Author: curlysue028

Held by love

curlysue028

Scotland has a special place in my heart. It’s where I studied at university & where I met Rob! When the kids were younger we travelled to Scotland often. One Easter, we visited Glasgow. 

There, we saw the famous painting by Dali in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery. It depicts Jesus on the cross, suspended high above the earth, in space. A closer look reveals that there are no nails in Jesus’ hands or feet. No nails-illustrating the fact that it wasn’t the nails that kept Him there on the cross.

Jesus could have summoned a myriad of angels to carry Him away from the suffering. But, instead He chose to die for you and me – because of His love for us.

Paul wrote:

‘God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ (Rom 5:8 – NIV)

I used to have a little bookmark in my Bible that said:
‘I asked Jesus, “How much do you love me?”
“This much” He answered,
and He stretched out His arms and died’

‘This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son’ (John 3:16 – The Message)

The cross is God shouting through history how much He loves us! The cross declares in blood red letters that God is love.

But, on deeper reflection, I realised that it wasn’t only love that held Jesus there on the cross:
‘It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished’
(From the hymn ‘How deep the Father’s love for us-Townend)

‘It was my sin that held Him there’

The prophet Isaiah gazed down through the years and foresaw the suffering the Messiah would go through for us: 

‘He was pierced for our transgressions, 

he was crushed for our iniquities; 

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.’ (Isa 53:5-NIV)

In love, He hung on the cross, taking the punishment for our sin.

In love, He redeemed us, paying for our salvation with His own precious blood.

This is what makes the darkest day in history Good Friday. 

And the amazing thing is this –‘He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?’ (Rom 8:32 –NIV)

Our Father God gave His Son for us- & He will give us every good gift from above. We are blessed by the amazing love & lavish grace of our Everlasting Father {today & always}

Easter Blessings,


Ruth x

Troubled hearts

curlysue028

It was the night before the darkest day. The evening before Life’s death on a cross.

Jesus gathered together His closest friends. The Lamb of God shared the Passover meal with His disciples. During their Last Supper, Jesus spoke words of encouragement to sustain His followers in the days ahead.

Jesus said “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.”

‭‭(John‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

Unspeakable trials & tribulation would storm into the disciples’ lives in the hours ahead- betrayal, denial & the horror of crucifixion.

Yet Jesus urged “Do not let your hearts be troubled”

There’s so many things to trouble us. Inner struggles. Family stresses. Illness & death. Conflict & Disasters. World politics.

Unexpected, unwanted & unexplained things.

There’s much to shake & unsettle us, to perplex us & cause anxiety.

Yet, in the midst of everything we face, Jesus wants us to believe in Him, to trust Him. He will give us the strength to keep going when we feel spent. We can hold on to Him when we feel lost. We can rely on Him when we feel alone.

On that night before He bled & died for us, Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

‭‭(John‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

When we’re facing a storm, He brings calm. Where there’s chaos, Jesus brings peace. It’s His gift to us- a balm for our souls. Shalom peace for mind & hearts.

May you know this peace from God.

May you know this God of peace-

When storms are raging,

And in the halcyon days

When it feels like winter in your soul,

As well as in the hopeful times of spring.

{now & always}

Blessings,

Ruth x

Our Bothy

curlysue028

-A refuge for the troubled mind

‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

We read this verse at the Precepts Bible Study on Wednesday morning.There’s such powerful imagery of God being our safe, secure shelter.

As I pondered these things, my thoughts drifted to the word bothy- the Scottish word for a hillside hut, a shelter in the mountains for hikers.

I like the idea of a bothy- somewhere to shelter in the mountains or by a Loch as we discover & explore the wilderness! I like the thought of God being like a bothy.

A refuge. A haven. A shelter.

‘The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.’
(Nahum 1:7 ESV)

In this bothy, our Father God is so close that we are under His shadow & we are shielded by God Himself.

A bothy is not for glamping . It’s a simple hut to protect from the elements. And so with God our bothy. In troubled times He has promised to provide needs – not our wants.

He gives comfort rather than keeping us comfortable.

He gives shelter in the storms of life. Sometimes He calms the storm & sometimes He calms His tear-stained & heavy-hearted child- in the bothy.

The One who scattered the stars collects our tears. He knows our name & He knows our hearts. And He still loves us.

We can’t go back to change events that caused the storm. We can’t erase our mistakes or undo our past. But we can come to our God & find shelter in the difficult days & peace in the dark chapters.

We can share our heart as we pray to our Maker. We can trust Him at all times, through all our days.

‘On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah’
(Psalms 62:7-8 ESV)

When the axis of our world suddenly tilts,

When the cadence of everyday life is unexpectedly disrupted,

When our journey is interrupted by a bump in the road & we stumble-

Even then {especially then} our God is the Great Unchangeable One- our Rock,our Fortress, our Shelter- Our Bothy.

Blessings

Ruthx

Help when we need Him

curlysue028

‘Is anyone crying for help? 

God is listening, ready to rescue you.’

(Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭17‬ MSG‬‬)

God, the Maker of all, hears our cries.

He holds the universe in place, yet He listens to our prayers, & is ready & willing to help.

God helps us:

As the Bread of Life, He supplies our daily need.

As the Light of the World, He dispels darkness in our lives.

As the Water of Life, He quenches our longing.

As the Good Shepherd, He seeks us as we wander & leads by lush pasture & still waters.

As the Way, He gently leads us through this journey we call life.

