Tag: life

All I need

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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

Tis the season…our souls {should} feel their worth

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My favourite Christmas carol used to be ‘In the bleak mid winter’ Now it’s ‘O Holy night’ (& apparently it’s the most popular favourite carol in the UK)

It seems a shame that carols are confined to December.It’s a pity to pack them away with the decorations till next year, since there’s such deep truth contained in them:
‘O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.’
(Cappeau)

I’ve sang this carol many times, but I’ve never really noticed this line before:
‘Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.’

The soul felt its worth.

Our soul is our spiritual, immortal essence, our God-made core, sealed with His image.

God formed us:
‘The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.’
(Psalms 33:13-15 NLT)

God placed eternity within us:
‘Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.’
(Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT)

At exactly the right moment, during that Holy Night,
‘when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.’
(Galatians 4:4-5 ESV)

The Christmas story is part of God’s Grand Plan, conceived in eternity past- to redeem our souls.

What is your soul worth? What lengths & depths did your Creator God go to reach you?

Our Eternal God Almighty became a helpless baby.

He left the dazzling glory of heaven to be born into squalor.

He stepped out of the realms of eternity to enter the confines of time.

He lived & bled & died…. for our souls.

As Max Lucado wrote, ‘God did something extraordinary. Stepping from the throne, he removed his robe of light & clothed himself in skin’

That same Yahweh God ‘the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it’ (Isaiah 42:5) entered our world as one of us.

The baby in the manger is God the Son:
‘He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.’
(Hebrews 1:3 ESV)

‘He came to us that we might come to Him’ wrote Deitrich Bonhoeffer

This is the good news proclaimed by angels that will cause great joy for all people (Luke2)

‘For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’
(Luke 19:10 ESV)

‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’
(John 3:17 NIV)

‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?’
(Matthew 16:26 ESV)

‘How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?’
(Hebrews 2:3 ESV)

Billy Graham writes about our soul’s worth in ‘The Value of your Soul‘

He also wrote:
‘God does not change-
And neither does His love.
He loved you before you were born..
He loves you now…
And He will love you forever’

Can you feel your worth?

Can you sense this great hope?

Will you respond in worship?

‘A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees
O hear the angels’ voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born‘
(Cappeau)

Blessings,

Ruthx

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Calm for the anxious mind

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‘Anxiety’s like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far.’
(Jodi Picoult)

I know worrying doesn’t get me far , but still I sit & rock.

‘Worry pretends to be necessary, but serves no useful purpose.'(Eckhart Tolle)

That’s true too. But it’s hard NOT to worry isn’t it?

What can we do instead? When we read our Maker’s Handbook it tells us:
‘Don’t worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need,
and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.’
(Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Turn worries into prayers & God’s peace will displace our anxieties:
‘Don’t fret or worry.
Instead of worrying, pray.
Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers,
letting God know your concerns.
Before you know it,
a sense of God’s wholeness,
everything coming together for good,
will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.’
(Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

We can bring our concerns to God:
‘Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.’
‭‭(1 Peter‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

‘Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.’
‭‭(1Peter‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

His love can dispel our fears {if we let Him} for:
‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.’
‭‭(1 John‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

We have a powerful God to turn to -Who is greater than all things:
‘You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world'(1 John 4:4)

We need to focus on God rather than our problems. For:
‘Anxiety & fears are like baby tigers. The more you feed them the stronger they grow’
(Billy Graham)

We need to tune into God’s whispers rather than our insecurities:
‘When the cares of my heart are many, thy consolations cheer my soul’(Psalm 94:19-KJV)

‘Whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.’
‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭1:33‬ ‭ESV)

‘Forget about self confidence- it’s useless –
cultivate God- confidence’
(I Cor 10 MSG)

There’s plenty to worry about – but worry doesn’t diminish any stress. We don’t have capacity to deal will anxiety- but God does:
‘For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.’
‭‭(1 John‬ ‭3:18-20‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

In this world there will always be trouble. Bad things happen to good people. We are living in a broken world where it feels like no news is good news. But no matter what,we can place our confidence in God.

‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.’
‭‭(Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

We can place our hope & confidence in God & thrive rather than just survive:
‘But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.’
‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

‘Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.’
‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7-8‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

I like that phrase- serene & calm – though often I’m the opposite. We can gain calmness by being rooted deep in Him.

