Twelve Months of Christ: May

In May, I attended my monthly writing workshop and we learnt an interesting lesson. We learnt to consider the small things when writing and it got me wondering about life. Should we consider the small things in life? What would we call “small things”? Does God want us to do this?

What would we call “small things”?

For me, small things are checking in with people I know and care about. Just letting them know that they are thought of and loved. I like getting messages like this. It’s nice to know that others do think of me and I want them to know I think of them too.

Sometimes small things are also the boring things many people don’t like to do but have to do, for example, laundry, dishes, ironing, etc. What if you or I did one of these “small things” for another? Consider this; sometimes what’s boring or tedious to us might not be to them.

A small thing could be buying something sweet for after supper to share with family. It could be a squeeze of the hand showing the person that he/she is not alone in this life. It could be hearing another person’s voice.

A small thing could be a love message in the lunch box of a child or a smile at a stranger. To some, it seems a wasted effort or too small to notice but you don’t know that. Your “small thing” could be huge, important, needed to another.

What are “small things” to you?

Should we consider these “small things”?

I think we should because a small thing can make a big difference. It can fill an empty space. It can teach a lesson or be a reminder of a type of behaviour.

A small thing could save us, inspire us, encourage us to be blessed. A small thing could be the sunshine in our storm or a rainbow amid our flood. If someone does a “small thing” to you, consider embracing it with all you’ve got. You just never know what the outcome would be.

Don’t let the size of the gift shadow its significance!

And God?

God is the man about all things small. We all start off as small, often feeling insignificant and unnoticed. But to God, sometimes the smaller we are, the bigger He sees us.

Remember the mustard seed…..it is tiny and hardly seen yet it grows to be a big and noticeable tree, deeply rooted in the Lord’s soil.

God might send someone to share a small thing with us because He knows we need it even if we don’t realise it.

God sent His son, Jesus, who never disregarded the small things. The woman who bled profusely touching his cloak because she believed He could heal her. He felt it and acknowledged it.

The tax collector trying to hide in the tree making sure He wouldn’t be noticed….Jesus noticed. The prostitute that others mistreated, making her feel like a “small thing”….Jesus noticed.

As you read this, you might be feeling “small, unimportant, useless, and unloved”.

STOP!

Let me tell you that size don’t matter to God; heart does….remember David and Goliath? Power doesn’t matter to God, respect does. A human making you feel like this doesn’t matter because God loves you, sees you, hears you and you are the biggest, most important and useful person God created.

The small things matter to you, to me and to God. Think about them, share them and consider them.

Hope your May was as big and small as mine. Share my world with you in June. Until then, God bless His “small things”.

Twelve Months of Christ: April

Blood cakes around the rusting nail, water mixing with tears. The moaning cries of a woman can be heard in the rumbling of the sky. Thorns look up as a yell is heard in the heavens.

As the next day settles, an empty tomb greets those grieving outside. He comforts them by appearing to them. The story we share every year. We have just celebrated Easter and spent the past week-end reflecting on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the significance of it and what it means for all of us. But what happens after Easter?

How often do we think about God during this period? Give thought to the person who made the decision to unselfishly sacrifice His only Son in order to give us a second chance.

I haven’t until this year. I had to deliver a message this past Sunday and being Easter Sunday, they expected one about the passion of Christ but trying to be different (always!), I went right instead of left and asked them too, what happens after Easter?

Shouldn’t we honour God for sacrificing Jesus Christ?

Shouldn’t we honour the memory of it by honouring God? 

Don’t we often show honour to someone close to us who we have lost on earth?

Don’t we honour our parents for raising us?

Shouldn’t we honour the one who allowed all of this to happen?

Reading these questions, you are also probably saying to yourself…great idea but how, when and why?

Firstly, we honour God by seeing what all He has done and praise Him for it. We honour God in the words we use, the actions we show and the way we live our life. We honour God by following Him, allowing Him to use His power in our life and by accepting His purpose and promise for us.

