Perspective {finding contentment}

So, this week I finally got back on here and told you that it was a time of new things for me. This week, one of those "new things" was a thing of pure joy, along with some lessons learned on the way.

Last week I decided that I needed to exercise more. I used to do a Davina DVD, but our DVD player isn't working in the lounge. I KNOW I will feel the benefit if I do it, but thought of lugging another TV downstairs, then finding somewhere to plug it, before even STARTING to exercise, has admittedly, put me off somewhat.

I know.

I am lazy.  I should put in some more effort and just DO it.

Whatever.

I decided, instead, to take a more leisurely adjustment back into bodily exercise (which, as we know, only profits a little.... *aherm*)

Walking at a fast pace is supposed to be a good workout, and far better for your knees than running. But, have you ever tried walking with a gaggle of small people. Half the time you spend walking at snail's pace. Another fraction is spent RUNNING after a child who is speeding away, hat on and hood up, oblivilous to your calls of impending danger. Then there are the multiple moments where you stop and observe things. Don't get me wrong - stopping and learning is BRILLIANT. I encourage 100%.  I just don't reccomend it as a pace of walking to induce weight loss or a cardiovascular workout of any consequence.

For years, this kind of walking has been my only way to walk.

Enter "the mid-teen-age" child, who is now responsible enough to be able to keep and eye on siblings.

You may hear my sigh of utter delight from across an ocean.

Dear mother-of-only-small-people. your day will come. Enjoy the days of only having little ones. At least endure it. Because, it doesn't last for ever, and one day you will realise that you and your husband can go out ALONE and leave the children behind for short times. BLISS, I say. PURE bliss.

The solution then hit me. I could go out for a walk every morning, at MY pace, with two children capable of keeping up with me. It would give them exercise, and me exercise. On the times we go out together, the others get their little bursts of exercise in sporadic moments of running, in between the snail pace of walking. Add to that the fact that they seem to literally bounce off the walls, run up and down the stairs, and generally burn off way more energy than me, even indoors on a winter's day.

Now, I live in a small village. I know, from experience, that the one pavemented route around the village is about a mile, maybe a little more. the village is only one circle-sort-of-shape, though. You can either go around it clockwise, or anti-clockwise. Not very inspiring for a would be regular walker.

I thought outside the box a little. I could walk OUT of the village in a few directions, then simply turn and walk back home. It would allow for some variation and take us in a new direction. It was also easier without small children or a pram, as one of those routes would require road walking, on a very quiet road. One day last week we took that route, and it was interesting to realise that road went up more of a hill than you notice when driving. It also gave us a lovely view of the village, and we spotted things we don't normally see.

The next walk took us to the furthest bounds of pavement out of the village in the opposite direction. It's the route we go usually once a year, to go blackberry picking. Again, a nice walk, but a "there and back again" scenario (suddenly feeling all Hobbit-ish.....) Whilst we were right at the end of the walk, by the village Church, one of the children noticed a public footpath sign, leading down through a field.

"What's down there, Mum?"

"Ummmmm, I don't know!"

Again, because it involved stiles, and gates, and fields, it wasn't somewhere I'd ever been with small children, prams etc. I kind of thought where it MIGHT lead, looking over into the other side of the village, but I wasn't completely sure. Public footpaths are fickle things.

I concluded that rather than trying it out that particular day, I would thrust my enquiry about good old Google, and see if I could find an OS map showing us the public footpaths near the village.

This I did.

And this is when an exciting revelation took place.

There were a number of public footpaths and bridleways around the village that I didn't know about!!! All of a sudden, potential walking routes were opened up to our horizon! One in particular captured my interest, and I determined that would be the next walk on our list.

The next day dawned, and once we had finished "morning time", it was break.  We rushed to don hats, gloves, scarves, and the welly boots we figured would be a necessary item of footwear.  Off we went, with just a "photographic memory" concept of where I needed to go.

It was a crisp, cold morning, with icy puddles all over the place. The first part of the walk was familiar to us, but then we crossed the road and headed up a lane that I had seen thousands of times, but never actually walked up. Shameful, given how close it is to my home!! We enjoyed observing all sorts of nature on our route, and easily followed the signs for the public footpath (given that road signs in the UK can be reliably unreliable, and tend to disappear just when you need them most, I was pleasantly surprised). At a couple of points, we could look back towards our village. But it was odd. It took us a few seconds to work out exactly where we looking at! It looked like a completely different village, observing it from a completely new angle! We found some landmarks and eventually worked out what we were looking at. When we eventually turned the corner to head back towards the village again, we saw things in the distance that we don't normally see, once again because we were simply looking at it from a new perspective.

