Connecting People

Col. 3.12 Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

When we read this verse, we realise that we cannot grow and develop as a child of God in isolation. We cannot practice compassion, gentleness, and so on without at least one other person to interact with us. In reality, we live our lives surrounded by people. Some of them are closer to us than others, but Jesus asks us to reach out to all of them with His love. Most of us struggle to do that effectively.  We have difficulty in achieving the level of vulnerability and openness we would like.

What causes us to be so closed, so guarded, so unwilling to share things of any depth?

Experience has shown that some of this is caused by wounds and fears we carry with us all the time.

Wounds are things people have said and done which have affected us deeply.

Fears are of what people MIGHT say or do or think. All of these cause us to believe lies about ourselves, about others, and about the Godhead.

Because of this, we shut ourselves away, we hide, we fight, we flee rather than risk exposure.

How can we become openhearted?  Next time we’ll look a little at some of the things which stop us from reaching out as we would like, and to pick up some tools which can help us to change our attitudes and beliefs about ourselves, to become more open and available to others.

Meanwhile, keep praying that God will open the eyes of our hearts so we can see truly…..

TRANSITION

The day is young;

the night is dark;

the rain is pouring down.

I sit and wait.

My Saviour’s near.

I call His Name;

I wait for Him to come

and sit with me.

His gentle peace

surrounds me here;

my anxious thoughts are stilled;

I turn to Him.

His Father, God,

supplies my needs

while Jesus gives me strength

and purpose true.

That other One,

the Spirit bright,

glows in my weary heart

and bids me rest.

Now daybreak comes;

the light appears;

the rain has stopped for now.

I stand to serve….

PANIC

Purple and orange, red, green and violet,

streaked with magenta and dotted with blue-

that’s how it feels when the panic takes hold,

order and peace leave, and chaos rides high.

Answers are pointless for questions fly fast.

Hard on their tails comes the quick rush of fear.

Red hot, the breath comes in shivering gusts,

or dark blue, paralysis takes up the slack

New thoughts and feelings surge into my head.

Yellow and crimson the fear and the dread.

What do I do now? How can I cope?

Help me, O please someone, come to my aid!

Into the maelstrom of colour and chaos,

a sliver of silver comes piercing the fray,

straight through, so balanced, shining and placid,

giving an aura of order and calm.

Coming so swift like a shaft from above,

giving a focus away from the mess,

speaking of certainty, solid and true,

sent by the One who knows every trial.

September 2016

DOWN IN THE DARK

I look around me. Everything seems dark.

I feel alone. I cannot find my way.

A hopeless sense of deep despair pervades

my being as I cry and hug myself.

Time passes and I know there is no point

in sitting with Self-pity in deep gloom.

I look above me. There I see some light.,

not strong, clear sunshine, but a growing glow.

So far away, I cannot feel a change

I think I’ll just remain here in the dark.

Time passes and I know I should move on.

Self-pity wastes my time and keeps me low.

I look beyond this pit of self-made pain

to see the hills around, now bathed in light.

The sun has risen; dark, dense shadows fly;

this thought brings hope to my sad, troubled soul.

I cannot wait for time to pass some more.

I’ll stand and shout, I’ll move out to that land;

I’ll feel the warmth and see the light around;

Self-pity cannot, will not win the day.

I cast him off; I walk into the light;

I feel the sun; I see the land around;

I move once more in freedom, peace and love.

I’ll not return. Self-pity will not win.

I live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Because there are so many hills and valleys, our village lies in shadow as the sun rises, while the hills around catch the light and reflect it to us, until at length, the sun tops the hill and we are bathed in light and warmth. As I was walking this morning, I felt that this was saying something to me, so I wrote…

HOPE

Father, I saw You, You danced with delight,

the Three interweaving as One.

It was not till much later I found out that day

You had glimpse of Your prodigal son.

He turned in his heart for one moment to You,

sitting a while in Your Presence,

and You sang over him in your pleasure and love

at his turning again towards You.

That son I see now, mired again in the mud,

and my heart starts to question within me.

I remember the way that You danced and I find

my weak faith again growing stronger..

September 2014

Another angle – having read Shekhar’s ‘I am …’

Enigma Variations

My mind can roam through countless galaxies;
my brain  can know a million different facts;
I can absorb and understand how time exists
and how it works, and where the sun came from
and when it goes, and atoms, molecules and so much more.

My strength is infinite, my eyes can see
beyond the realms of these terrestrial spheres;
My wisdom knows no bounds. It all makes sense,
the reasoning and purpose crystal clear.

What am I? I am just a man – or woman
made this way against the day when future dawns
and finite bodies melt and are replaced
with casing as it always was ordained…
to be.

 

 

The Life We Lead

It’s what we nurture in our hearts

That really matters;

It’s how we see ourselves and those

Important to us.

We say we trust in God and love

His word above all,

Yet often we ignore His call

And struggle onwards.

We love our spouse and want to show

Affection always

But bedtime finds us cold and dull

Or hot and angry.

Our children beg our time to play

Or listen to them-

We keep on promising but then

Never deliver.

We know our lives are full of stuff

That kills our spirit

but we’re too tired or busy to

notice the warning.

Our focus soon homes in on ‘self’

And it’s survival,

Ignoring all the hurts to those

Around who love us.

One day in later years our life

Has room for others.