Secondly, we should be honouring God all the time, every second, minute and hour of our day. Yes, I know, way easier to write than to do and we are humans so we don’t do this but we can certainly keep trying. God knows we are not perfect and that we won’t do this all the time but all He wants is for us to try, and keep trying until practise makes perfect.

Lastly why? Why should we honour God for the decisions He has made and will make? Would we even know the difference if the results were different?

We didn’t ask Him to, did we?

Revelation 4: 9 & 11 answers…….

These living creatures give glory, honour, and thanks 

to the One who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. 

You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honour and power,

because you made all things.

Everything existed and was made,

because you wanted it. 

Honour God from today, letting Him know that you know that He is ultimately the One making the big decisions and taking the most risk in raising us…His family, His children, His beloved.

Twelve months of Christ: March

I feel like a walking dictionary this month as words have been flying around me. Words like God, Grief, Gratitude, Silence, Courtesy and Childhood. What does this all mean? Where am I heading this month?


What I know for sure is God has given me these words and I need to hear them, understand them, learn from them and follow them. What do all these words have in common?

ME - YOU

These words are what we experience throughout our life. It's how God helps to raise us. It's what our parents expect from us especially in our childhood.

INNOCENCE

Childhood is where our innocence is enhanced, altered or even lost. Our childhood is where we learn how to be as adults.  It's God's foundation phase for us. Unfortunately, our parents often misunderstood his teacher's manual and made mistakes. Childhood is where our first laugh, loss and love is experienced. Childhood is where we learn to love unconditionally, accept without judgement and get to know ourselves.

SSSHH!

Silence is so important in life. Silence is the time spent in our own air space. A place where we are true to ourselves and God sits next to us, feeling our heartbeat with us and whispering in our ears. It's up to us how we use our silence. Sometimes our silence is to allow us to help others by listening or just being present. Silence is a lesson that needs to be learnt. We need to be silent, even in company, to allow God to work. Silence shows we don't have all the answers but we are mature enough to be patient and wait for it. Silence is when we become aware of everything.

WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS? MANNERS MATTER!

Does this sound familiar?  Courtesy is a good habit which we all need to adopt. However, courtesy is not only about having manners. It's in the little things we do for others, like allowing an older person through the door first or smiling among the frowns. In karate, we start with courtesy and end with courtesy. This is a lesson I try to practise outside the dojo too as courtesy shows your respect for others, that you have manners and that you that others do matter. Courtesy is hard especially when we have to be courteous to people we believe might not deserve it but honestly, we all do deserve it. God gives us the courtesy of being available to us all the time. He is courteous by listening to us, loving us and giving us the respect to be in His presence. Courtesy = Respect.

THANK YOU

How often do we truly means these two words? Don't we use it because we know we have to because....manners matter! When and how do we truly show our gratitude? Gratitude is not about saying "thank you" for everything. It's the way we look after our family, our friends and even our material items. God has given us family, friends and material items to bless us with the life He intended for you and me. We can show our gratitude by loving, accepting and making sure it all stays "fixed". This too is not easy as family lets us down, friends leave and our material items age. Gratitude is knowing how lucky we are and letting God know that you know. God doesn't ask for payment or a "IOU", all he wants is you and prayer. Show gratitude by spending time with God, your family, your friends and yes, even those material items which might need a bit of TLC too. Remember, God did not promise that our family, our friends and our material items will last forever. This is why we should gratitude while we have them.

GOOD-BYE

At some point in our life, we experience loss. Loss can take many forms whether it is something or someone. Why we grief is because we have lost something or someone that is very dear to us, has special meaning and we thought we wouldn't have to live without it or the person. God makes us suffer to teach us some harsh lessons in life especially if we are not paying attention. Deep down, we also know that everything God created was not meant to live forever. Saying good-by is not always easy but we all have to say it at some time. Depending on what you believe, loss can be a bittersweet time. The person who passed on has stopped suffering and is now with God, where love reigns and is restored. We all hope we never have to experience it but in order for God to work, we do. Grief is as old as time and like love and laughter, it is a part of our earthly life. God doesn't like to hurt us and see us suffer but sometimes it is to benefit others and not even us. Grief is God letting us know that we need to suffer to save and that our time on earth is short.