That whole walk made me feel excited and refreshed about where we live. Now we could go for an interesting nature walk, seeing the seasons come and go and the different wildlife of our vicinity, just a dander from our home.

When we got back home, the neighbour was at the front of his house, and I chatted to him about my "discovery".

"Yes, that's where I walk my dog every day!"

Yikes! I felt like a bit of an idiot, as THAT is where all the dog walkers seem to go (I did often wonder, when I saw them walking up the road from the village, WHERE were they GOING?!) Not that we have seen a dog walker there the two days we have been so far.  To add to my enthusiasm, he then told me that there are a couple of other ways to vary the walk, and places to explore up there, including some woods.

Maybe this is not something that floats your boat, but it made me think of something that we ALL need in life.

It got me thinking about how perspective is SO important in all that we do. It's especially easy for mums to become bogged down by the mundane. Doing the same old same old, as a matter of routine. It's not that we don't have joy in doing it, but it's just "the same" all the time. But when we take the time to step back from all that we do, and look at it through fresh eyes, and from a different angle, we find new joy and enthusiasm for what we are doing.  A new perspective leads to CONTENTMENT.

Maybe you need to stop and look at your life from a third world perspective? Our "needs and wants" - those things we feel are lacking in our life by way of "stuff", suddenly seems less important if we consider how truly wealthy we are. We have so much in life that we often try and find ways to simplify and declutter, when those in other lands live a life of joy with SO much less. Contentment with what we already have.

Maybe we need to look at our life from the perspective of someone with ill health. Someone who struggles to do the things with their children or family that we can do without a second thought? Someone who has to say "no" repeatedly to their children, when they want to do something that is just beyond the bounds of their physical capabilities? Suddenly, the small inconveniences of activities that wear us out, or we're fed  up being asked to do, we are thankful that we can even accomplish at all?  Contentment that we can do what we do.

Maybe you need to look at your home school life from the perspective of someone who doesn't even have the liberty TO home school, or even get to school at all. There are still countries in the world where it is illegal to home educate, or else there are very strict rules about the "dos and don'ts". (Brits, be thankful you don't even live in some US states, where it's for more regulated than here!) Don't lose the joy you should have in keeping your children with you at home. Change things about a little, or add something new into your daily routine. Think back to your reasons for choosing to home school, and get a fresh joy for the opportunity you have. Contentment with the opportunities that we have.

Maybe you need to look at your Church life from a persecuted Church perspective? The World Watch List from Open Doors,  tells of the countries where there is most persecution for being a Christian - 11 are severe, another 21 very high, and another 10 are high. Believers in some of these lands can't even tell their CHILDREN of their new found faith in Christ, because the risk of them being taken away, or killed, if they told someone else, is simply too high. THEIR OWN CHILDREN. Can you imagine that? Maybe you can be doing more to teach your own family about the Lord. Maybe you can get more involved in your own Church, and find a way to reach out to those in your own community.  Contentment with the freedoms we have.

Maybe you're looking back over on your life, after things going a route you didn't expect? Sometimes it can be hard to see  things exactly the way they really are. Perhaps you need to just step back and see God's hand, and that He is always there. Nothing has changed. Perhaps you need to dig into God's Word and find precious truths that remind you about who God is - see how you are to live and why. Then you are just seeing it all from the perspective of God and His perfect Word. Contentment with our circumstances.

You see, changing your perspective will lead to contentment. A fresh look at your life will allow you to see that God is good, you are blessed, and you have SO much to be thankful for!

Whatever it is in your life that you feel is mundane or tedious, try just stepping back and finding a fresh way to look at it. You may be pleasantly surprised to find the renewed joy that you will have by gaining a fresh perspective, and the contentment that comes hand in hand with that joy!

I am certainly looking forward to stepping out and exploring more of the local countryside, all the while being thankful for so much in my life that enables me to do that at all.

Perspective {from frustration to fulfilment}

As I log into Blogger to write this post, my eye is scanning down the list of most recently published posts, and I inwardly groan.

ONE post in May?

REALLY?

I thought that once I was feeling better, after having had Ezekiel, I'd be back to my normal blogging schedule, and sharing with the world again. But no. I have failed dismally.

