Author: curlysue028

Run YOUR race

curlysue028

Originally posted July 2017

This year my word for the year is Run – literally & metaphorically!

In the past week, despite the craziness of work I’ve ran 3 firsts:

Last Saturday I ran Ireland’s flattest half marathon at Clontarf for the first time. It was flat but the vital detail of 4 miles running on beach was omitted ! I didn’t get a PB but almost (Those who know me best will know I am disappointed with 2:02) Maybe next time!

It’s the first HM that I’ve been given doughnuts after – & they measured the distance in km rather than miles just to confuse me!

On 4th July I ran my first virtual race- 7km at 7 am for Tribe #run for love for human trafficking. I know I am truly an upholder as per Gretchen Rubin’ s four tendencies. I completed it in pouring rain through huge puddles with soaking feet ( & absolutely no one was watching-thankfully!)

On Friday I ran the Round the Springs 10k at Greyabbey. It cleared my head for sure – & there’s a vey unflattering photo of me on their Facebook page to prove I did it!

I’m not going to break any records or reach the podium!

I run so I can keep calm & carry on

I run so I can eat more chocolate!

I’m not expecting to run an ultra run or 100m sprint anytime soon.

But I run my race

As I’ve been pounding the pavements, I’ve been thinking about ‘Run your race’

With emphasis on your:

Run YOUR race

I first read this phrase on Claire Ortiz-Diaz’s blog

The phrase appears in the New Testament:

‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours!’
(‭‭1 Corinthians 9:24‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

We need to run our race not others. We can’t compare our race to others & we don’t have to run like them- we just need to run the best we can with the ability we’ve been given

We need to focus on where we are at, our stage & season of life, and :

‘Run the mile you are in’
(David Willey)

‘Run your race. Do your work, not someone else’s. Don’t allow envy, spite, ego, or greed to derail you.’
(Todd Henry – Accidental Creative)

We need to get rid of any thing that hinders our race, holds us back or distracts us.

‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.’
(‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:1&2 NIV‬‬)

‘You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience?’
(‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:7MSG‬‬)

We need to focus on Jesus who began & finished our race. He is like a pacer guiding us through the race:

‘To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.’
(‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

During races, runners are aiming for Personal Bests – the best time that they have ran for that distance. In this ultra race of life we need to do our creative best:

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
(‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:4-5‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

As we run, we need a positive mental attitude:

‘Clear your mind of can’t.’
(Samuel Johnson)

‘You must do the thing you think you cannot do.’
( Eleanor Roosevelt)

Or as the Bible says:

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
(‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose–I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”
(‭Philippians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

‘We were made to run’
(Jen Hatmaker)

‘So I run with purpose in every step.’
(‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:26‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruthx

Memos to myself

curlysue028

The following 12 quotes can make a difference to our time management this year (if we put them into practice..)

1.’All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’
(J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)

2. ‘So take some time to ask God today, “What do you want me to do with my one wild, beautiful life that no one else can?” Then listen to the whisper you hear in response.’ (Holly Gerth)

3.‘I never see why we should do anything unless it is either a duty or a pleasure! Life’s short enough without filling up hours unnecessarily.’
(CS Lewis)

4. ‘Focus is not something we find but something we create’ (Jeff Goins)

5.‘Productivity is effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God.’
(Tim Challies)

6.‘A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.’

‘We have to slow the rhythm of rush in our lives so that the best of who are can emerge.’
(Lysa TerKeurst, The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands)

7. ‘Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done.

‘Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will.’

(Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less)

8. ‘We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.’ (Bonhoeffer)

9.’You can spend your life on a blur of things that leave you bankrupt.’

‘It’s not what you do now & then that changes anything ,but what you do *everyday* that changes everything. Daily disciplines are doors to full freedom’ (Ann Voskamp)

10. ‘We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.’
(King David, Psalm 39:6-7)

11. ‘Don’t count the things you do. Do the things that count’
(Zig Ziglar)

12. ‘Time is non refundable. Use it with intention’ (Anon)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Captured time

curlysue028

Captured time. I read the name of the antique shop in Greyabbey as I ran past.

Captured time. Now more than ever before we love to capture moments, to create happy memories. But we can’t capture time itself- we can’t catch it. No matter what, the earth keeps spinning, time marches on & moments run through our fingers like grains of sand.