Often we worry about things that haven’t happened & that might never happen. When we do, we’re just sitting on that rocking chair getting nowhere!

‘So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.’
(Matthew‬ ‭6:34‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

‘Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.
God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.’
‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6:30-34‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

‘Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.'(Charles Spurgeon)

We have choices to make to maintain a tranquil mind:
‘Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.’
(Henry Ward Beecher)

If you’re like me, it’s not just the tomorrows you worry about- it’s the yesterdays. Overthinking what’s already happened is futile. We need to leave it with God who understands our situations & forgives us quicker than we forgive ourselves.

Take heart:
‘The Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.’
(CS Lewis)

So, be present:
‘Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up.’
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Keep looking up:
‘Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow;
the same Everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day.
Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace then,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations’
(St Francis De Sales)

‘Trust in the Lord forever, for the LORD, the LORD is the Rock Eternal’ (Isa 26:4)

Blessings,

Ruthx

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 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- true love.

God loves you

I read this on a handmade wooden sign hung on a tree between Ballywalter & Ballyhalbert last week. And it’s true. We may feel unlovely or unloveable but we are never unloved. We are loved by the One who knows us best- our Creator God.

‘Knowing God is love is not the same as knowing God loves you’ (Ann Voskamp)

‘You are loved. Rest in your God-breathed worth’(Sarah Bessey)

God so loved

‘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 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.

Now Love dwells in the hearts of those who believe in faith

God’s love speaks

God tells of His love in His Word- the Bible.

He has given us everything we need for life & godliness- His great & precious promises. (2 Peter 1:3&4)

‘Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.’
(2 Timothy 3:17 MSG)

Grounded in love

We can be secure in God’s love ‘rooted and grounded in love’ (Eph 3:17) & begin to grasp its vast dimensions.

Love makes everything grow! (Including us!)

Impacted by love

‘If we were all to live as how we are loved – everything would change’
(Sarah Bessey)

Love one another

‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.’
‭‭(John‬ ‭13:34‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

‘Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out’
‭‭(Hebrews‬ ‭10:24MSG‬‬)

‘Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.’
(1 Peter‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

I Corinthians 13:4 reminds us:

Love is patient

Love is kind

True love is more than words, for:

Love’s a verb

‘Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.’
‭‭(1 John‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

I’ve been listening to audiobooks by Bob Goff. The titles speak volumes Love Does & Everybody, Always about becoming love.

Love lives here

This is the title of Bob’s wife Maria’s book, about love at home.She wrote:
‘We all don’t need to do big things, but we can do equally important things.’

Love builds up
(1 Cor 8:1)

Love never fails
(1 Cor 13:8)

Love never ends

I watched the new purple gliders ‘glide’ through Ballyhackamore as I took my morning caffeine.

Just up the road at Stormont Presbyterian they’d created an acronym on their purple billboard:

God’s Love Is Deep Everlasting Redeeming

There’s great truth & forgiveness in the redeeming, never-ending, eternal love of God.

‘So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.’
‭‭(1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:13‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Always remember- no matter what else you’re thinking on this journey called life:

You are loved

Blessings,

Ruthx

In Christ

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I’m grateful for another surprisingly sunny day (right at the end of summer) spent in this area of outstanding natural beauty-in the middle of the Ards Peninsula! A good place to be & great position to be in!

But our position is more than:

our GPS co-ordinates on this planet,
our location as posted on Facebook,
our step on the ladder or social class,
our status, or branch on the family tree.

It’s better than our rank in the race,
in the company,
or where we are in life
and love.

The only position that truly matters & counts for time & eternity

is our position in Christ

i.e. whether we are in Christ

or not.

Whether we are in a relationship with Him {by trusting Him for forgiveness} …or not

As Christians, our true identity, deepest meaning , & unshakable security are all in Christ alone.

In Christ is the best place to be,
the ONLY place to be,
to truly BE ,
& really live {not just exist }

It’s the difference between:

light & darkness
peace & anxiety
heaven & hell

In Christ is not always an easy place to be.

