmas for a believer is a very different one from what excites the world around us. 

You can keep your nights out,

your gyrating and drinking,

The horror next morning

of "What was I thinking??"

 

Keep your hangovers and

"hair of the dog"

Keep your "I'm fragile"

and muddled brain-fog.

 

Keep your warped antics

Your "Really? He Never!!"

Your "Wasn't that just the

best Christmas Do ever?"

 

Keep your provocative

Selfies Galore

With your underwear showing

And oh so much more.

 

Keep your "he's married?

It's innocent fun"

Keep your pathetic

"I'm hurting no-one"

 

Keep it - your tarnished

and poisonous treasure

Keep it - your selfish

and arrogant pleasures.

 

I don't want included,

Don't want to know,

Don't want to see pictures

Of all that's on show.

 

I want to remember

the babe in the manger,

And not just at Christmas,

My God's not a stranger.

 

He's closer and better

With much more to offer,

He's able to quench

with his life-giving water.

 

You don't need these trinkets

To fill that great void

You just need to listen - 

To hear his soft voice.

 

He offers much more

than this world can bestow

He's standing here waiting,

He just wants to know ...

 

Is there room in your heart

For the Saviour who loves you?

Who died to redeem you

Whose heart's aching for you?

 

To Him you are precious

That much is true,

Believe Him, He'll prove it

Jesus Loves You.

C is for the Christ Child

Just because I like this song. Especially "A is all he stands for". 

What does He stand for in your life?  

http://youtu.be/iV7P_jmBuWc

Just Shut Up

"Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place..."
 - Ephesians 5:4

You know what amazes me (and not in a good way)?  Christians who tell dirty jokes, swear and curse, use vulgar vocabulary and generally make me feel dirty from being in their company (or reading their posts on social media).

What is even worse, is when you bring this to their attention and it's met with a reaction that makes YOU feel like the guilty party.

There is no grey area here.  We are commanded to curb what comes out of our mouths.  It's never ok to cheapen the witness we have with double entendre or obscenities.  James 3:10-11 says "Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers and sisters, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" 

Matthew 12:34 tells us, "For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."  Makes you stop and think about what's really on the inside of us, as that's what eventually makes its way out of us in our speech.  If you claim to be truly saved, and you spout forth filth, I urge you to examine your heart.  Better still, ask the Lord to search your heart as we're instructed in scripture.  Psalm 129:34 states, "Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  If we pray this prayer, He will answer it.  We may not like what He reveals, but He will do it.  He promises to give wisdom to those who ask.  ("If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." - James 1:5).

We need to distance ourselves from this type of behaviour since bad company corrupts good character.  Whether you delete a friend on facebook because of their offensive posts, or gently rebuke a brother or sister in person, we need a zero tolerance policy. 

It saddens me greatly to admit that recently I have had to delete 2 previously respected Christian contacts on a social media site, due to coarse language and vulgarity.  One happened to be a Pastor, and one was a bible college graduate.   I can't rationalise that no matter how I try.  The way we handle criticism should surely be to examine ourselves, in the light of God's Word, and apologise and rectify it.  Too many people's witness is being called into question because of the compromises they are making in their walk.  It doesn't matter who is doing it - it's still wrong.  Simply put, I wish I had the nerve to tell these people to just "shut up".  But then maybe I'd be the one accused of being intolerant, rude and over-reacting.

God grant us the strength to choose NOT to walk to the beat of this world's drum.

Whatever You Do

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
- 1st Corinthians 10:31

As you can tell from the title of this blog, two things close to my heart are my relationship with the Lord, and food.  In that order. (Ok, I know that's the order they SHOULD be in, but sometimes my greed eclipses all else). 

Isn't it convenient how we are quick to point the finger at those who drink too much (or at all, depending on your viewpoint on alcohol), gamble, smoke, or any other "sin" that we ourselves aren't particularly guilty of, but mention our appetites and the barriers immediately go up.

Why is that? 

For me, it's because I am ruled by my stomach.  There, I said it.  I am greedy.  I love food.  Pretty much all of it.  I am not hugely overweight, but neither am I a healthy weight for my height.  The reason is down to me.  It's not my metabolism or my genes (they don't fit me as well as they used to either!) or anything other than my own fault.  I hazard a guess for those of you reading this, uncomfortable as it may be, you are in the same boat, if you are brave enough to admit it. 

We live in a world where we live to excess.  We want to earn more than we need, we want to eat more than we need, we want to accumulate more electronic devices than we need, we want more material things than we could ever need or make use of, and we want it all right now. 

It's an area I need God's help to work on.  I have a responsibility to be healthy for my husband and my kids so that I can be the wife and mother God wants me to be, without contracting some self-inflicted disease like diabetes or high blood pressure for example. (I'm not for one second saying these illnesses are always self-inflicted - far from it - and I didn't mean to offend by saying that).

The question posed in the bible verse is whether we are eating for the glory of God.  Let's remember gluttony is a sin.  Just because we plug our ears and sing "lalalala" to drown out the sound of that truth does not make it less true. 

As a new year approaches, I would like to address this issue in my own life.  Not through a fad diet or appetite suppressants, but with God-given willpower and self-control.  After all, His Word tells us quite clearly that the fruit of the spirit includes self-control.  This article from Got Questions sums it up nicely.  If we are shovelling food into our faces as the picture above depicts, then we are certainly not glorifying God. 

http://www.gotquestions.org/gluttony-sin.html

God Bless.