Jesus....My Night Light

At the moment, I sleep with a night light on in my bedroom. I prefer total darkness to sleep, but with j waking up during the wee hours of the morning, the night light is a great help. It means I can stumble safely round the bed end and dresser to get out of the room with my toes intact. It means I am slightly coherent and awake by the time I reach a crying baby, so I am better able to determine what to do with said crying baby. And it lights my way back to the warmth and comfort of my bed after the prior interruption to my delicious slumber.

Jesus is called by John (in Chpt 1) the 'true light that gives light to every man.' Earlier John says Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness.

In a much bigger, better, grander, life-changing way than the tiny bulb radiating a dull glow in my bedroom, Jesus is my night light.

He lights my way through the darkness that so often is life. There are times I am likely to stumble or lose my way. Situations arise that darken my view of what I am here for. Challenges come and I can't always see past them. But looking to Jesus, following His example and teachings, I can safely navigate around and through the tough stuff. I can come out the other side intact.

His light also wakes me up. When I look at Jesus, I see much more clearly. He gives me the right perspective on life. He reveals answers. He directs thoughts and actions. He influences decisions and helps me make wise ones. He is such a contrast to this dark world that I can't help but take notice of who He is and what He says.

And like that guiding light back to bed, Jesus is the way to our ultimate place of comfort and warmth and rest. In Him I find peace. I find purpose. I find my destiny. I find refreshment and strength to keep on going. In His presence I feel loved, accepted, valued and valuable.

May the light of the world pierce your darkness today. May You look to Him, not the 'father of lies' who masquerades as light, for direction. May you know His peace in the midst of dark moments. May you walk in His light, following the path He has planned for you. And may His light warm your heart and bless you as you do.

Jesus

We aren't too far away from Easter...again.
How about this year we ask for a real freshness to this special season.
"God....would you allow us a fresh glimpse of yourself and your awesome son as we head towards a time of remembrance and celebration?"

In the coming days over the next couple of weeks I hope to look at Jesus with you and together, hopefully, we'll see our Saviour.
The journey starts soon.....

Perfection

Bam!
Matthew 5:48 hits hard.

Part way through His very first sermon...delivered open-air style to masses of people...Jesus calls those who would follow Him to 'be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.'

A tall order, don't you think? Particularly considering the teachings that sandwich this idea earlier in chapter 5 and then into chapters 6 & 7.

We're called to love our enemies and pray for them....challenged about how we look at others...told sin is extremely serious and we need to deal with it in radical ways....taught to give secretly....reminded not to worry....and not to judge.....all difficult things to do.

In fact the standard of God, being perfection, sets me up to fail. There is no way I can meet God's standard.

But God knew that and that's why I say 'Thank God for Jesus.'
It is His perfection that God sees when He looks at me.

So in God's eyes, once I have believed in Jesus as His Son and turned from my sin, I am perfect.

And in His strength I can have the best go at living the way that pleases God (loving my enemies, not worrying or judging, etc...) and creates for me 'my best life.'

Tired?

Having just returned from our first family holiday...which was soooooooo much fun......I have been reminded of the saying..."Divert Daily, Withdraw Weekly, Quit Quarterly and Abandon Annually." I'm not sure who said it first, but I do know Rick Warren said it was a good formula for surviving ministry.


I think it's a great formula for surviving life.

I don't know about you, but I have been feeling a little disaster fatigued lately.....every time I turn on the TV I am bombarded with terrible pictures of nuclear reactors melting down, people being shot in Libya, destroyed homes, farms and livelihoods and that's not to mention all the other snippets of 'good' news that gets beamed into our homes every evening.

I have also been feeling somewhat work fatigued. As the teachers out there know, it is a l-o-n-g term and with 3 weeks (4 for some) still ahead, it is difficult to maintain anywhere near that 'first week enthusiasm' we all had way back in January.

There's a little wife and Mummy fatigue in there too. Busy days and sleep interrupted nights.....housework, new house planning, yard work (that just doesn't seem to get a look in), numerous invitations and of course, the added challenge of preparing interesting baby meals all had me feeling like I needed a break.

Thank goodness my husband (who had been anti the idea of a holiday only a couple of months ago) came home a few weeks back and suggested we book a little break away. The anticipation of 'time out' proved to be almost as good as the real thing. And despite coming home to thick, long grass....mountains of washing (funny how that's the one constant in life!), steamy, warm weather and first days back at work, I do feel rested.

The TV news hasn't changed.....I still had to get up to a baby in the night.....and I am collecting student assignments from my class today....BUT I feel in a better head space. I guess that's one great advantage of a break.....you get to rest, relax, regroup.

And as I think about the "DD,WW,QQ,AA" idea mentioned above, I am challenged to do better in this area. Pace myself. Get a bit more balance. Realise that not everything needs to be done perfectly and NOW. And yes....I can say 'no.'

I can also, take a few seconds often during the day to just STOP! I can make sure I divert my thinking and my actions so that I factor in some down time. This week I can ensure that there is a little bit of 'me' time, an hour or so of 'withdrawing' from all that seems so pressing and urgent. I am already looking at the calendar for our next term's little escape....perhaps just a long weekend away as a family this time....and maybe in a tent?? And the annual abandonment for 2011....well that's still in the works, but it probably involves saying 'bye' to this house and 'hi' to our new place.