Jesus said there would be trouble(John 14)

However, He also said that He was greater than any trouble we would face:
‘I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (John 16:33 AMP)

The greatest blessing is the blessing of being in Christ

‘For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment’ (Colossians 1:15-18 MSG)

We are ‘a people whose life in Jesus’

For He said: ‘I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of’. (John 10:10 MSG)

When we are in Christ we have:

unlimited grace,
undeserved blessings,
unending love.

Indeed, day by day, we are living in pure grace (Rom 12:6 MSG)

We experience grace heaped upon grace (John 1:16)

Yet often we are unaware of the immensity of pure grace & incessant love from God in heaven above.

For,in Christ, we live a life filled with outrageous, audacious grace.

‘It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.’ (Ephesians 1:11, 12 MSG)

‘He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.’ (Ephesians 1:7-10 MSG)

‘For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.’ (Eph1:4-6)

These verses convey amazing truth, echoed in the words of this modern hymn:

‘LOVED BEFORE THE DAWN OF TIME,
Chosen by my Maker,
Hidden in my Saviour:
I am His and He is mine,
Cherished for eternity.’
(Stuart Townend)

We are brought into the privileged position of being in Christ, through grace:
‘being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 3:24 NKJV)

‘He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time’(2 Timothy 1:9NIV)

‘Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.’ (Romans 3:21-24 MSG)

In Christ, we are adopted:
‘So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith’ (Gal 3:26)

In Christ, we are transformed:
‘if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come’ (2Cor 5:17)

In Christ, we are freed from guilt:
‘Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ’ (Rom 8:1)

In Him we have all that we need!

In Him we are complete, totally complete in body, soul, mind &spirit.

In Him we have real, abundant, everlasting life.

Outside of Him,
apart from Him,
aside from Him,

we are nothing:

-a dead twig
-an empty page
-a lifeless body

‘But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.’ (Ephesians 2:13)

We are:
Chosen & called
Flawed but forgiven
Found & treasured
Redeemed & restored

We have :
Power & purpose

We are:
Beloved & blessed

In Christ!

As this popular anthem declares:

‘In Christ alone
My hope is found
He is my light my strength my song’
(Getty & Townend)

We can be
strong in His strength,
bright in His light

‘For in you I find my dwelling place
In you I find amazing grace
In you I find security
Jesus you are all I need’
(Kari Jobe –Dwelling Place)

In Christ we have ‘strength for today & bright hope for tomorrow’

If we are in Christ, we can declare:
‘Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.’ (Philippians 4:13MSG)

So,
‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.’ (Eph 1:3)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Edited from post originally published at http://www.blessedme.co.uk

The soundtrack for all our days

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‘Music is the invisible sound that releases the grip of obscure emotions’

If a picture paints one thousand words then a song can evoke a thousand memories!

Pachelbel’s Canon in D is one such song. The first time I remember hearing it was when I was a final year medical student holding a patient’s leg during a hip replacement in Dundee!I’m sure that this practice is no longer allowed as much for health & safety reasons, as limited educational value! But, while the surgeon operated back then, I was enchanted by the soothing music & decided that I would walk up the aisle to that tune.

I was disappointed to learn that my idea was not an original one- Canon in D has featured in the film ‘Father of the bride’ & countless other wedding ceremonies!

I did walk down the aisle to this special melody one week after graduating. And, years later I watched my children walk down another aisle as pageboy & flower girl when Linda & Graeme got married, accompanied by string quartet playing Pachelbel’s Canon.

I wouldn’t say that I’m a melomaniac i.e. someone with an overly great enthusiasm for music. But, I can still remember my heart thumping as we rose from our seats during the Hallelujah Chorus in the Waterfront Hall one Christmas BC (Before Children)

I can clearly recall deep feelings of gratitude that welled up deep inside as Casting Crowns sang ‘Praise You in the Storm’ at a concert a few years ago in Belfast. Similar feelings were evoked when I heard Rend Collective sing ‘Finally Free’ at their home church in Bangor.

There’s truth in these words:
‘Music is a piece of art that goes in the ears & straight to the heart’

‘Music is what feelings sound like.’

Last Christmas, a Spotify subscription helped bring flash-backs over 20yrs to tunes from the 80s & 90s.Aha & the Pet Shop Boys were streaming through the air waves at the touch of a screen!

A few Christmases ago, Santa brought Caris & Ethan original iPod shuffles in blue & pink. The shuffles were marketed as providing the soundtrack to life. That slogan made me think:

If life is our story- which music is the soundtrack?

