Tag: journey

Lagom

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We were sitting outside a cafe in Zaandam (not far from Amsterdam) when a hangry seagull suddenly swooped down & grabbed my entire lunch! The chef made me another Dutch avo smash & we moved inside!

The cafe was called Lagom, a Swedish word that means not too little, not too much but just enough. Just the right amount of milk in the coffee. Just the right number of photos on the wall.

It conveys the idea of life being well-balanced. Just enough work, rest & play.

It reminds me of the story of Goldilocks where the chair, the bed & the porridge she chose were just right.

Often we are overwhelmed with too much. Too many clothes. Too many toiletries Too much food. We’re bombarded each day with too much choice. Too much social media. Too many options. We need the balance of just enough.

I’m reminded of the story in Exodus chapter 16 when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness & God provided just enough manna each day. They couldn’t gather more than their daily requirement (except for Sunday) But God provided just enough & the people were miraculously nourished.

Our God is {infinitely} more than enough with unlimited resources & strength. Yet He often chooses to provide just enough- our bread daily & our current needs rather than our additional desires.

When we’re in difficult situations in, He often gives just enough light for the step we’re on. Just one step with Him rather than illuminating the entire staircase.

One of God’s Hebrew names is El Shaddai (eg Genesis 17:1) which  means God the All Sufficient One. 

He is Always Enough for this journey called life.

Even if the unexpected happens.

Even when we come to the end of our resources.

No matter what.

God knows our deepest needs & only He can fulfill them.We’ll find enough grace for the day, strength for the hard chapters & hope for the future when we turn to Him for help.

And He provides just enough grace & tender mercy for each new day.

‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”’

‭‭(2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruthx

Counting blessings

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Today, I feel blessed. Just over twenty-nine years ago on a bright sunny Saturday in Belfast, Rob & I said ‘I do!” And so began our married life. There have been many unexpected twists & turns along the way & bumps in the road to navigate. But we’ve traveled the journey together.

Wise Solomon wrote that children are blessings from God.(Psalm 127) When Caris & Ethan were born they both had a striped birthmark on their foreheads. A paediatrician from India told me that in his culture these marks would be viewed as a sign of god’s blessing & people would visit just to see!

We are blessed with a roof over our heads, clean water & nourishing food. These provisions are so basic that sometimes I forget to be thankful for them!

I feel blessed with family & friends but above all by the goodness & grace of God that has both led us & followed us.

We are truly blessed if God is our God.

Being blessed means so much more than just happiness. It’s not luck or karma. It’s deeper than prosperity & wealth. It means to be favoured by God- to know His gracious hand upon our life.

I recently read these words:

‘Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭146‬:‭5‬ NIV‬‬)

We visited an African church when we visited Bruges recently. In the middle of the Sunday service. there was a pause in the vibrant worship to share both struggles & blessings. And so often in everyday life, our blessings & struggles are braided together by the loving hand of our Heavenly Father.

In the dark chapters, God is our ever-present help, & steadfast hope.And we are  blessed!

The Psalmist wrote:

‘He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-he remains faithful forever.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭146‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

He is Creator of everything we see & He is forever faithful- the Unchanging One in our ever-changing world.

So,

‘blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭144‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruth x

God’s watch-care

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I often think on the first part of Psalm 121- how we can gaze on the lofty mountains & know that our help comes from our Creator God who made it all (Especially when I’m surrounded by mountains)

But today, I read the last verse of this Psalm:

‘the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭121‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

This Psalm was originally sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. In this season of travelling, God will watch over our comings & goings.

He is our keeper, watching over our daily transitions. As we move through our homes, our work, our churches, He is there. And He is looking on with loving care.

Indeed verse 7 states that He watches over our entire life- day by day, step by step. 

God never sleeps.

God is our ever-present helper & the protector who guards our path. We can rest in His unceasing care.

And can trust Him

{today & always}

Blessings,

Ruth x

For the one

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For the one living in darkness, He will shine His light and illuminate the path ahead.

For the one weighed down by the burdens of this world, He will lift the weight and bring rest to your soul.

For the one who is hungry, He will satisfy you with good things. He will provide for your every need, for He is the Bread of Life.

For the one who is thirsty, He will quench the parched places, for He is the Water of Life.

For the one who is tired & weary, He will give you true rest.

For the one who is afraid of what tomorrow might bring, He will be your peace.

For the one who feels forgotten, He will never leave nor forsake you.

For the one who is stumbling & feels  lost, He is the Way forward, the absolute truth and abundant Life.

For the one who is brokenhearted, He is closer -closer than you think.

For the one navigating uncharted waters of grief & loss, He whispers comfort & the hope of eternal life.

For the one tossed & turned by doubts, He is the Anchor, steadying your struggles.

For the one feeling bereft & unlovely, He is the Good,Good Father who names you Beloved

For the one who knows they need to be forgiven, He sent His One & Only Son to die for you.

For the one who is wandering along the path of life & wondering what lies ahead , He is the Good Shepherd who leads into lush meadows, along gentle streams & through the darkest days of life.

