What a Woman #Six

This is a really difficult post to write. In light of all that's happened disaster-wise lately and with friends and family facing very difficult circumstances, I don't want anyone to think I am being insensitive to their current pain or challenges. 


But I do think we need to know what God's word says...to believe it and to live it.


With that in mind, consider the woman of excellence in Proverbs 31. In verse 25 we read about a woman who is intentional and confident....She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.


This woman dresses herself each day in strength and dignity. As routine as putting on our clothes for the day, should be our clothing ourselves with these two attitudes and qualities. The beauty of the Christian life, we clothe ourselves in the strength and dignity of God...with His enabling, we can be strong and dignified....even when it seems to be humanly impossible to be so.  In the midst of trouble, stress, pain, trials, suffering, disaster, difficulties, we CAN be women who rest in God...and that's where we will find all we need to be strong and dignified.


It's true that in His presence, we find those things....many of you could testify to that because you have walked through exceedingly tough days, months, years.  It's also true that because we can live in His presence, we can laugh at the days to come. Because we love Him and live with Him, we can have all we need for today AND for the future. The Amplified Bible says her laughter and lightness comes from knowing she is ready for the future.


Now none of us necessarily expects and prepares for a future touched by major floods or an earthquake or cyclone. And few of us look to future events like family fall outs and separations or days of depression and confusion and laugh. But no matter what we see - or get blind-sided by - God is with us. That's one encouragement. The other, is to make sure that in the good/easy times, prepare. Get into His word, live each day acknowledging Him, ask for His character to be developing in you...so that you are ready for whatever comes next. His presence is the only thing that can lighten the load and even when it still feels like an enormous burden, it's His presence that gives us the strength to carry it.


I'm struggling here....as I re-read what I have written it sounds like just words on a page. Mere platitudes to those who really are struggling today...both with the present and the future. I feel so inept at encouraging or helping.


All I can really say is Hold on! Hold on to Jesus....to the promises in God's word. Walk each day, in fact each moment that you are aware, with your eyes on the One who has created you and crafted your future. Ask for His help to look beyond the circumstances and see Him. Draw on His amazing character qualities....I know He has what you need. 


I know you may not laugh out loud at the future....at least perhaps not today....but I hope you'll know joy and peace as you walk clothed in strength and dignity into a future that is filled with His presence and His love.

What if....?

A story I heard this week got me thinking....
A friend was in a season of being challenged by God about his lack of thankfulness. One morning as he was brushing his teeth, he paused to thank God for healthy teeth...something he'd never done before. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, this thought popped into his mind: "What if I only had tomorrow, what I gave thanks for today?"

Whoa! That's worth thinking about isn't it? If this was the way life worked, what would you be waking up to today, based on words of thanks you expressed yesterday?

If you think the cupboards and the rest of life might be awfully bare, how about determining today to be much more grateful? How about asking for eyes to see and a heart and mouth to express gratitude to the One who blesses and the ones He uses to bless you?

Make saying 'thank-you' a HUGE part of your day, and I guarantee your spirit will be lighter and God will be well pleased....after all, His word tells us at least 33 times to 'give thanks.' In fact, you want to know God's will for your life? It's 3-fold, but includes giving thanks in all circumstances. See 1 Thess. 5:16-18

One thanks I have already expressed, even though it was a bit of a challenge, took place at 3.43AM this morning. This was the third time I was up to j last night (most unusual) and I could feel my frustration rising. But then I remembered the thanks theme I had been dwelling on and I simply said, "Thanks God for my little boy and that I am not buried under rubble, but I'm here to feed him and comfort him."

And those simple words made a huge difference to my emotional state and attitude. I wonder if your thanks today will do the same?

Answers?

Another disaster...more destruction...death...pain and suffering. And that age old question of.....Why does a Good God allow Pain and Suffering?....continues to be asked.

Long-time family friend, Pastor Bruce Stewart, recently addressed that question in a newspaper article in his local paper. Here's the article...

I love a sunburnt country, 

A land of sweeping plains, 

Of ragged mountain ranges, 

Of drought and flooding rains. 

I love her far horizons, 

I love her jewel-sea, 

Her beauty and her terror 

The wide brown land for me!