Of course this can all apply to giving ourselves a bit of space and having a holiday, but I guess it could also apply to dealing with problems or issues in our lives too. Or even commitments and routines.

Perhaps it means we all need to take just a little bit of time off or out to reflect on the 3 months that have just passed by in such a flash in 2011. Three months that have seen the world shake and change. Three months that have reminded each of us of our own mortality and the immense value of life.

Yes, maybe we all needed the reminder that life is precious and we need to enjoy the journey.

Holidays

Just letting anyone who cares to read this know....I am taking a week off blogging. We are off on our first family holiday tomorrow evening for 5 nights so......talk to you next week:) God bless.
Kirsty

Borrowed Post...Living for Others

Joshua says it so well, much better than I could after a week of brain-frying fun.

May his post be a reminder today that it is not all about US.

That thought, which I was first flattened by in the form of "It's not about you" (Rick Warren - Chpt 1 The Purpose Driven Life) a number of years ago, led to all sorts of decisions and adventures...including living in Africa for a whole year.

So please, read Joshua's post here: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/ today and be encouraged to walk in the footsteps of the One who came and showed us firsthand that a life lived for others is a challenging, painful, happy, blessed life.


It's the best life.

A thought....

Here's something I heard on a teaching CD recently and have been pondering over the past couple of days. What's your answer?
"If you removed heaven and hell from the equation, would you still choose be a Jesus follower?"

What a Woman #Seven

The end of the series is nigh...in fact, here's my final thoughts.

The woman of excellence in Proverbs 31.......What a Woman! She's a little like a mythical creature....can she really be real? She's a little too challenging at times....can anyone really be that perfect? She's clever and capable, practical and thoughtful, generous and energetic, wise and well dressed......so many things I am not. And yet, I don't resent her for that. I am just asking God to help me be more of those things, not so my head gets any bigger....just so I can be the blessing He wants me to be to others.

So I'll finish with a quick flick through the original list I wrote when I first looked through Proverbs 31 at the end of last year. These are things that stood out to me and challenged me most about how I was living...or not living as the case may be.

She.....(and therefore I need to....)

• laughs at the days to come....I can smile at the unknown future because I have blessed assurance - Jesus is mine and He walks with me through all things
• speaks with wisdom....Lord may my words be few and when I do utter them, may they be so very wise
• is not idle.....I'm looking for balance here - to not just be busy for busy's sake, but to know when and how to rest as well
• brings her husband good.....through prayer and then very practical means
• starts the day early....thanks baby boy - you make that so much easier:)
• helps the poor and needy......ahhhh! my never-ending challenge
• has value....thanks God that WHO I am and what I do matters
• is enthusiastic.....yay for life!
• is ready...no matter the season of life. As I said last post, if times are good....prepare now. And if times are tough....hold on my friend.
• dresses well......clothing herself in strength and dignity
• will be rewarded...bring it on!
• is praised, not because she is and does all these amazing things, but simply because she fears the LORD. May that be you and I too.....that we are women who consider the good He has done and the awesomeness He is and we revere, worship and honour Him.

Ahh yes....a woman of excellence...who can find?

I can....she is reading this line right now!

On My Mind This Week....

Do you ever feel like you have days...maybe weeks....where your head is so full and jumbled that it gives you a headache?


I woke up with a dull thudding in my brain this morning and rather than blaming getting up to baby during the night, I thought I'd take the time to think about all that's been in my head this week.


Here's a sample.....

• planning lessons....for next week during and after a 3AM feed and wishing I could just shut off the brain so I could sleep
• feeling really hot
• do people think that me being a Christian is all about what I DON'T do?
• why is j so whingey? why is he waking through the night so often? why do I have not a clue as to the answer to those questions?
• how do I politely refuse an offer of more work?
• should I even be working at all?
• why am I so selfish? judgemental? impatient? lazy?
• trying to fit another thing into a day that is already full
• wondering what to cook for mum's group or dinner...only to find half the ingredients for what I wanted to make are no longer in the pantry
• working out the best times to make phone calls...a) for when I'll actually be able to talk to the person on the other end of the phone b) for when it fits into the eating, sleeping, playing schedule that's running this end and c) for when I feel like I am alert and awake enough to make it a worthwhile conversation
• considering ebay purchases
• planning a holiday
• the grocery shopping dilemma
• AND so it goes.......

I guess as a woman....a wife....a mother.....that list of things our mind dwells on is always 
l-o-n-g....VERY long. And yes....it can certainly seem overwhelming at times.


But I have also been reminded of God's promise to me....Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.


Now the question is.....will I allow room in that full and swirling mind for my focus to be on trusting Him?

From Numbers 6

“The LORD bless you 
   and keep you; 
the LORD make his face shine on you 
   and be gracious to you; 
the LORD turn his face toward you 
   and give you peace.”


Who is this LORD?
He is YAHWEH....Jehovah.
He is the ETERNAL, UNCHANGING ONE.
He is the God who is self-existent, holy, 'other'.
He is CREATOR of the whole universe....and you.
He is ALMIGHTY, POWERFUL, KING of KINGS.
He is LOVE, GRACE, PEACE, GOODNESS, LIGHT.


He PROTECTS and PROVIDES.
He fulfils promises.
He is concerned for His people and acts on their behalf.


How do I know?
A. I have seen Him at work in MY life
B. Exodus 3 tells me He is 'I AM'


So today, I pray that YAHWEH pours all that He is into your life.