*There’s a song to be seen

Creation proclaims God-songs day by day. Sunsets & bluebells, seascapes & mountain peaks, starlight & snowflakes:

‘Creation sings the Father’s song;
He calls the sun to wake the dawn
And run the course of day
Till evening falls in crimson rays.
His fingerprints in flakes of snow,
His breath upon this spinning globe’
(Keith Getty)

We, as God’s forgiven children also proclaim His songs:

‘He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.’
(Psalm 40:3 NIV)

Everyday, in our ordinary lives, we are a song to be seen.

‘Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.’
(Romans 12:1-the Message)

As Casting Crowns’ pray:
‘May my life-song sing to you’

Or, as Robert Robinson wrote in 1757:

‘Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise’

*There’s a song to be heard:

If we still our souls, we will hear the song God is singing over us:

‘For the LORD your God is living among you.
He is a mighty saviour.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’
(Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)

‘The Lord will send His faithful love by day;
His song will be with me in the night-a prayer to the God of my life.’
(Psalms 42:8 HCSB)

As we listen to the soundtrack of our life, our heart’s desire should be:

‘Stir in me the songs that you are singing’ (Stuart Townend)

God’s song inspires us to sing even when we don’t feel like it.

‘A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song’
(Maya Angelou)

And our song is our God:

‘The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him-my father’s God, and I will exalt him! (Exodus 15:2 NLT)

‘My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.’
(Psalm 57: 7& 10)

Selah

Blessings,

Ruth x

PS Listen to ‘Singing over me‘ (Kari Jobe)

*Edited from post originally posted at http://www.blessedme.co.uk

Held

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Although I’ve learned to travel light, I always make room for my running gear. I may not run long or fast or often on holiday but even if I run once I’m satisfied it was worth making the space!

The first run on last year’s road trip was in Lauterbrunnen Switzerland-the valley of waterfalls, in the shadow of the mighty Jungfrau (4158m) Apparently it was the inspiration for Tolkien’s Rivendale & the location of the North Face Mountain Festival last year.

I ran from our Campsite along the river past waterfalls. I heard the roar of the Tummelbach falls – 20,000 litres per second from Alpine glaciers! It was almost too much awesomeness before breakfast!

The sun continued to rise & bathed the rock faces in a golden glow.

As I ran I was reminded of the words of a short poem that I read long ago – in a book by Joni Erickson Tada:

‘The hands that found it nothing strange,
To carve out a mountain range
Or ladle out a sea
Are holding and moulding me!’

Our Creator God who formed the Alps formed our heart & soul. The hands that hold planets in orbit are holding us!

As I ran back toward the campsite a guy landed effortlessly in the field in front- descending from high above with a parachute holding him in place!

Our lives can go too quickly from solid & steady into freefall. God holds us in place like a parachute! His power & promises can stop us from crash-landing.

‘We who hold on to all the wrong things are held tight by the love of the unchanging, unfading, one true God.
We don’t hold tight because we’ve figured this out.
We hold tight because He holds us’
(Amanda Bible Williams-She Reads Truth)

‘I wish you knew how much I long
For you to understand
No matter what may happen, child
I’ll never let go of your hand.
(Don Francisco)

‘Sometimes holding tight will feel more like hanging on, but don’t give up. Don’t believe the lie that you should let go. God holds you. Hold tight to Him’
(Amanda Bible Williams-She Reads Truth)

‘But even though your heart itself,
Should lose the will to stand
No matter what may happen, child
I’ll never let go of your hand’
(Don Francisco)

Whatever we face, we can rest in the truth that we are held by the One who holds all things together:
‘He will hold me fast‘

‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’
(Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Blessings

Ruth x

Excess baggage

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‘He who would travel happily must travel light.’
(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

We’re just back from holiday. We camped in Austria, Switzerland & Italy. Rather than turning up at Eurocamps where the tent (& everything you might need!) is waiting for you, we decided to bring our tents & camping stuff with us. The added challenge was keeping to the Ryanair Family Plus baggage allowance!

We just about managed & as we made our way through security I was reminded how much things had changed since our honeymoon 21years ago. Back in those days we had bought a large terracotta planter & jar. They had to be placed in the cockpit with the pilot!