My Country,  Dorothea Mackellar  (This is just a portion of this wonderful poem)

I am often reminded of the words coming from Dorothea Mackellar’s poem which I and many others learnt off by heart  back in Primary school in earlier years.  Australia is indeed a rugged country with climactic and geographical extremes but many of us who come from the rural areas and indeed many city people develop a deep attachment to this wonderful land which our Creator has made.

In the last few weeks Australia has been capturing the headlines overseas for all the wrong reasons –  with  devastating floods  down the eastern side of the continent;   with severe fires on the west side of the continent and then the destruction caused by cyclones –especially Yasi.  It is only natural that some people start to ask the question – Why does a loving God  allow these tragedies and difficulties to occur?

The Bible tells us that in the beginning God made everything perfectly.  Genesis 1:31... God saw all that He had made and it was very good (perfect).   God gave people a free will – which allowed us to choose to do good or evil.  Adam and Eve chose to do wrong and all of us have continued  this tendency.  Humankind is capable of wonderful acts of creativity, love and compassion but acts of harm, madness and destruction can come from the same lips or hands.  Through sin came death (Romans 5:12) disease and  destruction – in fact the whole creation “groans” (Romans 8:22). Therefore we have tsunamis, cancer, cyclones and devastating fires 

We are all trapped on this amazing – though damaged planet – spinning through space and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves.  But the reality is that God has done something about death and suffering once for all.  He sent Jesus.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,  so that whoever believes (meaning “to give oneself to”) in Him shall not die but have eternal life  (John 3:16).  The Bible gives a clear message that if we commit to trusting and obeying  Jesus then one day we will go to heaven where there will be “no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away” Revelation 21:4.  There will be perfect restoration.

In the meantime we live on a damaged planet and we have choices to make.  One thing many people have commented on in the face of  recovering from recent flood damage  is the sense of  community and “selfless compassion showed by neighbours, friends and often strangers just wanting  to lend a hand”.  Much good can come out of the bad if we so choose.

Let me give one example from the local church of which I am part of.  A farming family near Avoca was afflicted by the ravages of a torrent of water going down the Bet-Bet creek.  Six kilometres of fencing was flattened and other damage was caused.  People from the local church have conducted three  “back yard blitzes” so far and  much of the fencing has been restored.

All the people involved spoke of the wonderful sense of community and bonding which occurred as we worked together to help restore what had been damaged.  Of course the owners of the property are very grateful.

When we are confronted by tragedy we can continue to shake our fists at God and people or we can roll up our sleeves and with determination and resoluteness and faith work together to  make a difference. We can help our brother in need and humbly submit to the God who made us  who also grieves at death and destruction around us.  If we submit to Jesus and follow Him, one day all pain will be left behind.

Bruce Stewart.

A few thoughts from me....

Having read Jesus' words in Luke 21:11 (and echoed in Matthew and Mark), I KNOW there will be times of great pain and suffering and death and destruction. I KNOW it is bad now, but will, in all likelihood, get worse. 

BUT I also KNOW that I have a job to do and Jesus has a promise to keep...Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I KNOW I can trust Him, but can He rely on me?

What a Woman #Five

I like descriptive words. Adjectives and adverbs. They add colour and detail. They help me 'see' what has been written or is being described. They tell me the 'how', not just the what.


So 'how' is the woman of excellence in Proverbs 31 described? What can we learn about her from the adjectives in verse 17?


She sets about her work vigorously;
   her arms are strong for her tasks. (NIV)


First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
   rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started. (The Message)


She dresses herself with strength
   and makes her arms strong. (ESV)


She is energetic and strong,
      a hard worker. (NLT)


She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm. (Amplified)


Hmmmmm....maybe I'm not a fan of describing words any more. Doesn't this all sound a little too much...for a Monday morning...and to one with arms that wobble?


Perhaps on our own it is a little too much, but with the help of the One who IS all these things and more and promises to GIVE us all these things and more, we can be the enthusiastic, energetic, extraordinary women that God has called us to be. 


And it doesn't matter what our day looks like. Whether we have in fact dressed in work clothes and headed out the door to teach or cut hair or fix teeth or counsel or type or drive a truck or heal or...... OR whether we are still in our pyjamas at 10am looking after little ones at home. Like I wrote in previous post Eye Witness, God SEES it all. And He's the One who said He would be with us always and be our helper.