Tonight we celebrate another revolution around the sun- the end of another year- chronological (Chronos) time

We’ve just celebrated the moment that split history in two.

‘The hinge of history is on the door of a Bethlehem stable’
(Ralph W Sockman)

I love how this poem puts it:

BC:AD

‘This was the moment when Before
Turned into After, and the future’s
Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.
This was the moment when nothing
Happened. Only dull peace
Sprawled boringly over the earth.
This was the moment when even energetic Romans
Could find nothing better to do
Than counting heads in remote provinces.

And this was the moment
When a few farm workers and three
Members of an obscure Persian sect
Walked haphazard by starlight straight
Into the kingdom of heaven.’

(U.A. Fanthorpe)

This was God ordained Kairos moment:

‘But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.’
(‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:4-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Jesus said, “ I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”
(‭‭John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

‘Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth’
(Hark! The herald angels sing-Charles Wesley)

Our Unchanging God transcends time:

‘Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.’
(‭‭Psalm‬ ‭90:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Yet, ‘Eternity stepped into time,so we could understand’ (Michael Card)

And He is at work in time

‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.’
(Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Psalm 39:5 (AMP) says ‘My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best each of us is but a breath’

‘Selah’ is the word that follows next, & the amplified version translates this word as meaning ‘Pause, & think calmly of that!’

Indeed. Selah- Pause.Stop.Think.

‘Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.’
(James‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NIV)

Our time here is so transient, like a vapour, like the notorious Irish mist that appears for a little while, then vanishes.

‘What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night… It’s the breath of the buffalo in the wintertime.It is the little shadow which runs across the grass & loses itself in the sunset’
(Native American saying )

In complete contrast, our God is from everlasting to everlasting. To Him, one thousand years are just like a day that has past (see Psalm 90)

‘We are a moment, You are forever
Lord of the Ages, God before time
We are a vapor, You are eternal
Love everlasting, reigning on high’
(Robin Mark)

Compared to the vastness of eternity, our time here is but a moment.

Yet, our lives are in God’s hands & we can trust in Him. ‘Lord,through all the generations, you have been our home’ (Psalm 90:1-NLT) He has been God ‘from “once upon a time” to “kingdom come”’ (Psalm 90:2 MSG)

So, as we live our lives, we can stay close to Him & dwell with Him. We can make the most of our time here. We can’t capture time but we can ‘redeem the time’ by keeping in contact with Him.

‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’
(Psalm‬ ‭90:12‬ ‭NIV – A prayer of Moses the man of God)

All our days are written in His book. The Author of the epic story we call ‘Life’ knows how many pages are in the story of each of our lives (& of course what actually happens in our story)

‘Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d lived even one day’ (Psalm 139:16 MSG)

The Author of All knows how the story ends- with a happy never-ending:
‘This life is but a shadow.What is real is what will follow (attributed to CS Lewis)

As we pause & reflect on the Eve of 2018, we can trust the One who has been there already & holds it altogether:

‘I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year,
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied, “Go out into the darkness,
and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light,
and safer than a known way.”
(Minnie Haskins)

Blessings,
Ruth x

Love came down

curlysue028

God,
whose very essence is Love,
sent His Love down to our little planet
& wrapped Love in flesh & swaddling clothes.

Love walked earth’s dusty, well-trod paths.
Love grew and gave.
Love brought hope to the hurting,
total healing to the sick,
sunsets and rainbows to the blind,
walking & leaping to the lame.

Love gave, and kept on giving
to a world dying to know true Heaven-sent Love.

When Love’s God-appointed Day arrived,
Love gave Himself for us-
Love nailed to a cross,
yet held there by Love-
that we, the unlovely,
would know that we are
truly,
deeply loved by God.

But,
even brutal crucifixion could not kill Love,
for,
Love rose with the sunrise in the garden,
and returned to heaven in a cloud.

And Love is with us always-
Even to the end of the age.

*************

‘When Love came down to earth
And made His home with men,
The hopeless found a hope,
The sinner found a friend.
Not to the powerful
But to the poor He came,
And humble, hungry heartsWere satisfied again.

What joy, what peace has come to us!
What hope, what help, what love!’