Last year, Caris bought a flowering cactus at the Flower Market in Amsterdam. It travelled with us on the rest of the Road Trip & made it home to bloom in NI!

I’m learning the skill of packing what is truly essential for road trips. But it’s much more difficult to reduce the excess baggage as we journey through life.

In the past, I’ve listened to the audiobook ‘Packing Light: Thoughts on Living Life with Less Baggage‘ by Allison Vesterfelt. This tells the story how Allison packed away her unnecessary possessions & crammed the essentials into her car to tour all fifty two states of America. In the book Alison shares insights gleaned along the highways:
“A special kind of simplicity happens when you leave behind all things unnecessary, and even some necessary ones. There is no noise, no chaotic motion—just silence. All of a sudden feelings start to rise to the surface you didn’t even know you had. You start to think thoughts you didn’t realize you were capable of thinking.”

So where can we leave the unnecessary excess baggage that’s weighing us down on this journey of life? How can we get rid of the bricks in our rucksacks?

I love the picture in Pilgrims’ Progress of Pilgrim’s burden falling away at the cross. The forgiveness of God alleviates our heaviest baggage- our sin & gives us freedom to travel lightly.

After I trusted Jesus to forgive my sin during Easter 1988, I remember singing Charles Wesley’s words with all the gusto I could muster:
‘My chains fell off
My heart was free’

God’s grace ushered in a lightness in my spirit. The weight of condemnation had been dealt with & my broken relationship with my Creator was restored.

But as time goes by, we gather baggage.It’s all to easy to pick up burdens we were never meant to carry. We can bear heavy bundles from our past, emotional baggage caused by anxiety, failure, regret or inadequacy. Their constant weight can hinder us in our onward journey.

I hate self-service checkouts. I mean- what is the point? We need assistance from the store staff 90% of the time,especially when the till declares ‘unexpected item in baggage area’ In life sometimes memories or situations load unexpected baggage onto us.

We need to retrace our steps back to the feet of Jesus & lay our burdens down. We can leave yesterday’s regrets, today’s pressures & responsibilities & tomorrow’s worries with Him.

‘Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden’
(Corrie Ten Boom)

When it comes to achieving balance & travelling light we need the help of the One who holds the whole world in His hands. When we feel like we’re juggling umpteen balls in the air, we need to look to our Creator God who keeps our solar system & light years beyond in orbit. We need to trust Him to deal with our baggage. Relief comes when we give our baggage to God to carry.

‘Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.’
(Psalm 55:22 NIV)

‘Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.’
(1 Peter 5:7 ESV)

‘I wonder how much of what weighs me down is not mine to carry?’ (Live life happy) That’s a good question!

Jesus said,“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
(Matthew 11:28-29 ESV)

I’ve been reminiscing with vintage Don Francisco songs this week. These words can soothe our burdened soul:
‘If you’re tired and weary
Weak and heavy laden
I can understand how
It feels to be alone
I will take your burden
If you’ll let Me love you
Wrap My arms around you
Give your heart a home’

‘So I will lay down my struggles
I will lay down my shame
All the fear I drag around through this life
like a ball and chain
(All my questions and confusion)
I will sing Hallelujah to the One who sets me free
And you will find me at the feet of Jesus’
(Steven Curtis Chapman)

Blessings,

Ruthx

PS You May like this article Emotional Baggage & Max Lucado’s book Travelling Light

Rear view mirrors

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I rarely look in a rear view mirror in our VW van. I never drive it at home or on holiday (Those who know me best know that driving or should I say parking isn’t a strong point!)

But for some reason, somewhere between Nenzing & Kitzbuhl, between tobogganing & Swarovski crystal (while Rob was driving in record breaking temperatures) I looked in the rear view mirror. In it I saw an Alpine mountain range that we’d driven by without realising it. I took the photo (above) but it doesn’t truly capture the grandeur of the scenery!

The rear-view mirror showed views that I would have otherwise missed. It gave a different perspective on the journey.

Oftentimes, we don’t realise how far we have journeyed till we look back. It’s never a good idea to dwell in the past (especially if hurt, regret & other damaging emotions live there) but looking in life’s rear view mirror can be positive & beneficial.

‘The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, & we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, & we only know them when they are gone’
(George Eliot- Scenes of a clerical life)

Moments whizz by. Summer days go too quickly. Holidays are fading into the background behind us.