I am convinced, that every little task we do today would be better if we did it keeping in mind that God is with us....He has given us this task to do....He has promised to empower us to do it and do it well. We just need to remember He's there and ask for His help.


So as you start today...or head into the afternoon....or finish the day, would you join me in this prayer?


'God we are privileged to be Yours. To know that we matter to the One who made all things, including us, and set in motion plans and purposes for our lives fill us with awe and wonder. May we see beyond the routine and the mundane and the work and challenges of life and catch a glimpse of amazing You. And Lord, would You fill us with the energy and enthusiasm and strength and joy that we need to do all of life well?'


WOW! We can speak to Almighty God...He hears and listens...then He acts powerfully and swiftly. Now that's something to get truly, deeply, wonderfully, crazily excited about!

Friday Away

Ok...so it's only Thursday. But......we'll be out of town tomorrow and I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts for the weekend. Not my original thoughts, but some good ones nevertheless.

I think this article by blogger Joshua Becker, about the voices we hear, speaks volumes...ha ha - so punny K! This week I have been reminded of how much we hear and not all of it good, from so many sources.

A friend received an email that shook her.....I could feel my blood pressure rising as I watched the news 2 nights ago.....Jake listened to and followed really bad advice from his brother on 'Rafters' this week....someone criticised my sister in a public forum.....Facebook reveals things about people that I just don't want to know....the teens I teach read and watch all sorts of scary books and TV shows.....VOICES!

We need to be wise and discerning when it comes to what and who we listen to and Joshua's checklist is something we as adults should keep in mind for ourselves. But it's also an essential that we teach our children and/or students. (I'm planning on using the article to start a discussion lead into a lesson on what God says about us with one of classes at school....should provide an interesting contrast to what the world says.)

So much of who we think we are and what we think of ourselves comes from others' voices. Wouldn't we do well to think about who we are listening too and then consider if they are worth hearing from?

See the checklist HERE.

Eye Witness

Yesterday I was an eye witness to a very special event. My baby boy rolled over for the first time. And for a first-time Mum, that is exciting.

It got me thinking about other things that happen in life, many of which go unseen. The grandparent who faithfully prays for his/her family. The husband who works hard in tough conditions each day to provide for his loved ones. The mother doing countless loads of washing after being up most of the night with the sick child. The son who wheels the bins out without being asked. The friend who cooks dinner to pass on to the family who has received bad news. The visitor who quietly helps the new Mum hang the load of washing. The boss who takes the time to write a word of thanks and slip it in a colleague's pigeon hole. The aunt who bundles up a few clothes and toys and passes them on to her niece.

So many little things that make this world go round. So many unwitnessed acts of kindness and goodness.

No! Wait! Not one of these things is unseen. God sees it all.....every single thing that every single person does on every single day. 

May you be encouraged by that thought today. That all those little (and larger) things you do this morning, this afternoon and tonight that keep your home going and bless your family and friends....God sees. And even though you may not receive any earthy thanks for what you do today, the One who really matters, smiles.

And may you be challenged by that thought today. That all those little (and larger) things you think, say and do today that hurt and harm and discourage others...God sees. And He does not smile.

I want my 'Audience of One' to be pleased He made me today. I want Him to be witness to generosity and kindness and to compassion and love. I want Him to be excited that His child is living right and well today.

What a Woman #Four

It's Valentine's Day....which may or may not bring a smile to your face. And a gift to your hands.

For J and I, V Day is a little bit special, simply because of what we did on our first V Day together. We had only been going out for about a month and so everything was still new, fun, exciting, romantic. Anyway, I arrived in town unexpectedly and surprised him with a gourmet picnic which we ate on a hillside overlooking a beautifully lit harbour and marina. A special memory...priceless actually. Oh yeah...that's right....V Day was also 'first kiss' day:)


Since then, we have had many other priceless moments....precious memories made to be remembered for many years to come.


But as I read Proverbs 31 I am reminded of something else that is priceless....me. 


So many times I struggle with self-confidence and worth. I question myself...beat myself up...think very little of myself....and I'm not sure why. Just yesterday J was telling little j that "Mum is so good looking" and I was almost in tears because I certainly don't think I come close to that description.


But in reading Proverbs 31:10 - An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.... I am once again reminded that I have value.....immense value.


As God's daughter I do. And as a wife striving to bring her husband good I do. I am precious....priceless. Maybe today, I can just enjoy the gift of that thought.