Or have I?

Well, if I want to look at it from the point of view of blogging to reach out to others, yes, I may have "failed".

Perspective.

THAT is the key word for me.

We had a visiting preacher at our Annual Service of Thanksgiving, last weekend. His sermon on the Saturday was all about perspective. He was particularly emphasising that THANKFULNESS is all about perspective. If we look at our circumstances from the wrong perspective, we will not be a thankful people. Change your perspective, and you will find something to be thankful for.

I think one of the keys to having a correct perspective is all about change. We need to move to the right position in order  to gain the right perspective. We need to be willing to move from wherever we are, in our thoughts an attitudes, and get to the right "place".

It's a bit like when I am walking along, all adult size, and I see something and yell to the children "did you see THAT?"

There ensues a cacophony of

"I can't SEE it"

"Where, WHERE?"

"MUUUUUUUM, I can't SEEEEEEEE it"

Then, I help them to adjust their stance, in order to see what I can see. Maybe I lift them onto my shoulders, or gently re-position them a couple of inches one way or another, to get a better perspective on what I am viewing.

THEN, we  get a different response.

"Oh YES Mum - I see it now!"

"Wow, yes"

From frustration to fulfilment.

That's where perspective brings us. Perspective brings us from a place where can easily become frustrated and disheartened, to a place where we are fulfilled by God's goodness and mercy, because we are seeing things how GOD wants us to see them. The Lord lifts us up on his shoulders, like the good shepherd lifted that wandering lamb, and brings us to a place where we can see His goodness.

It's like that old adage "the grass is always greener on the other side". Someone seems to have life better than you do. If you change your perspective, you may see your grass longer, or that you have more grass, or that you have someone to help you look after your grass, and they don't, or that your grass is getting greener, but it's just slow. Perspective.

There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. There is ALWAYS a better way to view our circumstances. There is ALWAYS a reason to rejoice.

But, we must be willing to move away from the position we are in, and see things from a different perspective.

Effort.

A teachable spirit.

Joy and contentment.

It's all needed to gain perspective.

Have I been quiet on here? Yes.

Am I failing to keep up with writing blog posts, or, if I gently nudge my perspective, am I busy looking after a precious, but slightly high maintenance baby, who will grow up soooooo fast, that I shouldn't feel bad for spending time caring for him?

Perspective shifted.

Frustration gone.

Fulfilment found.

Accepting our cup {Words of wisdom from a meeting with Sally Clarkson - Part 1}

Today, I had the joy of meeting a godly woman, who is the author of several of my favourite books.

Today, I met Sally Clarkson.

Have you ever heard of someone, or read someone's work, and really hoped you'd meet them one day?  Someone who the Lord has used to speak to your heart, and life, and wanted to meet in person?

If you are at all like me, you may have wondered whether she would be how you imagined. I had heard her, and seen her, on short videos on the Internet, so that part was as expected.  I mean, the REAL person.

I have a single word I want to use to describe her.

Transparent.

adjective

1. 1.

   (of a material or article) allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen.

Do you know why I use that word? Simply, because the "Light" passed right through her today - the Lord Jesus, who she loves so much, shone right through her, and cast light upon all those who listened.  That "object behind" was the Lord Himself, and His Word, and it shone through Sally, and gave light to those ladies, all wanting to be more like Him.  Sally channelled those precious truths, like the mirrors in a lighthouse, and they bounced right into the hearts of the eagerly listening ladies, gathered cosily in the living room of the home that used to belong to C.S.Lewis. 

Sally is one of the most sweet, gentle and encouraging people I have had the joy to meet.  She was able to share her personal experiences in a very honest way, allowing us to see that she has walked where we have walked, and experienced the same struggles and trials that every mother has. The joy of the Lord just overflows through the words she speaks.  It was really, simply, wonderful.

I was so incredibly blessed by my wonderful husband, who looked after ALL ( yes, ALL) the children, so I could go and listen without having my mind on the children. It was a rare, and special, thing.  The Lord KNEW I needed to hear the words of wisdom she had to share, and I pray that the Lord gives me the grace to put the many truths into practice in my life.

Now, my job is going to be that of a mirror.  Sally was transparent, and the light of Jesus shone through her.  I will try and reflect some of that back out to those who read my words here, so you, in some measure, can bathe in the light of the truths she shared! 