We look around to find ourselves

Alone and empty.

WITHOUT YOU

 

Without You in my life, what would I strive for?

A shivering wreck, trying hard to impart

a polished impression of making the grade,

of holding it all rightly together,

still pressing on through ‘daily improvement’

towards a known goal of ‘perceived happiness’.

My days would be predictable constants

of shattered pieces meeting and parting

in the kaleidoscope of human life,

sometimes achieving a pretty pattern

filled with dim light and half-glowing colours,

more often jarring with discordant shapes.

My mind would change from one day to other,

sometimes all grey with bleak indecision –

the path so unclear, the future now dim;

at other times, a clear shape would form there,

resolving into a bright coloured pattern

that I would grasp, eager to follow.

My soul, in it’s sure ‘self-regulation’

would flit from plan to purpose renewed,

ever seeking improvement, refinement

by it’s own efforts, never accepting

that nought of any eternal value

can be accomplished whilst at odds with You…..

Jan 2013

A few thoughts on the Promises of Jesus

I have not written this. It is the work of my husband, who has a greater gift than I….

A few thoughts on the promises of Jesus

Read each of the verses several times over to get a feel for them and use the brief notes as a guide.

When you have finished, pray about what you think God is saying to you, using your own way of expressing yourself. There is no formula for praying, just say what you want to say and spend time considering what God might be saying to you.

Matthew 21 v.18-22

…. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

I believe Jesus acted out this dramatic incident to teach the disciples how important faith is in the christian life.He is saying, don’t limit God to what you think He is capable of or willing to do. View your request to God in the light of who He is, the eternal Creator of the world. Believe in Him and trust in Him completely (Proverbs 3 v5-6)

John 14 v12-14

…. he will do even greater things than these…

… and I will do whatever you ask in My Name….

… you may ask Me for anything in My Name and I will do it…

These are very powerful words Jesus is saying and again He is demonstrating that faith is the key to the kingdom of God. He obviously wants us to ask and receive so that we might be fulfilled and so that God’s will and purposes might be done.

This is the extent of the relationship God offers to us in Jesus Christ His Son. It shows us the extent of His love for us in that He adopts us as His children and gives us the rights of heirs.

AS in all relationships, it is two-way. God is not offering us a formula for prosperity. He is offering us a partnership with His eternal life that also needs our commitment and obedience.

John 15 v7-8

… ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you.

This takes us deeper into our relationship with Jesus. He says it is as we abide in Him and as we are joined together with Him that nothing shall be impossible for us. This is a subtle distinction. We are no longer asking selfishly for what we want to make out lives comfortable or easy, but together with Jesus we are seeing the eternal picture and boldly asking for that which will bring it into being.

John 15 v16

… then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My Name …

This faces the fact that when all is said and done, it is God’s love and mercy to us that brings us into this relationship with Him. Jesus says, I have chosen you. It was Jesus who died for us on the cross so that our sins might be forgiven. Everything we have and hope for is from the love of God.

Here Jesus is saying that as we move into this relationship with Him, then God will more and more give to us what we ask for.

John 16 v23-24

… My Father will give you whatever you ask in My Name..

… ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete…

Jesus is looking ahead to the times after He has been crucified and had risen from the dead, when the power of sin had been broken and the power of the Holy Spirit had been given to those who believe – that is, to us..

He shows us a new, dynamic relationship that is possible with God. In this relationship nothing shall be impossible to us as God longs to give to us with open arms.

Ask, Jesus says, so that your joy will be complete. Here we see a situation, not of formalised prayer, but of a loving partnership where we are working with God and being totally fulfilled as we do so.

John 16 v26-27

… in that day you will ask in My Name …

…the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me…

Jesus is showing us the extent of our relationship with Him and with God. He says He will not need to ask God on our behalf since we have free access to God at all times, and God loves us.

Understanding the Bible lies in understanding what God has done for us. Look at what Jesus says in

John 16 v13-15

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you in all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will only speak what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you.

As we come to Jesus in simple faith and accept Him as our Saviour, He gives us the Holy Spirit. This is the miracle of the christian faith – God in us, through us, with us. What we cannot do on our own, God can do through us through the power of His Spirit living in us.

Read these scriptures over and over and ask God in faith to do what He has promised, that is , show you His truth and the way forward for your life. Follow this pattern.

In return and rest is your salvation

I have been away so long – life has been very full, too full, with the needs of family and friends taking precedence over writing and reading.
This year has seen a friend come for his final visit, before going home to die. He knew he was going soon, and that he was going Home, so perhaps less fraught than otherwise, but not easy for him, or for family and friends.

Our son has moved flat, with all the hopes and fears, the positives and negatives, for us to lend a listening ear, supportive words, encouragement and advice. Another son and his family have unexpectantly upped sticks and moved, lock, stock and barrel, to the States for 2 years. This changes our normal plans for trips to the UK over Christmas, during which we normally visit them.
Another son and his lovely wife are expecting their second baby any moment – and then we go to stay with them for a time.

It has been a year of upset, of unrest, and I am yearning for our return to Spain in October, with the desire that we may have a time of rest on our return. Time to let all the demands and desires fade, and turn in trust and peace to our Father God, to sit in His lap and see His face, and have time to spend with Him alone. Only then, I think, will I truly get back to blogging and reaching out to others in this way. I look forward with anticipation!!