(Stuart Townend)

Love has a name.Jesus
Love has a place.Our hearts
Love has a story
And it’s not finished yet
(Toby Mac)

‘God is love’
(1 John 4:16)

Blessings,

Ruthx

Twixmas

curlysue028

It’s that in between zone- no man’s land sandwiched (with turkey & ham left-overs) between Christmas & New Year. The old year hasn’t quite finished- the new year hasn’t yet begun. It feels like an extended weekend if you are off work- & a little disgruntling & disjointed if you are not!

Already, the arbitrary date in December on which we celebrate the most amazing birthday of all seems distant. Another Christmas Day is blurring into a memory.

Yet, the meaning of Christmas can be an ongoing daily reality:
‘For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation of all people’
(Titus 2:11)

‘Love, holiness, judgement, affection, righteousness, grace & mercy- they’re all wrapped up in Jesus & we’re now all wrapped up in Him’
(Chris Tiegreen )

‘You are given love, and this love is so extreme , it will take you all eternity to begin to understand it’
(Edward T Welch)

Wow!How can we respond to the greatest Gift of all?

Belfast’s coat of arms has the motto Pro tanto quid retribuamus? which means, ‘What shall we give in return for so much?’

It’s an echo of Psalms 116:12:
‘What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me?’

There can be no half-hearted response to God’s cornucopian grace:

‘Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all’
(Isaac Watts)

We are truly blessed & should be forever grateful to God -the One who so loved that He gave- sacrificially & eternally.

We should ‘Celebrate everyday the wonder of God sending His Son on a sacrificial mission of redeeming grace’ (Paul Tripp)

The angels played a central role in celebrating redemption’s story as they sang God’s message of grace , hope & goodwill. ‘Gloria in excelsius Deo’the celestial choir proclaimed – declaring the good news of great joy. Their songs filled the starry night with praise & the shepherd’s hearts with hope.

Eventually, the songs of goodwill ended. Silence fell on Bethlehem’s hillside as the shepherds ran to worship the baby, born as king, born to die.

So, what happens next?

‘When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.’
(Howard Thurman.)

Don’t let the joy of Christmas fade away.Let the Spirit of Christmas linger longer as the work of Christmas begins

‘The Lord has done great things for us& we are filled with joy!’
(Psalm 126:3)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Star-gazing

curlysue028

We live away from city lights & on a clear night stars shine clearly & brightly over our home. The Milky Way twinkles as it stretches across the darkness above our chimney.And during wintry early starts, we have the blessing of stars in the morning too!

Star gazing always makes me think big thoughts about our Great Big God.Tonight, I thought of how the star-scattering, life-giving Creator God came down to earth.

‘Lo,within a manger lies
He who built the starry skies’
(‘See amid the winter snow-Edward Caswall)

He left the glorious untainted splendour of heaven,
to be born as a baby,
to dwell on this earth.

‘God who is the Creator of the Universe, comes to us in smallness, weakness and hiddenness.’ (Henri Nouwen)

He came to be God with us- Imanuel.
A God with feelings and fingerprints.
A God to be where we are.

He was human & divine. ‘He became what he was not, but he ceased not to be what he was’ (JohnOwen)

And our Creator God marked this unique event by placing a new star in the sky as a sign.

‘He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.’
‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭147:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

The Magi in the East saw the star:
‘When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.’
(Matthew‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬)

Then they saw the baby:
‘On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.’
‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭2:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

I sang these words for the first timeon Christmas Eve:

‘Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O’er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!’
( O holy night-Cappeau)

Yet, apart from Mary & Joseph, the angels, a few shepherds & stargazers from the East, the rest of the planet Earth was totally unaware of the eternally significant event that unfolded one starry night in Bethlehem.

One Carol says, ‘How silently, how silently, the precious Gift is given’

And even on our {not so} silent nights, we can:
‘Look out past the stars, look to the One who put them there.’
(Keith Green)

As someone said ‘ Why wish upon a star when you can talk to the One who made them!’

Although we haven’t seen Jesus on earth, we can trust & believe:

‘Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.’ (I Pet 1:8)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Hear the angels sing

curlysue028

I love the anticipation of Christmas Eve & the atmosphere of Christmas Day. But there’s something welcoming about the quieter pace of Boxing Day & the un-named days thereafter between Christmas & New Year. Between the Old & New. ‘Twixmas’ they’ve recently been christened.