The slight trouble is this - there was SO much, it will be hard to choose! 

I may need a few blog posts.... 

Before I begin, I want to say that some of what she said helped me to feel less guilty about my lack of posts here recently.  As you know, I am the mother of eight precious blessings.  When my life is straightforward, I have the opportunity to blog more easily.  When life shifts from the norm, the blog will NEVER be my priority.  It will ALWAYS be family.  Does this mean my "following" may decrease? Yes.  My stats section on Blogger tells me my answer. Does this matter? NO! I only ever share simple thoughts, many of which are just a passing on of what God teaches me. If it even blesses ONE other, then that's wonderful! Sally reminded us, today, that our family is most important, and I will not apologise or feel guilty for that. It's a blessing.

The first thing I want to share with you relates to something which Sally loves.  If you have read her books, or followed her blog posts, you know how she loves to have a cup of tea.  In fact, tea cups are something she a lot of, and takes great pleasure  in using them to host gatherings with many ladies she has encouraged over the years. 

A "cup" is one concept that Sally shared with us, about our lives, as mothers. She talked to us of the portion that God gives us in our lives.  In Psalm 23 we find the word "cup", which also means "portion".  The portion that the Lord allots to us - that content of our lives which we have been given - is like the contents of a cup.  We have it, held in our hands.  It's ours.  Sometimes, especially as mothers, and home educating mothers, our cup feels incredibly full. It may even be filled with something we'd rather not have.  What the world tells us to do is to throw the cup and away - smash it on the floor and tip the contents out.  Why should we have a cup filled with something that's not easy to swallow? Why?  Because it's the Lord that fills our cup! It's the portion HE has allotted to us!  

It's NOT always easy to swallow.  Think of the words which the Lord, Himself, spoke.

"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Matthew 26:39

Our precious Saviour asked for His cup to be taken away.  Not, however, without adding that He was willing to accept the Father's Will.

We, too, need to be like Jesus.  

Perhaps the content of our cup is bitter. It may be hard - REALLY hard.  It could be heavy to bear.  It could be a broken cup.  Maybe it's awkward to hold, because we are tired and hurting.  

The thing is, it's the cup that the Lord has given us. It's His will for us, and we need to cry out, as Jesus did, "not as I will, but as thou wilt".  

We need to accept our portion.

Sally told us that there is no limit to what God could do for those who will trust Him fully.

We need to trust God.   He gave us our cup - He filled it with the things in our life that we have.  Our family, our circumstances, our responsibilities.  They are just the cup we need.

Today, when things aren't going the way you hoped, expected, anticipated or desired, remember you are holding the cup that GOD gave you.  It's a privilege to have something that we know is just right, and the perfect portion.  What God has given us, He has the strength to see us through.

I will return with more of what Sally shared with us, in another post.

Making life beautiful {accepting things you cannot change}

In my garden, there is a corner I have tried to ignore since we moved into the house. For a start, it's at the front, where we spend less time, so easy to neglect. Secondly, it contains something that I considered ugly and an eye sore. 

Laurel roots.

Big, ugly laurel roots.

Robert has been painstakingly trying to kill them off, drilling holes in them, and putting in treatment to kill them off. It's not a quick fix, and they are still there. Without heavy, expensive to hire, equipment, they are not going anywhere in a hurry. This year was the worst. There were thick patches of nettles and dandelions all around them, making it so much worse.

Instead of griping and being frustrated about the "ugly" patch, I realised there was something I COULD do. I couldn't get rid of the roots, but I could clear the weeds, and make a FEATURE of the roots!! I could make it something beautiful, by working around, and with, it.

Those weeds were hard work. The nettle roots were like an underground network, and the dandelions had roots like a tree. It was no easy fix, but it looked so much better with them gone.

I popped off to the garden centre, picking up some pretty, flowering plants. I wanted plants that would not just try and cover up the roots, but to make them look like part of my garden. As if they were supposed to be there, rather than me just making do. 

The day I attacked my garden, I happened to be struggling with a situation in my life, which was irking me. A situation that was not likely to change in a hurry, but I was allowing it to bother me, and rob me of my joy and peace. It was a circumstance that wasn't in my power to change, yet I was letting it fester away and irritate me. My heart and my attitude weren't at ALL beautiful, as I chewed over my frustrations. 

It hit me. 