For,

‘The Lord is my shepherd; 

I have all that I need.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

And for the one, He will leave ninety-nine other sheep, so that you might be found,

Be-loved & belong

Welcomed & wanted

Adopted & accepted

Saved & secure.

Blessings,

Ruth x

Just three words

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I used to love listening to ‘Just three words’ on Radio 2 drive time. Listeners texted snippets of their news into the radio station in just three words. eg:

School Play Tonight

Broken finger ouch!

Yummy Birthday Cake

Peppermint tea please

Brand new puppy

Homework’s all done

Although the above collection of three words are about relatively minor life events, it got me thinking about the power of words. Just three words:

God is love

If you ever land in Dublin airport, you’ll see those words on a steeple as you walk out of the terminal. The Bible declared it first in 1 John 4:8: ‘God is love.’ The essence of God is love. At the heart of God there’s love- redeeming love.

God loves you

It’s one thing to know that God is love, but quite another to know that He loves you. We may feel unlovely or unloveable at times but we are never unloved. We are loved by the One who knows us best- our Creator God.

God so loved

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible states:

‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’
(John 3:16 ESV)

God so loved that He gave. He gave His One & Only Son.

Love came down

God,
whose very essence is love,
sent His Love down to our  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.

Now Love dwells in heaven- interceding And Love’s Spirit dwells in the hearts of we who believe.

So, always remember- no matter where you are on this journey called life:

You are loved

{by the One who knows you best-yet loves you most}

Blessings,

Ruthx 

God-words

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The Psalms- God-given & God-inspired words. Words to guide us on the Way , to shift our thoughts above, & to soothe our troubled souls. Ancient words that remain relevant today.

Psalm 119 is of course the longest Psalm (176 verses which consists of separate units beginning with consecutive letters of the Hebrew alphabet) And each verse reminds us that God’s Word & truth are as dependable as ever. 

We can read God-words when things are going well, when the sun is shining & life feels good. But the Psalms are there too when things are going wrong for us.

The writer of Psalm 119 wrote:

‘Everything’s falling apart on me, GOD; put me together again with your Word.’ 

‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭119:107-The Message)

God’s Word can put together the broken pieces of our lives & help us to flourish in the wabi-sabi of life.

His Word is like a torch for us in the dark parts of the journey of life, as the Psalm reminds us:

‘By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.’

‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭119:105-The Message)

God meets us where we are at & His Word directs us to where He wants us to be. We can focus on God, realign our steps with His & get back on track:

‘When I took a long, careful look at your ways, I got my feet back on the trail you blazed.’

‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭119:59-The Message)

When we gaze on God’s goodness, we can see how our God can weave all things together for our good {& His glory}

The Psalmist wrote:

‘My troubles turned out all for the best-they forced me to learn from your textbook.’

‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭119:71 The Message)

We can recall hard times that caused us to rely on God through His Word- quiet times reading the truth given to us for comfort & growth. 

Whatever this week brings, whatever our situation,may we return to & rely on God-words.

Blessings,

Ruth x

The Helix of life

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The sun is shining with a gentle breeze & life blossoms & blooms around us. Yet even in these spring days, life can feel precarious. 

Politics are in disarray. God’s laws are disregarded. There is no absolute truth (we’re told)

We can look around & sigh. And conclude that the world is deeply wounded & broken. For our earth is a groaning planet. Our world is fractured by sin.

‘We are all broken-that’s how the light gets in’ according to Ernest Hemingway or Leonard Cohen. And how we need the Great Light of the world to shine!

As children of God, we live in tension & contrast. We are made in the image of God- yet struggle with our flaws & failings.

It feels like Evil is crouching nearby, ever ready to pounce on Goodness. The darkness seems deep yet flickers of light break through.

There’s toil & trouble yet {thankfully} the hope of glory.

At a personal level, day to day life rarely feels smooth or predictable . While we have many blessings there’s usually something to taint our happiness.Even bright sunny days can be overcast by boulders carried in our hearts. Shifting circumstances can eclipse our joy.

But I am convinced that joy & sorrow, love & suffering, peace & pain are inextricably linked in an even more intricate way than parallel tracks or tides on the shore.

Perhaps, they are intertwined like the twisting double stranded helix molecule of DNA – the blue print of life itself. Just as DNA is held together by hydrogen bonds, the twists & turns in life are stabilised by intricate bonds of the love & mercy, grace & goodness of our God.

Just now, in this moment of time, our lives may seem like a tangled mess. But with the eye of faith, we can choose to see that even the troubles & trials, stresses & strains, the bitter & sweet are part of the intricate plans of the perfect infinite wisdom of our God.

Our God created the cosmos, designed our souls & planned our destinies. Yet He carries our burdens and collects our tears.

The Psalmist David wrote:

‘You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭56‬:‭8‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

We have to choose to see the unseen,to trace the invisible fingerprints of God in our lives, as He weaves His thread of blessings through the twisting helix of life. He alone can weave all things together for our good (Romans 8:28) into the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11)

Even when things don’t seem to make sense, & everything seems random & chaotic , we can praise Him where we are at in the messy middle.