This gap can be a pause, to reflect & resolve. To quieten our hearts & still our souls.To listen to the angel song.

‘We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.’
(Mother Theresa)

During the past week between work & rushed wrapping I was listening to a less well known Christmas carol written by Edmund Hamilton Sears in 1849:

‘It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold!
Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From heaven’s all gracious King!
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.’

In this rushing, digital world we need to shut out the cacophony of distractions.

Verse 3 of the carol has soothing words:

‘Oh rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing.’

Centuries ago on a star-spangled hillside near Bethlehem a choir of angels sang:

“Glory to God in the highest.And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
(Luke 2:14 NKJV)

Gloria in excelsis Deo. Their words declared the resplendence of Almighty God. Their song proclaimed peace on earth & His goodwill to men.

Peace is not merely the absence of war, trouble or heartache. Peace is more than calmness in our personal life, or halcyon days on the world stage.

Rather, peace is the presence of God- the long promised Imanuel- God with us.

Before the angelic choir sang, the angel of The Lord said,”Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people”
(Luke2:10 NIV)

The angel reminded us there is no need to fear. There’s good news of great joy.

“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
(Luke 2:11NIV)

Over two thousand years ago, the Promised One was born to seek & save the lost. To save us from ourselves. To save us from our sins.

We can rejoice in this truth at Christmas, & always. Now & forever.

So, in these days of Twixmas:
‘Rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing.’

Blessings,
Ruthx

PS Listen to ‘A Christmas Hallelujah‘ by Cloverton

The ultimate gift

curlysue028

Tis the season…to shop till you drop,grab a coffee to go, then shop some more!

Of course we started exchanging presents as a reminder of the gifts of gold,frankincense & myrrh presented to Jesus. But at times we go Totally Over The Top. I mean,what do we give our nearest & dearest who have everything they want-& more?

I walked under the canopy of lights in Victoria Square on Wednesday night then through the Christmas market to get inspiration. St George’s market was shut but a red sparkly bow adorned the entrance- making the whole building look like a present.

There’s daily emails bombarding my inbox with all sorts of gift ideas- including Boots star buys that I’m tempted to buy for myself!

While we endeavour to give great gifts, God is the ultimate Gift-Giver:

‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.’
(James 1:17 NIV)

‘God’s gifts put men’s best dreams to shame’
(Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

The greatest gift came in unexpected wrapping. All the fullness of God- His grace & goodness, majesty & might, wrapped in swaddling clothes,lying in a manger

‘Once in our world, a Stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.’
(C.S. Lewis)

As we grow older our Christmas wish list gets shorter & we find that the things we want aren’t things. Sometimes the best gift we can give to others is our time.

Someone once wrote that love can be spelt T-I-M-E. Jesus loved us so much that He gave up eternity to spend time on earth.

‘For God so loved the world that He gave His One & Only Son’
(John 3:16)

‘Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor.’
(Frank Houghton)

He came to earth & became flesh, so that we can be adopted into the family of God through faith. The Gift of God means that we can become children of God.

‘The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.’
( C. S. Lewis-Mere Christianity)

‘Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God’
(John 1:12 NIV)

‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.’
(1 John 3:1 NIV)

God’s gift is a long lasting, never-ending present-eternal life.

‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
(Romans 6:23 NIV)

God’s gifts can be found in unexpected places in our lives-in the dark, difficult days:
‘God said “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.”
(Isaiah 45:3, 7 NIV)

Going forward through the darkness into the light, His Presence is the greatest present.

Christmas is
when God reached down,
when God became one of us,
with us in this journey of life.

Isaiah foretold this crucial aspect of the incarnation:
‘All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)
(Isaiah 7:14 NLT)

‘His name is God With Us and we believe He is.’
(Emily P Freeman)

‘Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!’
(2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV)

This Christmastime, if you haven’t already done so, will you accept this ultimate gift from God – the Gift of Himself, for now & forever?

Blessings,

Ruthx

A gift to your future self

curlysue028

It arrived in the post last month- a welcome surprise on a dull Monday via Amazon. It was a gift to my future self- a book I’d pre-ordered months ago. (God space by Keri Wyatt Kent)

I first heard the phrase ‘gift for my future self’ on Gretchen Ruben’s Happier podcast …& I liked it. The idea of doing something now to help your future self is appealing.Like pre-ordering a book. Or starting to exercise.Or making overnight oats for breakfast the night before.