My life is like those roots in my garden. There are some things in all our lives, that we simply cannot change. It's not in our power, or perhaps not our responsibility, to change. Allowing it to bother us is simply showing lack of contentment in God's plan for us, or lack of patience whilst we pray for a change, which may happen in the future. If we allow it to negatively affect us, it's not very beautiful, at ALL. 

We can, however, be responsible for how we accept, and deal with, our circumstances. If we remember exhortations in the scriptures to "rejoice evermore", "in everything give thanks", "pray without ceasing", "be content with such things as ye have", and put them into practice, we will have much more joy and peace in our life.

It would be so easy to sit, frustrated and irritated, madly praying for the Lord to change our situation, when we could, instead, be living joyfully, and contentedly, in the situation we are in. 

In time, the Lord may answer your prayers, and changes may come.... Or, they may not. 

We can choose to live with joy, or we can choose to be miserable. 

Don't fight the situation that the Lord is allowing you to walk through. Embrace it, and live it with joy. 

Go ahead, and plant some "flowers" in your life, and choose to make your situation beautiful, instead of being frustrated with a wasteland. 

Day 1 - All seasons have a purpose {5 days of Spring life-lessons}

I often hear people bemoan the miseries of winter.  Dark days.  Cold.  Rain. Inside more. Bleak.

I have to say, I quite like being tucked up warm inside, with the weather doing its things outdoors.  I like getting up whilst it is still dark, and doing my devotions in the quietness, lamp switched on, feet tucked up.

Having said all that, I ADORE the spring.  What a joy it was, yesterday, to go out for a big long walk with the children, soaking up the unseasonably warm sun, and looking at the signs of spring appearing all around us - blossom on the trees; bulbs blooming all around; the smell of flowers and freshly cut grass; birds singing; sun shining.  It was wonderful!

Over the last few days I have noticed the light afternoons, pushing into the evening, and it will just be a few weeks until the clocks change here in the UK, making it even brighter. I got out into the garden and tidied up things that hadn't been sorted at the end of the last growing season, due to me being in the end of pregnancy, and then having had Tabitha.  Our amazingly mild winter has meant that plants have survived that normally die, and things are already ahead of their growing season.  A total reverse of last year! It was lovely to get out, and see things tidied up, and feel the fresh air on my cheeks.

The Lord has shown me so much, over these last past few days.  I feel very much full of hope and encouragement.  I am seeing things through the eyes of a new season. I am going to share with you some of the lessons I have learnt, all through this week, with a different thought each day.


All seasons have a purpose 

The words of the wise King Solomon are good to remember as the seasons change.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"

When we consider that EVERY season is for a purpose, and we take a step back to consider what it might be, it helps us as we walk through it.  Here are just a few that I have learnt just lately.


Contentment

Yesterday, my lovely husband was preaching on this verse, one of my favourites

"for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

You could easily slip the word "season" in there, in place of state.  Our "state" is our circumstances. It's where we are RIGHT NOW.  Where GOD wants us to be.  Whatever season that is, we need to learn contentment, and to see that we are there for a God-given purpose.  We have to stop, and ask "what do you want me to learn here, Lord?".  We need to be able to be satisfied with our circumstances, and to not be looking to be somewhere else, or doing something else.  Not be hankering after a new season, when it's not time to move into it yet.

At the moment, I am finding this season of change a challenge.  Simeon is such a handful, but it's all a part of him growing, learning and becoming one day, if the Lord wills, a young man.  Shaping and working with his strong will can be so testing, but I KNOW it's just a season.  Already I am seeing changes, and encouragements.  The hard times don't last forever, and I know, based on going through this season 6 times already, there are better days ahead.  I need to simply be content with my circumstances, even when it brings challenges.  It's where God wants me to be right now.

I am sure you have you own set of circumstances. Maybe you have children who are a struggle, too. Maybe it's a health issue.  Perhaps it's finances or employment. Whatever it is, you need to be content as you brave out the "winter" days.  Spring IS coming.

No matter where we are, whatever our situation, we can find a lesson to learn.

Like the weather at this time of year, we can look forward to spring, but there may still be days when the weather suddenly flips, and we feel more like it is winter again. I can remember a random snowy day in late March last year!

Don't be discouraged when this happens in your life.  Spiritually speaking, we need to take those days and learn from them, too.  Take each day as it comes, being thankful, and willing to learn, in each and every day.


