Just Breathe

Yesterday I posted about the gifts we have been given by God, highlighting creation...commands....peace...the Holy Spirit.

Today I wanted to flash back to my uni days (oh...so long ago) to revisit a key teaching I had on the Holy Spirit. A key teaching that revolutionises lives.

Having grown up in a fairly conservative church tradition, I don't recall many sermons on the Holy Spirit. In fact, I mostly referred to Him as an 'it.'

But when I went to uni I got involved with Christian group Student Life and there, I was taught about the HS and how He was the key to living the Christian life - empowered and successfully.

Simply put, living with the Spirit is like spiritual breathing. Here's how it works.....

When we physically breathe, we exhale carbon dioxide. It's potentially dangerous stuff. When we spiritually breathe, we confess our sin. Sin IS dangerous stuff. We tell God where we've gone wrong and we ask for His forgiveness.

When we physically breathe, we inhale oxygen. O2 is life! When we breathe spiritually, we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us. He is LIFE! We ask Him to empower us to live as God wants us too. We ask Him to guide our thinking and influence our attitudes. We ask Him to direct our behaviour and reveal to us God's will in all things.

Easy hey? He becomes our power source and our personal counsellor...the One who enables us to live the best life we can.

So today...BREATHE!! Breathe deeply and breathe often!

A Most Generous God

I've been reminded of late that God is EXTREMELY generous. Not only that, but He owns it ALL, so the resources He has to give from are limitless. (How I'd love to be able to say the same as we head into the Christmas season.)

It's funny then, considering His generosity and immense treasure trove, that we are hesitant to ask Him for things. Especially since we are told so many times in the Bible to do just that....'Ask and you will receive...' (John 16:24)

But what I really want to highlight today is that we so often waste our time and our requests asking for things we have already been given. Here's what the Bible says we already have:

From Genesis 1....we have been GIVEN creation. So how about we get out and enjoy it? Look at it with eyes that see it as a gift, so that we appreciate the dew drop on the flower in our front garden; the rolling waves and pretty shells at the beach; the warmth of the sun as we hang out the clothes; the intricate design in the bugs and butterfly wings; the beauty of relationships with those God has put in our lives.

From Deuteronomy 7 and John 13....we have been GIVEN commands and rules and laws. Not so that we feel restricted and restrained but so that we are protected and safe. Like the guard rail on the road near that tight bend that drops away to a cliff and the foaming ocean crashing against the rocks 100 feet below, God's laws and commands are there for our safe-keeping; to keep us from danger and making choices that would harm us and others around us.

From John 14.....we have been GIVEN peace. As something we all crave and repeatedly ask for, sometimes peace seems so elusive. In the midst of busy lives, where things have a habit of not working out the way we planned (like the baby who should be sleeping and isn't....or the DVD that was to be returned by 6pm and wasn't.....or the happy family reunion that ended in arguments and disagreements....or the special dinner we planned and cooked that failed to look anything like Jamie's....or the car that wouldn't start this morning....or the cancer diagnosis of a good friend....or ????) we beg God to give us His peace. And yet, Jeus Himself...the MOST trustworthy of all people who ever made promises...says: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)


And also from John 14....we have been GIVEN the Holy Spirit. And He is the key to unlocking the peace, the obedience and the appreciation that we need for the other 3 gifts. The Holy Spirit ...who Jesus describes as our Counselor, the Spirit of truth and one who lives with us and in us. He teaches us, reminds of what Jesus has said and promised, gives us power, boldness, strength, encouragement, joy and love (see multiple New Testament verses). Won't you take time to talk to Him today? And then shhhhh! LISTEN, obey and be blessed.

Perfect? Not me!

I had a great chat with a friend recently....about her failings!

So refreshing to hear that I am not the only one who gets it wrong....often.

Like this week when I came home hot, bothered, frustrated, tired and sore from delivering the local paper. Sure the hills were steep...the pram was heavy...the mozzies were biting....the sweat pouring and the letter boxes MILES from the road! But did I really have to be so short tempered with my wonderful husband when I got home? And worse...a husband who was mowing and whipper snipping our lawn? Yuck Kirsty!

Or what about that night feed that hurt...a lot. Instead of praying about it, what did I open my mouth to do? Ummmm...sad to say....I swore. Yuck Kirsty!

Then there was the other incident in the car where I was bad mouthing the driver ahead of us. Someone I don't even know was copping a heap of judgement and criticism from me for what terrible deed?? Driving at 68km in an 80km zone of course. Yuck Kirsty!