‘But that’s just being organized!’ my sister-in-law Linda exclaimed. And it is!

But a gift for your future self sounds less ordinary & more whimsical!

My teenage children still tease me about my overnight oats as a gift to my future self!

Recently I’ve been thinking about gifts I should have given to my future self years ago, when those teenagers were small.

Back then, I had two children under two- both in nappies. Caris was just a toddler when Ethan was born in Nov 2002. His birth was straightforward- but there was an eruption of stress in the days before his birth. I didn’t sleep at all in the days before or after delivery. My mind was on over-drive filled with crazy, racing thoughts. After a week I was diagnosed with postnatal psychosis.

Postnatal psychosis is a tsunami in the mind that creates chaos in everyday life – the aftermath takes years to settle.The happy celebration of new life in the family morphs into a life-altering nightmare.My sleep-starved deluded self existed in a world that made sense initially but disintegrated as thoughts clash faster & faster.The fabric of daily life unravelled beneath me into tangles & we’re free falling from the life we love into the abyss of depression & psychosis.

Medication meant that the racing thoughts subsided relatively quickly, but months of depression followed. Chances are, statistically speaking, that more than a few of you reading this will know what I mean- when I talk of days of living in black & white rather than colour. Days of existing without truly living. Doing life with the joy squeezed out of it. Having ‘eyes without sparkle’ as one writer put it.

Just getting through the day felt like a momentous achievement.

But I did get through those long days & seemingly short years. This Thanksgiving I felt blessed & grateful for good mental health.

And as another birthday approaches, I think of the dark days less than the years before.

So what gifts should I have given myself for my future self then?

*Time

It would have been reassuring to know back then that things would get better with time.

It does take time to recover from mental illness -an unquantifiable length of time. But gradually, painstakingly slowly,you will get better.

Your baby won’t actually remember those days & with time your own memories will fade into the background.

In the middle of the mayhem,take time out doing whatever helps.Whatever works for you.

In time I would see the therapeutic value of writing. And reading when concentration improved.And running. Someone wrote ‘Running is the washing machine of the mind’ – I should have used it sooner!

Make time to go to Mother & Toddlers- even if you don’t feel like it. Even if it feels awkward initially.

*Help

You need to accept help.Trust those who know you best & love you most. If they suggest you need professional help- you probably do!

Your Community Midwife,Health Visitor or GP can all help. It’s what they’re there for!

During your Postnatal Visit with your GP, they’ll want to check your mental well-being. They may ask if you been bothered by feeling down, depressed,or hopeless over the past month. Or if you have had little interest/ pleasure in doing things. They are relying on you telling the truth & will offer help & support if you do.

*Faith

Going through the dark days, I had some faith. I wish I had more.

‘I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.’
(Philip Yancey )

As I look back I know that I never walked alone – I was carried by God (as it says in the Footsteps poem)

You may not share my faith, but TBH I just can’t fathom how you make it through life without God

‘Does that make my faith a crutch? Maybe. But what does a crutch do? It helps you stand and makes you stronger. So, yes, when I face overwhelming odds, I need a bit of that.’
(Bear Grylls)

When I was most unwell, I could only read a few verses at a time.These verses meant a lot to me at the time, & would even more to my future self:

God said,
“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end-
Because I am GOD, your personal God”
(‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:1-3‭MSG‬‬)

‘He heals the broken-hearted & binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars & calls them each by name. Great is our Lord & mighty in power-His understanding has no limit’ (Psalm147:3-5)

I would remind my future self that in the messy middle of our story, the Author of life walks through our dark chapters with us.

If you are still there in the messy middle, stressed out but struggling through, pause & give your future self the gift of time,help & faith

(I say future self for when your mind is messed up & everyday life is disturbed, your current self cannot see any benefit to doing anything!)

Time. Help. Faith.

Blessings,

Ruthx

http://www.blessedme.org

PS

This was originally written for Lindsay who campaigns for Maternal Mental Health & blogs at Have you seen that girl. Find resources collected by her HERE

Find support on the Aware website or at Best Beginnings . PANDAS is a foundation supporting pre & postnatal depression.

The bottom line is it’s ok not to be ok – even when you’re pregnant or if you’ve just had a baby. Speak to someone about how you are feeling.And give a gift to your future self!