After happy times, we can look back at memories created & remember where we’ve been! As the saying goes, ‘Don’t cry because it’s over- smile because it’s happened!’

Even in challenging times, reflection brings clarity.

As teenagers await their A level results I was reminded again of that stage in my own life when things didn’t go as {I’d} planned. I ended up in Dundee- the right place for me to be, where I met great friends & my husband!

We can trace God’s grace as we look back:
“I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.”
(Philip Yancey)

Anniversary celebrations this week cause me to look in life’s rear view mirror back over two decades years of marriage. It’s a while since we’ve listened to ‘I could never promise you‘ by Don Francisco. This vintage Christian song was sung by two of our bridesmaids Sharon & Joanne on our wedding day:
‘I could never promise you on just my strength alone,
That all my life I’d care for you, and love you as my own.
I’ve never known the future, I only see today,
Words that last a lifetime would be more than I could say.
But the love inside my heart today is more than mine alone.
It never changes, it never fails, never seeks it’s own.
And by the God who gives it, and who lives in me and you
I know the words I speak today are words I’m going to do’

When I look in the rear view mirror, of a great marriage, I am reminded that we wouldn’t have got through sickness & trials, & the unexpected twists & turns of life without God. Promises & human love aren’t strong enough,but:
‘A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.’
(Ecclesiastes 4:12 NIV)

In my Bible reading today, I read how Samuel led the Israelites in victory over the Philistines. He then paused & looked back.
‘Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”’
(1 Samuel 7:12 NIV)

We may not place stones along the wayside. But we can record God’s provision in a journal! We can pause & trace His grace along this journey we call life. We can cultivate a grateful heart.

Even when we don’t like the view in reverse any better than when we were living through it, we can pour out our feelings to God. Even if the rear view mirror smashes in frustration or anger,we can give all the pieces to God.

‘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)

Whether we are traveling through green pastures, by still waters or through dark valleys, if we gaze in life’s rear view mirror long enough, we will see the goodness & love of our Shepherd-God following us.

‘Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’
(Psalm 23:6 NIV)

‘I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side’
(Chris Tomlin)

Blessings,

Ruthx

Edited from original post at http://www.blessedme.co.uk

Creation therapy

curlysue028

School’s out for  summer & the weeks of July & August stretch in front of us with the promise of holidays & free time {& hopefully continued amazing sunshine too!}

I didn’t realise until recently just how important escaping to the great outdoors is for me. And I am not alone- especially in this  season!

‘Some old fashioned things like fresh air & sunshine are hard to beat’
(Laura Ingalls Wilder)

‘Live in the sunshine
Swim in the sea
Drink in the wild air’
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

The Norwegians have a word friluftsliv literally meaning ‘free air life’ which sounds much more poetic than ‘outdoors’

Shinrin-yoku in Japanese means bathing in the forest literally or figuratively ie the relaxation gained from soaking in the atmosphere of the forest.

There’s nothing like a walk along the beach or in the hills or woods to clear our minds & refresh our perspective.

Getting out in nature beyond wifi helps us unplug & unwind.

Life feels better barefoot, detached from technology, surrounded by the God-made world. And sometimes standing on our doorstep looking up at the stars is enough to shift perspective. Or sitting in our garden or local park.

Being outdoors has been proven to promote relaxation & lower tension & blood pressure. But for me, time in nature means much more than that. I feel connected with God. For, ‘Creation is filled with signs that point to the Creator’

His finger prints are seen across our amazing world- designed & hand-made by Him.

‘From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings’
(Chris Tomlin)

We can ‘Stop look around & praise the Name of Him who made it all’ {as engraved a rock in Tollymore}

It’s like therapy – creation therapy!

And we feel blessed & grateful.

It’s not that God isn’t speaking. In everyday life but often there’s just too much noise to hear. We need to get away from technology & distractions & soak in the God-made environment.

It’ll be quiet enough for us to here Him whisper,‘Be still & know that I AM God’ (Psalm 46:10)

And humbly respond:
‘LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens…

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”
(Psalm 8:1, 3-4 NIV)

So this summer, wherever you go,whatever the weather, make sure you have some creation therapy!

Blessings,

Ruth x