God brings blessing to our dark days. And often, the greatest blessing is the gift of God Himself. The gift of knowing He is there- with us. And that knowing God is better than knowing why bad things happen.

God’s tender mercies & gentle blessings come even {maybe especially} when everything feels broken. For He is the Redeemer of lost things & the Mender of broken lives.

God said:

“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness-secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”

‭‭(Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Our God gives:
Treasures in the darkness
Calm in chaos
Peace in the storm
Hope in our dark days
And His presence forever
And ever!

{Amen}

Blessings,

Ruthx

All things together

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In my bedside cabinet, you’ll find my favourite Bible,bursting with bookmarks, highlighted verses & other momentos cataloguing my journey of faith. (Chances are you have a much-loved Bible like this too!)

In my Bible, you’ll find Romans chapter 8 bookmarked with notes in the margin & verse 8 highlighted:

‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose’
(Rom 8:28-NIV)

There’s such deep truth contained in this verse, from the heart of God our Father. If we love God, He can work ALL things together for our good. The good, the bad & the ugly can be woven together by our Creator-God to form a masterpiece.

ALL things includes the little things, the annoying things, and the huge life changing things. The deeply hurtful things. The unbelievably hard things. Nothing is wasted in God’s hands.

The dark threads are woven alongside the bright ones to create the tapestry of our lives. Joys & sorrows are braided together. Strands of hope intertwined with disappointment. Our ups & downs may look like a tangled mess from our limited viewpoint, but in God’s eyes from above, it is perfectly good. A masterpiece of His glory & grace.

‘That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good’ 

(Rom 8:28-the Message)

For all the trials of this life are matched by God’s blessings & grace.

God has equipped us & given us everything we need for this journey called life- including His great & precious promises (2 Peter1:3 &4)

No matter what is looming this week,

‘All you need to remember is that God will never let you down, he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit, he’ll always be there to help you come through it’
(1 Cor 10:13 -The Message)

When things feel like they’re falling apart, our Redeeming God is stitching our lives back together. That’s His awesome, amazing grace! He is at work, whether we notice or not.

Whatever life throws, whatever lies around the corner, whatever is happening across the world, God is always there & that’s always enough.

Take your mind off your seemingly giant problems & focus on our Gigantic God.

He is Ever-Lasting

All-loving
& All-powerful

He is:

Our Loving Father
Our Good Shepherd
Our Mighty God.

Blessings,

Ruth x

All I need

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‘The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Our God is All-sufficient,

Always enough.

Enough for where we are at,
As well as where we are heading.

Today & always,
Now & forever.

Enough for ordinary everyday life,
And extraordinary circumstances.

Enough for holidays & family life,
And dramas and challenges.

Enough for the storms we may face,
And the halcyon days after.

He gives just enough:
Grace
Strength
Peace
Presence

For the step we’re on in our journey
For the page we’re at in our story

Our God is All-sufficient:

Always enough,
Always faithful,
Always loving,
Always there.

Blessings,


Ruth x

Aroma

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We live & move through this world using our five senses- sight, sound, touch, taste & smell. Our sensory experiences can be positive or negative- pleasant or terrible. Last week I experienced the sights, sounds & smells of Scotland’s capital city.

I walked through the buzzing cobbled streets in Edinburgh. The Dome was already fully decorated & the scent of cinnamon & pine lingered- Christmastime was definitely in the air!

We sprayed fragrance testers in John Lewis in St James’ Quarter while those around searched to find their signature scent.

The welcoming aroma of freshly ground coffee ushered us into the Old Town.

Later, I sensed the crisp scent of amber autumn leaves as I ran (slowly!) in Edinburgh’s leafy suburbs. Later still, I lit a jasmine & sandalwood candle in the van.

Scents connect us to memories & emotions. Aromas are nostalgic- reviving our memory & enhancing the moment. They bring the past to the present again!

Science has shown that scents affect our mood & even our work performance.

The Bible compares believers to an aroma:

‘For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.’

‭‭(2 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

This imagery evoked memories of the aroma of incense & burnt sacrifices offered during Old Testament times at the Temple.

However, this smell is perceived differently by others & has a contrasting effect:

“To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?”

‭‭(2 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

This verse is a powerful word-picture. To the  disobedient & perishing we are the rotting stench of doom & death. (The same word is used literally in John 11:39 to describe the odour of Lazarus’ body in the tomb)

Yet to those who believe & are being saved, we are the scent of life- a sweet smelling perfume.

‘Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God’

(2 Cor 2:15 MSG)

This is an awesome responsibility.

We can enhance the sweetness of the atmosphere as God is within us. By His Holy Spirit we can show God’s presence & share the message of Jesus. 

The essence of God permeates the space  around us – flowing out of our relationship with Him into other’s lives through our words & deeds.

May we spread God’s fragrance of grace, life & hope as we cross others’ paths this week

Blessings,

Ruth x

Photo credit-Daniel J Schwarz via Pexels