Necessity

Winter can be gloomy and dull, but we need it.  In the garden, it gives a rest from the busier times we have in the other seasons.  There is less to be done in the garden, because the cooler weather restricts growth, and gives plants a break. However, things like bulbs are secretly doing growing under the ground, building up energy ready to spring up in the spring.  Colder weather also makes plants stronger and hardier.

Spiritually speaking, it's good to remember that even in the "winter" days, when things seem bleak, cold and dead, that there is still growth happening.  We might not see it until we are into a new a season of life, but it's helping make us stronger, as we rely more upon the Lord through trials or low moments. When we see our weakness, and instead rely on God's strength.

Likewise, we need the spring.  As a Christian, there MUST be growth.  Just like a gardener will tend his plants, we also must tend our spiritual lives. We must not neglect God's Word, and speaking to the Lord in prayer.  Daily, we need to renew our strength and grow up in Christ, desiring the meat of the Word.


Change

Spring is a time of new beginnings. Everything starts to spring to life again, and we see change and growth happening again.  Everything is brighter, cheerier, warmer and more hopeful.

So it is spiritually, when we enter into a season of "spring".  We can see growth, development and encouragements. There is change.  There is hope.

It's also when you put the past behind you.  This is a NEW season.  The old has gone, the new has begun.  We cannot keep dwelling on the dark days, and reliving them.  We need to embrace the new, with thankfulness in our hearts.  All those days with trials and hardships are NOT today.  Today is fresh.  It's new.  We can go forward, learning from the season that's past, to make the new season better.

As we think about this new season this week, and what we can learn from it, I trust you are encouraged, as you face the "new", and spring into spring with me, with a hope-filled heart.

The Kite

We receive a little monthly publication called "Cheering Words" - it is filled with little stories, anecdotes, quotes and other useful snippets to encourage God's people.

I was reading a backdated issue from a year ago, and came across a poem by John Newton, that struck a cord in my heart.

The Kite and it's string

"Once upon a time a paper kite

Was mounted to a wondrous height,

Where, giddy with its elevation,

It thus expressed self-admiration:

'See how yon crowds of gazing people

Admire my flight above the steeple;

How would they wonder if they knew

All that a kite like me can do?

Were I but free, I'd take a flight,

And pierce the clouds beyond their sight;

But, ah! like a poor prisoner bound,

My string confines me near the ground:

I'd brave the eagle's towering wing,

Might I but fly without a string.'

It tugged and pulled, while thus it spoke,

To  break the string - at last it broke.

Deprived at once of all its stay,

In vain it tried to soar away;

Unable its own weight to bear,

It fluttered downward through the air;

Unable its own course to guide,

The winds soon plunged it in the tide.

Ah! foolish kite, thou hadst no wing,

How couldst thou fly without a string?

My heart replied, 'O Lord, I see

How much this kite resembles me!

Forgetful that by Thee I stand,

Impatient of Thy ruling hand;

how oft I've wished to break the lines

thy wisdom for my lot assigns!

How oft indulged a vain desire

For something more, or something higher!

And, but for grace and love divine,

A fall thus dreadful had been mine."

J Newton

Oh, how like my own foolish heart!  

How we can pull, and pull away from the guiding hand that God has upon our hearts.  

That we can think that our own plans must be the right ones - how we would get on so much better if we could just be free of the restraints that God, in His wisdom, has upon our life.

That OUR plans, which seem to be so wise and good, must surely be as good as the way that God is guiding us?

Surely being buffeted about, this way, and that way - thinking God is leading us one way, when, SNAP....he draws another way.  Surely THAT is not as good as the smooth and easy way that we can see for ourselves, without change and rise and fall.

Just like the kite, we think we can soar, smoothly, to higher and greater heights...

These commitments that God has placed in our life - if we could just change them - pass them onto someone else - then we could soar to great heights for the Lord?  What greater ministry opportunities we could seek, if we could free ourselves from the "strings" of family, and home?....

But, may we learn from the picture that John Newton "drew" for us, in his words from hundreds of years ago.

We cannot bear our own weight, in the winds of life.  We have no ability in ourselves to rise to any height at ALL.  It is GOD alone who maps out our course, keeping a firm hold upon the strings, to guide us, and keep us in the place where HE would have us to be.

Cut our strings, and we would fall, like the kite, down into the tide of life - sunken in the "tide" of despair, instead of where we should be, guided and controlled by GOD'S hand. 

May we be content to rise high in the winds of life, controlled by the hands of God.