And whether you're married, engaged, dating or single, how about you do too?

Forty Friday Foughts

I subscribe to becoming minimalist....a blog about some of the important things in life by Joshua Becker. His list this week encouraged me to keep doing the little things. We can add so much meaning to our lives and the lives of those around us if we do.

Perhaps you might choose a couple of things from the list and add them to your 'to do' list today...not to be a burden, or make yourself busier, but to intentionally make the time to 'give life'.

Joshua says:

“In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.“ - Brennan Manning

Of all the gifts that we could ever give to another person, none holds more potential than giving life itself. And I love the idea that every interaction I have with another human being offers me that grand opportunity.
It doesn’t matter if my next encounter is a short conversation, an email, a meal, or a 4-hour business meeting, it always offers me the same opportunity… to brighten another’s existence by breathing life into theirs.
Once correctly understood and applied, this simple, profound thought calls us to be more intentional, more thoughtful, and more persistent. It calls us to…

1. Smile more.
2. Hug more.
3. Give more compliments.
4. Write more love notes.
5. Offer more forgiveness.
6. Ask more follow-up questions.
7. Show more interest.
8. Have more compassion.
9. Talk to more children.
10. Remember more names.
11. Leave bigger tips.
12. Use kinder words.
13. Laugh at more jokes.
14. Make more eye contact.
15. Treat others to more coffee.
16. Listen more intently.
17. Give more time.
18. Stop to catch-up longer.
19. Promote others more often.
20. Be more optimistic.
21. Be more sympathetic.
22. Be more patient.
23. Celebrate more successes.
24. Ask to pray more often.
25. Dream bigger dreams for others.
26. Cook more meals.
27. Ask elders for more advice.
28. Spend more time reminiscing with old friends.
29. Donate more to charity.
30. Remember more details.
31. Sing more songs.
32. Display more affection.
33. Give more apologies.
34. Focus less on differences.
35. Invite more to come along.
36. Read more books to your child.
37. Offer to help more often.
38. Trust more.
39. Give more responsibility.
40. Say more thank-you’s.

Give more life. Because there, you’ll find more for yourself as well.

From Exodus 13-16

Free at last! The Israelites were released from Egypt and on the road to the Promised Land...how exciting!


Yes, that does sound like a dream come true, considering where they'd come from and the conditions they had been living and working in as slaves of the Egyptians. But the Israelites seemed to think it was a nightmare.


Well certainly the amount of complaining they did suggested they were not thrilled to be free and on their way. We have no food...no water. Did you bring us here to die? It would have been better for us to stay in Egypt! Whaaa!!!


But the reality was.....they were on their way to a place so much better than where they had been. And they were going there with God. 


Exodus 13 tells us: By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (v21-22)


Astounding! God's presence WITH them...in such an obvious way. They could see Him...night and day. He went ahead of them....leading, guiding and showing the way. And as He did, He provided all they would need...food from heaven morning and night, protection from enemies, victory in battle, water from rocks.

What's YOUR reality today? Have you taken a moment to acknowledge God's presence WITH YOU today? Will you continue to look to Him throughout your busy day? You may not see Him in a cloud or fire ball hovering over your house, but He IS with you. 


So talk to Him.....ask Him for what you need....follow His prompting and leading and enjoy His provisions for you today. He has ALL you need and will give it to you as you need it. He is the same loving and powerful God who rescued His people from Egypt and His plan today....to help you walk this road of life. 


What a great reality...I get to do my day with awesome God. How exciting!

What a Woman #Three

Have you felt a little like me these past, oh I don't know, 22 years?


You look at the world, watch the news, hear stories, travel overseas and feel a little overwhelmed by the needs that are out there. You desperately want to do something to help and praying just doesn't seem like enough. 


So you....sponsor a child, give to mission offerings at church, fill a Christmas shoebox, volunteer at your local op shop, do a 'Walk for......', run a jewellery sale, support individual families who are working overseas for God, sign up as a member at your local Christian radio station, buy school supplies for children in Africa, collect underwear to donate to needy families overseas, get sponsors for the 40 hour famine, run kids' holiday cooking classes to raise money to rescue children in Asia from the sex trade, patch a quilt to give to someone who has just lost everything, donate your old towels to the SES for flood clean-up use, teach your children the importance of giving to and caring for others, make a meal for someone in need, mow the lawn for an elderly neighbour, give a day's wages every month to a mission organisation, make and sell biscuits to raise a bit of extra money to give, purchase rabbits and chickens for people overseas at Christmas time, do a mission trip to PNG, Vanuatu, Africa, Thailand, Chile, collect the silver coins in your home to give to a favourite cause, write a letter to someone in prison.....etc.......