Life is short so....return to your childhood once in a while, be still and know God, use your manners, always say thank you and know it's okay to shed a tear for lost loved ones.

Twelve months of Christ: February

I know February is the month of “love” but this month of Christ, I am urged to share how overwhelmed I feel about my surroundings.  It has filled me with immense excitement, energy and enthusiasm.

February is not even over and I have been surrounded by INSPIRATION.  God has opened my eyes to see something I hope everyone gets to see at some point in their life.

Inspiration is all around us. It is in everyone we encounter, from God to the ground and back again. It is in the lowest of low to the highest of high.

So…what is Inspiration?

Inspiration is “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative, a sudden brilliant or timely idea and/or the drawing in of breath; inhalation” (online dictionary)

In the Bible (Youth Bible, New Century Version), it is defined as “used to mean that the Bible writers wrote what God wanted them to write. God breathed”

The man begging on the street who might hang his head in shame with his cardboard sign inspires me as he won’t give up trying to feed his family and himself. Yes, some do have addictions but even that inspires me because the determination to not give up even if it is to get money for the next meal or next fix (ironic, right?). I know you are reading this with your mouth open but really think about it. How difficult is it for us, who have wealth in different areas of our life, has no determination to try, to achieve and even to finish a simple task? Yet, the man on the street does. You say but he has no choice? Yes, he does. He can lie down and die, not caring or He can beg, hoping that someone might give me a chance at a job or home or meal. He takes a risk everyday standing there, not knowing what the next few seconds, minutes, hours will bring.

The dad who can’t believe girls have no opportunity to play a sport like soccer. He stands up and says “Not on my watch” and starts a soccer team in the Suburbs. Through persistence, love and media, it has grown, been blessed with donations and every week, new girls coming to train and to do something they love. The parents get involved because someone who doesn’t even know them welcomed them, accepted them and gave parents the opportunity to help their children follow their dreams and support them. Inspiration is felt by the commitment to try, to learn, to teach and to not give up for the sake of others, the girls.

The single mom and/or dad, who sees their bank balance, trying to figure out how to make it last while smiling at their children, ensuring they will always have what they need, when they need it. Parents who work all day and have to trust others with their children to make sure that their family is provided for. Inspiration from other people’s sacrifices of time, love, money to provide, support and to be present.

Even the man who changes the street lamp bulb inspires as he might not have a high education but as the ability to know how electricity works, how to fix wires and replace the light that helps you get home safely, helps you to see in front of you or helps you feel you are safe traveling there.

Inspiration comes from aging…..

The aged journalist who finds it difficult to remember sometimes, who fingers shake from age, to get access to her written words yet writes every day, laughs through what she can recall and share it all with people who aspire to have half the life she has experienced.

The elderly lady who knows that worshipping God on a Sunday is so important that she walks slowly with her walking stick to church not letting age, aches and lack of energy stop her from spending time with the man who never let her down.

Finally, inspiration comes from God…..

If you page through your Bible, you will encounter people like Ruth, Moses, Noah, Mary, Joseph etc.  who some followed God blindly not knowing where they are going, who they will meet and what will happen to them. You will encounter people who God inspired them by keep encouraging them through His voice to trust, to try and step out of their comfort zone, letting God take control of their life.

God inspires us by just listening to us and whispering messages of love, faith, hope, trust into our ears, hearts, bodies, minds and souls. How inspiring is it to know that God believes in us so much that He killed His only Son for us! How inspiring is it to know that God used a virgin and a carpenter to raise that Son? How inspiring is it to know that God took a bullied person like Joseph (Old Testament) and made him to be a man of power? How inspiring is it to know that God inspired Noah to build that Ark and follow Him who saved our world and in turn allowed us to grow and prosper?