As the Truth to depend on in our shifting modern world.

As Life itself, He gives us abundant,eternal life- resurrecting when all is dead.

And as the Lamb of God, He bears the sin of the whole world {including ours}

He rescues us from the guilt of our sin.

He rescues us from ourselves 

When we are hurt, heart-broken & despairing, He is with us:

‘If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭18‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

We can come into God’s holy presence when we need Him most. There, we will find grace,mercy, love {in abundance} We will find help when we need it each day of our lives.

Blessings,

Ruth x

Thank God!

curlysue028

‘Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

We have so much to praise God for! He has lavished on us so many wonders of His amazing love! His tender mercies are new every morning.

Thank God that:

He lovingly hand-made us in His image.

He shone His dazzling light into our darkness 

He sent His One & Only Son Jesus to die in our place.

He forgives our darkest sins.

He grants freedom from death & fear.

He pours out extravagant grace into our hearts.

He guides us along His paths of peace.

His Spirit is with us step by step.

We have direct access into His presence.

In light of this {and so many more blessings} :

‘So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Strength & peace

curlysue028

‘The Lord gives strength to his people; 

the Lord blesses his people with peace.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

In the previous verse of Psalm 29, David writes:

‘The Lord reigns as king forever.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Our Lord is enthroned, reigning over all leaders & nations.

Our powerful, majestic Lord blesses His children with peace. The voice that calmed the storms on the Sea of Galilee, over two thousand years ago, speaks calmness into our worried hearts in this broken world today.

God ushers in deep peace when we’re surrounded by chaos, when tempestuous political situations are broadcast 24-7. 

He creates inner calm when anxieties & unease prey on our minds, when mental struggles resurface.

There’s shalom that comes from God alone when we face foreboding illness & family stresses.

God gives us strength to face each day, one step at a time. His divine power is made available to us. His incredible greatness is at work in our world today- that same power that raised Jesus from the dead.(Eph 1:19)

May we know the gracious blessing of God’s strength & peace {today & always}

Blessings,

Ruth x

Live in the day

curlysue028

My husband bought me the book ‘How to stop worrying & start living’ by Dale Carnegie. Although it was first published in 1953, it’s still relevant today. The first chapter is entitled Live in ‘day-tight compartments’

The concept comes from Jesus’ words:

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

So many of our worries spring from anxieties about the future. Our thoughts spiral from today into tomorrow & beyond, gathering momentum into next week, next month or even next year. Our mind leaps forward, projecting what we think will happen, jumping to worst-case scenarios & terrible outcomes. 

But we have no control over the future. However, we can look to the One who holds the future. And He wants us to live one day at a time- in twenty-four hour chunks! It’s how we were designed.

We can book-end our days with prayer- committing our time to God each morning & thanking Him for His faithfulness each night. 

When we live each day with the God of peace, His deep peace will pour into our minds & hearts, displacing worry.

Blessings,

Ruth x

Don’t worry…

curlysue028

‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.’

‭‭(Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

These words are easy to read but harder to put into practice!

Last year, I became more anxious than ever before. Sleep was interrupted & catastrophizing thoughts overwhelmed me day & night.

This verse helped me to settle- I repeated the words often. Don’t worry- I told myself-pray instead. 

Thank God for what He has already done in your life in answer to prayer. For gratitude shifts our focus from anxious thoughts.

If we do this,instead of tossing & turning, there will be calm. Instead of stress there will be reassurance.

God’s amazing peace will overflow into our heart & minds (Phillipians 4:7)His love overcomes fear. And faith in God will get us through!

Of course, we may also need medication & counselling (I did) 

But the God of peace will be with us day by day & we can keep on casting our worries onto Him (1Pet 4:7)

Blessings,

Ruth x

A Hint of Spring

curlysue028

I love to see the emergence of spring flowers at this time of year-a glimpse of the changing seasons.

This week I dandered past scattered clumps of snowdrops. And wondered how these delicate yet tenacious flowers had pushed through the frosty soil.

They’re a sign that spring is on the way.

No matter how dreary we feel, winter is not forever. No matter how dark the night feels, the sun will appear at daybreak.

Our winters of the soul may happen due to discouragement & disappointment. They may be brought about by physical sickness or mental anguish. Bereavement & unexpected loss bring long dark winters in life.

Yet, with God, we can trust that the freshness & new life of springtime will arrive.

Our God will usher in new things- hope & loving-kindness. Grace & goodness. Encouragement & second chances.

‘For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness.’

‭‭(Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Come & rest

curlysue028

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

On this first day of rest in 2025, Jesus invites us to come to Him.

We might feel worn out & weary already- carrying the same troubles as we did in 2024. Our struggles continue with us. The New Year didn’t erase them, or bring a lightness to our days. Everything didn’t change on New Year’s Day! We couldn’t instantly turn into a better version of ourselves.

Yet,if we come to Jesus, just as we are,He will grant rest. He will give peace of mind & heart. He will be with us through the year- in our tomorrows just as he has been in our yesterdays, now past.

Paul concludes his second letter to the church at Thessalonica with these words:

‘May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.’

‭‭(2 Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

We can face this year with God’s eternal encouragement & good hope. He will bless our words & deeds, our plans & actions. He will continue to guide our paths with loving-care. His Father-heart will tend our souls.

May we know ‘strength for today & bright hope for tomorrow!’ (Thomas O Chisholm)

May He strengthen everything we say & do. May He surprise us with His endless grace & tender mercies.

Blessings,

Ruth x