 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 


For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." 

Isaiah 55:8-9

Godliness with contentment

Do you know, life gets tough?

Did you know, that a lot of days it's far from easy?

Had you noticed, that when you are at your lowest, the devil is trying to just pull you further down?

That he doesn't WANT you to be happy?

That he doesn't WANT you to like your circumstances?

That more than anything else, he wants you to NOT like the plan that God has for you?

Marriage takes work.  There are REALLLLLY tough moments.

Moments when you are really not sure about how things are working out.

(*whispers*  that's what the devil says to you, anyway, in a quiet, subtle kind of way.)

It's lies, though.  ALL lies.

Trials are ALLOWED.  Allowed?

Yes, allowed.  God allows them to happen.  They are meant to be there.

But you have a choice.

WHAT choice?  A choice as to whether they HAPPEN?

NO.

You have to choose how to deal with them.

Are you going to deal with them GOD'S way, or YOUR way. (read that as "the sinful way")

There's no such person as a completely sinless and sanctified person.  I KNOW that.  I am not saying that's how you will be.

But, do you know what?  We need to at least TRY!

If God's Word tells us we are to have self-control, then we are to have self-control.  Yes, even though our child is having a wobbly, again - even though our spouse may say or do something that we want to give an "I know better" retort back to - even though someone has said something, or done something hurtful to us...AGAIN..... we still need to have self-control in what we think, say and do in return.

If God's Word tells us to love...to love in spite of failures - in spite of the faults of others - in spite of a day being tough - then, we MUST love.

Love....unconditionally.   

 Love.....unfailingly.  

 Love....with faith, with hope, with endurance.

What does it all, in essence, boil down to?

The title of this post.

First, seeking to live a godly life.  Seeking God's Word about how we ought to behave.  How we ought to think.  How we ought to speak. 

 DOING it.  

LIVING it.

BEING it.

And, what else?

Being CONTENT.  

Accepting our circumstances.

Not seeking something else 

ALL. 

THE. 

TIME.

Are you a wife and a mother?  THAT'S what you need to get on with doing. There's nothing better out there for you.

Yes, you may be busy from dawn up until sundown (and the rest).  But, if it's God's plan for you, is there anything better?

You may have a husband that is busy...who gets to go OUT.  Who gets to meet other REAL, GROWN UP PEOPLE!  You get to be with the children all day long...

The precious, wonderful, amazing little beings that God has blessed you with. That need you SO much.  That will be formed for the future by how you raise them, deal with them, love them.  Who are SO blessed by having you there with them.  YOU - the MOTHER.

Dear, sweet sister.  Do not long for something else.  Do not long for the "trials" to be gone.

Embrace the trials.  Embrace them as a time to put into practice the words that are given to us by God.   As a time to live out the life that we are blessed with, DESPITE the trials.

LIVE a life that demonstrates that godliness WITH contentment....is GREAT gain.

Not just required.

Not just to be endured.

But, GREAT gain.

Keep looking to Jesus.



"But godliness with contentment is great gain." 
1Timothy 6:6  

Linking in with A Holy Experience.

If only.....

Do you ever say anything like this?


"If only....

............I could get more sleep?"

"If only....

......I could be more organised?"

"If only....

.....I could lose weight easier?"

"If only....

....there were more hours in the day?"

"If only....

....I had four arms?"

Any of these sound familiar?

Well, I have one for you!  I have been reading so many precious Bloggers, telling their "followers" about the lovely time they had at the Relevant Conference!  It is a conference for Christian Bloggers, to get together and learn more about how to reach people, encourage people, and bless others with their blogging.  Lovely people like Ann Voskamp, Courtney Joseph, Sally Clarkson, all coming together with many others, as keynote speakers!  Think of the time of blessing, listening to these ladies encourage others in their walk with the LOrd and therefore the content of their Blogs?  Meeting other Bloggers, with the same Christ-honouring desires.

"If only...

.....I lived in America, and could go to Relevant!"

It would be such a lovely thing to fellowship with all those ladies, of like precious faith.  

But, do you know what?  I don't!  I live here, where God wants me to be!  And, instead of coveting and envying, I can be blessed, instead, by what will out-pour from their Blog's because they have had a time of blessing themselves!  

"I have learnt in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

"godliness with contentment is great gain."

I thank the Lord for the way some of these ladies have greatly influenced my life, and may they continue to be blessed, as they seek to honour the Lord.