So as I listened to this friend, I was pleased to hear she messes up too. But what I was even more delighted to hear was how she went about fixing the messes.

Without going into too much detail...because I want to preserve her annonimity....she mended the fences with her husband through a letter and a conversation with an apology. She was also 'woman' enough to apologise to the group of people she had whinged and complained around. And she asked God to forgive her too and help her do it better next time.


THAT'S the good stuff in life....and the tough stuff! It is realising when we have done the wrong thing and having the maturity and character to apologise. And the wisdom to realise God does not expect perfection from us...He knows we aren't capable of it....but oh how He delights in His kids seeking forgiveness and stepping out again in His power.

Meaningless! Really?

Hmmmmm.....if you say something often enough, you'll start to believe it.

So the author of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament must have truly believed life to be 'meaningless' because he uses that word over and over and over and..... In fact he uses it 37 times in 30 verses and my personal favourite....Ecclesiastes 1: 2 - "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (4 times!!!!!!)


Now I think the author is King Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the world. And for him to be so adamant about how meaningless it all is, surprises me. Surely money buys meaning? And if not money, then knowledge...right? Perhaps not.


So while I don't feel I have much of either, I do feel like I have a bit more grip on the non-meaningless of life. I mean, I understand at least some of what makes life meaningful.


For me, it is:

• Walking with God....spending time in His word, drawing on His wisdom, His peace and strength to do life
• Thanking Jesus.....there is no life or truth apart from Him....He is the one who paid the price for my freedom from sin and from death. He is the one who gave me life.
• Listening to the Holy Spirit....as the power source for living this Christian life I am so glad He is a patient and gentle friend to help me along the way.
• Appreciating family.....hugs and kisses and gifts given to me. Prayers prayed for me and sacrifices made for me. Now it's my turn as I do life with my beloved J and my treasured j.
• Serving God....through daily worship, helping others and trying to see my world as God sees it, and respond accordingly.
• Loving friends....people in our lives who provide that light and warmth that we as humans need.

Yes there's more...perhaps you'd like to add a comment to remind me of the ones I missed.


May you know a day today where meaning is stamped all over it. Where you can look beyond the bills, the TV, the traffic, the dirty nappies, the floor that needs vacuuming, the looming Christmas shopping, the chaos around meal times, the long haul of a night spent doing prep work, the pile of laundry, the too-long grass, the ant trail, the overflowing inbox, the sore foot/throat/head/tail....and see Him and the meaningful life He offers, moment by moment. 

Listen to the Lyrics #5

A Fair Bit More  - Claire Hazzard

Well I’m not asking for any big revelation

And I’m not asking for a formula

To work this whole thing through

But what I’m asking for Lord Jesus

Is to be a fair bit more like you

Just this afternoon things are very clear

That I’ll never get it right no matter what I do

So what I’m asking for Lord Jesus

Is to be a fair bit more like you

And yes I wanna die to the way I seem to be

And yes I wanna live through your Spirit in me

But once again I’ve let you down

By the bad things that I do

And I guess that’s why I need to be

A fair bit more like you

I wonder if you could pray these lyrics?

I read them and I am challenged to reassess my prayers. So much of the time I pray the opposite to verse 1.....I pray asking God for answers and help, in the hope that He will make my life easier...more comfortable....less stressful. I pray prayers for my own convenience with regular monotony. 

And I am sure God shakes His head. He wants me to pray the prayer that asks Him for transformation. To be made 'a fair bit more like' His amazing Son. He wants me to grow, to change, to be refined and to better reflect the character of Jesus. To be more patient, obedient, faithful, loving, joyful, peace-making, meek, generous, kind.....and the rest. He wants me to pray the dangerous prayer, not the convenient, easy-way-out prayer.

I call it a dangerous prayer because it is likely that He will answer it in a way that will stretch and confront me. In order to develop more patience, I might be faced with situations that unfold frustratingly slowly or people who won't do exactly what I want, when I want, the way I want. To become more loving, perhaps I am faced with 'unloveliness' and like Jesus, I need to make the decision to show love...make it a choice and an action. And to learn generosity, perhaps He'll put before me needs that I find challenging to meet, but what He is asking, is for me to rely on His generosity and resources in order to give.

And for as many times as I get it wrong, how wonderful that He is there to forgive and help. To move me on today from where I was yesterday...if I let Him. And the key to letting Him? The Holy Spirit. Empowered, led, guided, counseled by Him, I can become 'a fair bit more like' Jesus.

The question is....am I willing to pray that prayer?