Do I need to carry on? Look around you, listen to those you encounter and see the inspiration in it all. You never know, God might be using your surroundings to inspire you to do His will in your life and His plans will always make you prosper.

Let “God breath” onto you

Twelve Months of Christ: January

 Jesus said to the father, "You said, "If you can!"

All things are possible for the one who believes"

Mark 9:23 

This year for my blog, God told me to write the 12 months of Christ. I can’t tell you why or what about each month I must write. I’ve listened, I hope to learn and like every child of a parent I do what I am told (well, most of the time).

Every January, we hear “how are you going to be a better you this year?”, “lose weight”, “what are your resolutions?”, “make more money”, etc. How many Januaries have we started being more stressed than impressed and lack motivation and inspiration?

I recently watched the movie “Miracles from Heaven” and I discovered what I have to share with you this January. I loved the words I heard and received from this movie, “Miracles are from God and God is with us. Miracles are all around us”

A miracle, according to the dictionary is defined as “an event which is believed to have a supernatural or divine cause/any wonderful or surprising event.”

A miracle is defined in the Bible as “wonderful thing”, “great event which can be done only by God’s help. Miracles are special signs to show God’s power”

You know sometimes we say “it’s a miracle I wasn’t in that accident or storm or place” when something tragic has happened especially when we were literally, just there mere seconds or minutes away. We sit slightly shell shocked, imagining if we were there, wondering if we would be okay, hurt or even alive. It's also at this time that we often count our blessings that we weren't there.

So next time you say this, consider this, you who are reading this, believer or non-believer. It’s a miracle that you believe in miracles because miracles are from God and only Him.

Look around, look inside you. As we end off January, look at all the miracles God has surrounded you with. 

Jesus looked at them and said, 

"This is something people cannot do, but God can.

God can do all things"

Mark 10:27

Now, imagine how many more He can bring into your life?

This year, let’s not focus too much on resolutions. Let’s focus, as we start a new year of Christ, on all the wonderful things He has done, will do and plans to do in your life, for your life and with you in your life, this year, 2017.

I AM....

God is awesome and works in mysterious ways. Today, I met with a life coach to see what I need to do to change my path so I can do what God’s purpose is for my life. Last year, I discovered for sure what God’s purpose is for my life and starting making “selfish” decisions to start fulfilling that purpose.  It took an hour of discussing but then the two words which have been on my mind for the past week were mentioned. The two words being….”I am”

God this year has given me these words to hear, carry and share with others. We all have dreams and passions that we want to achieve but how are we supposed to do this when we “want” more than we “am”?

One thing I will always know for sure is that I AM a child of God and I AM a servant of God. This will never change. 

This year, I am a writer. I am a counsellor. I am going to follow my dreams and change my path. I am going to earn money through doing what I love and I know that God will help me to change “my want” into “my am”. And the awesome thing I discovered today is how I can combine my passions to help others.

We often forget that God knows exactly who we are meant to be. He created us, He gave us the gifts He intended us to use and He is the one that provides us with the fruits of the spirit to achieve HIS PURPOSE in OUR LIFE.

Why do we doubt when God doesn’t? Why don’t we believe what God believes? How can we accept that God is convinced about everything when we are not convinced about anything?

God BELIEVES in YOU!

God DOES NOT DOUBT your ABILITIES!

God KNOWS that you can “AM” and change your CAN’T into I CAN!

God never doubts His own ability to be your GOD, your ROCK, your SAVIOUR. He was so sure of His abilities and possibilities that He sacrificed HIS ONLY SON for YOU!

So…I challenge you this year to discover or re-discover God’s purpose and passion in your life and say to yourself…..

I AM