Hey...if you've ever done anything like those things just mentioned...you are being the woman of excellence described in Proverbs 31...She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. (v20) Well done you! But let's keep going....


Right now, with a recent flood and cyclone causing mass damage just down the road, there's never been a better opportunity to give and to help....to open arms and extend hands. But I get a bit stuck on how best to do that.....so please, comment or email me with great ideas.


So girls, women, let's keep on keeping on with looking for opportunities to be generous and kind. They certainly aren't hiding themselves right now. And let's be creative, dig deep and help others, as God's ambassadors. 


We bless others when we help them. We bless ourselves when we give and we share. We bless God too. Now that's a great feeling!

How Do I Pray?

With Cyclone Yasi looming on the eastern horizon a couple of days ago, I was trying to pray. But how do you pray in such a situation?

Do I ask God to make Yasi disappear? Sure, God is BIG and MIGHTY and POWERFUL and He's the CREATOR....so He could make that old cyclone just vanish. But did He want to mess with the natural way (systems He orchestrated way back when) things go?

And yes, I could have prayed for it to change direction and go away, far away from Australia. But in all honesty, I didn't want that to happen. The alternatives to Yasi hitting northern Qld were that it might come further south...and that's where I live. Or even worse, maybe it would head north...to PNG or back east to Fiji or Vanuatu and I certainly didn't want those tiny island nations in the path of this monster.

I could pray for it to downsize....and I did. And it didn't straight away, but it sure was answered prayer when it became a Category 2 (from a 5) in a matter of hours.

And like so many others, I could pray for the PEOPLE involved. I prayed for no loss of life. God is the giver of life and He's the One who values life most, so I knew I was praying in His will. I prayed for people's safe-keeping and protection. For lives to be protected, even if replaceable properties and businesses weren't. I prayed for their emotional state....that fear and sadness wouldn't overwhelm them. I prayed for the children who might be so very scared with the loud noise and seeing so much devastation of homes and other properties.

My prayers were also for those making decisions in the lead-up to landfall and now in the aftermath. We pray for wisdom and strength for them. And for those on the ground now helping, cleaning up, assessing, rebuilding, and the rest....we continue to ask for courage and determination and perseverance and that God would bless them with moments of laughter and lightness in this tough journey ahead.

Is that how to pray? I am still not sure.....but I am ever so grateful there is Someone so much bigger than us that we can ask these things of. And I will be sure to pray prayers of thankfulness too, because He has answered so many prayers so graciously already.

From Job

So I have just finished reading Job and even after all those chapters and having read it last year as well...I'm still not sure I 'get it.' So much suffering........pain.....despair.....loss.....well-meaning friends who get it wrong....Satan on the war path.....God with 'hands-off'.....Job is given bad advice from his wife....doubts.....questions......Then finally, God speaks....

One thing I do know though, is Chapter 38 is awesome! Have a read.... 
This God we serve cannot be contained. He is not answerable to us. He is astounding, inexplicable...indescribable.

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea

Creation's revealing Your majesty

From the colours of fall to the fragrance of spring

Every creature unique in the song that it sings

All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.

You are amazing God

All powerful, untameable,

Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go

Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow

Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light

Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night

None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name

You are amazing God

All powerful, untameable,

Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.

You are amazing God

All powerful, untameable,

Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.

You are amazing God

Incomparable, unchangeable

You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same

You are amazing God

You are amazing God

(Chris Tomlin)

You can watch a great film clip and listen to this song here.

If we had the tiniest glimpse and appreciation of this today, it would CHANGE our lives. We serve THE God of ALL CREATION. The ONE and ONLY. The GOD who SPEAKS and IT IS. The GOD who LOVES US. The GOD who GAVE SO MUCH for US. The GOD who KNOWS US and DESIRES TO BE WITH US.  

Like Job, may we live lives of trust and obedience in this indescribable God....no matter what.