Neither merry nor bright

curlysue028

For the myriad of hurting hearts this Christmas.

The Christmas lights were turned off in St George’s Square Glasgow on 24th December 2014 as a mark of respect to those who tragically lost their lives there when a lorry careered into a crowd.

Christmas lights have went out in homes, hearts & lives across the globe- extinguished by loss, grief, terrorism, cancer, suicide.

Anguish has been painfully, indelibly etched on the broadsheet & tabloid pages carrying news from Yemen to Myanmar & everywhere in between & beyond.

This month I’ve sat across a desk from too many people for whom Christmas is not the most wonderful time of year but rather the most difficult, dreaded time of the year.

I’ve stared into eyes brimming with tears for as long as I could bear –

Hearing the deafening silence that trails behind grief.
Sensing the ongoing heartbreak & unimaginable loss.
Feeling the palpable pain of an aching void left behind.

I’ve been reminded of the words from Les Miserables:
‘There’s a grief that can’t be spoken.
There’s a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone.’

For many this Christmas there are empty chairs & places in their homes and hearts.

For them, Christmas accentuates winter of the heart & soul.

Like in Narnia – it seems that it’s always winter & never {truly} Christmas again.

There’s no merry & bright.
No wonderful ,white Christmas.
No magic & sparkle.

Yet, it was into darkness like this- indeed because of darkness like this, that God sent His Son- as Imanuel- God with us.

Jesus, the Word of God, God the Son entered our world as a baby in the manger.

‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.'(John 1:14 NIV)

Or as Eugene Petersen paraphrased this verse:
‘The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.’ (John 1:14 MSG)

I also love the deep truth of this paraphrase:
‘He pitched His tent in the darkness of our valley’
(Geoff Thomas)

God came down to be where we are.

Bringing:
Love to the unloveliness of this fallen planet
Hope in hopelessness
Everlasting light in deep darkness
Comfort to those who mourn
Healing to broken hearts & lives
Freedom to captives bound in sin.

‘Christmas means Jesus came down & got involved in suffering. He hears your cries’
(Tim Keller )

‘When Love came down to earth
And made His home with men,
The hopeless found a hope,
The sinner found a friend.
Not to the powerful
But to the poor He came,
And humble, hungry hearts
Were satisfied again.

What joy, what peace has come to us!
What hope, what help, what love!’
(Stuart Townend)

When you strip away the trimmings & decorations, Santa & the reindeers, the indulgence of over eating & over spending.

When you listen for the still small voice of God,

When you follow the shepherds & the wise men to the stable …

There you’ll find the heart beat of Christmas- Jesus, God the Son- the reason for the season.

At Christmastime, you may find Jesus rejoicing with those who rejoice – at family gatherings & social events.

But I believe you’ll be more likely to find Him mourning with those who mourn, drawing alongside the marginalised, the broken & the needy.

During His time on earth, he was familiar with sorrow. He knew the reality of grief & loss. The shortest verse in the Bible simply states,

‘Jesus wept'(John 11:35)

‘Yes he walked my road, and He felt my pain,
Joys and sorrows that I know so well;’
(From the squalor of a borrowed stable-Stuart Townend)

He knows us. He loves us, & He cares deeply about us. The One who scattered the stars at creation’s dawn is also a Collector of tears:

‘You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.’
(Psalms 56:8 NLT)

Even through tears, at this time,at the heart of Christmas you’ll find Jesus. In Jesus you’ll find the hope & comfort you desperately need.

He says ‘Come to Me’

This Christmas, Jesus is not lying in a Christmas card stable. He is not sitting at a Pinterest perfect Christmas dinner oblivious to your need. Rather, He’s reaching down & reaching out – to your hurting heart.

He’s waiting for you – to come to Him

Jesus said,“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NIV)

He’s asking, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG)

‘While God may not deliver us from pain & suffering, He’ll walk with us through it’ (Tullian Tchvijan- It is finished)

God is with us:

In our pain
In our grief
In our sorrows
In our darkness
In our trials
In our triumphs
In our daily lives

When the lights are switched off at Christmas, only Jesus can colour to our hearts & lives-for He is the great light of the world

‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. ‘(Isaiah 9:2 NIV)

Blessings,

Ruthx