Be careful what you ask for...

This morning I was reading in Isaiah, chapters 34-39.  I find it to be a book of surprises - where you get little gems of verses, in amongst prophecy that is hard to understand!

You also get, as I did this morning, the telling of history that you find in other parts of scripture.  This was a story that I remember very clearly, from reading it with the children in II Kings 20.  It's the narrative of King Hezekiah, and his death bed request.

He had come to the end of his days, and was about to die.  Isaiah comes and tells him to set his house in order, because he will die.  THE PROPHET, Isaiah - God's messenger.  Bringing the word of the Lord to King Hezekiah.  But, Hezekiah decided he doesn't want to die. Yet. So he sulks (turns into the wall), and cries.

Now, I am not suggesting that it is wrong to be sad, humanly speaking, at various times in our lives.  Not at all.  Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus (and HE knew that Lazarus was about to be alive again ;-) )  No, I have an issue with him not accepting God's plan for his life.  You can't have it plainer than a word spoken by God's messenger, and the message from God was that he was going to die.

So, Hezekiah asks to live.  And, God answered his prayer.  He doesn't just add a few days.  He adds 15 years.

So, what happens in those 15 years, you may ask?  15 long, happy years, of him continuing to follow after God?

Well, 2 significant things happen. He decides to be prideful, and boast to some visitors about all the wealth and treasures he possessed.

"sure, come in guys!  Have a good look at my vast treasures!  I'll show you every last little thing that I possess!  No problem!  Take a good mental note!  It's so good to have you here from Babylon anyway...such a long way for you to come and see me......"

*screeching sound effect* - what's that, you say, from BABYLON????   OOOOOOOOH yes siree.  Those lovely friends from Babylon.  Really friendly place, Babylon.  Do you need to look at a timeline to place Hezekiah and Isaiah?   That's right....BEFORE Daniel.  Really not long before Daniel at all.  Daniel.  Who lived in Babylon.  Because he had been taken captive by the Babylonians, who came along and decimated the land of Judah.

Isaiah comes and speaks to Hezekiah.  He tells him that EVERYTHING that the generations before him have stored up, will be taken away by the Babylonians.  NOTHING will be left.  All his sons would be taken away.  Was this worth living for?

What else happened in those 15 years?  Well, 3 years later, he had a son.  Manasseh. Read II Kings chapter 20.  Please, read it.  He was one of the most wicked kings in the history of the nation.  So wicked, that God promised to have so much evil come upon Jerusalem and Judah, that "whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle".   He was going to wipe them out, like you wipe out a bowl, turning it upside down to make sure it is empty. (verse 13)

So, Hezekiah.  You don't want to accept God's plan?  You don't want to die?   Are you sure about that? What?.... you can't see the future, you only know your own selfish heart?  Only GOD knows the future?  God, who had sent word that you were to die?

Sobering.

Thought-provoking.

Do we ever question God's dealings in our life?  Do we question the path that God has placed us on?  Do we want change because "it's too much to cope with"?

Do we have thoughts of discontent?

"I didn't know that being a mum would be so hard....it was so much easier when I just went to work for 8 hours a day, and then came home"

"Lord, my husband is such hard work....why can't he be perfect...does he not understand my needs...the way I think....why should *I* do all the work....why should it be *my* job?"

"when I started out with this home-schooling, I thought it would be such fun...why did you lead me to do something that can be so challenging?"

"Lord, people with 1 child have it so easy...they get their foreign holidays, they don't need to shop in charity shops...they can get everything new....life seems so easy for them...."

"this house is not very big...why did we ever live here...I know people with lovely big houses, and they look so nice..."

Before you carry on with your thoughts of discontent...before they become a prayer, desiring change.

STOP


THINK VERY CAREFULLY.


BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PRAY FOR.


We need to learn contentment.  That's why Paul said "I have LEARNT in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

God knows better than we do.  Although, by the way we behave, and think, sometimes others may not believe that is what we think.

If we are following God's will for our life, according to the instruction given in God's Word, then we need to accept what follows, whilst walking that path.

I am also not saying that we shouldn't pray, and ask for things of God.  I'm just saying, be careful.  Make sure you pray "thy will be done", in all things.  That pride, selfishness and discontent are not the reasons for our prayers.

We wouldn't want a "Manasseh" to result from God granting our foolish desires.

Be careful what you pray for.