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Faith, Five Minute Friday

Look For The Unexpected

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I am sitting in a waiting room with about fifty other people and we are all expecting one thing…to find out what is wrong with us.  Each of us have come from a different place and we all have a different story to tell, but we all expect the same outcome…to be given an answer.  I guess we are all expecting, as well, to be given something that could heal us.  It’s not guaranteed though.

Looking around, I see people texting on their phone trying not to make eye contact with the person next to them…just in case that person might actually want to talk to them!  I see a few people with their heads tilted to one side and their eyes closed tight, shutting everyone else out around them.

I hear a child screaming with frustration and stamping their feet with the lack of something to do…and the mother with her head in her hands wishing that she had a child that would sit quietly and patiently.  She’s frantically trying not to make eye contact with those that are looking down on her in dismay.  I feel for this woman, as I know all too well what this feels like.

What do we expect to happen if we looked at someone…smiled at someone…dread to think, even talk with someone?  I think these days, too often, we are too scared to engage with the other person.  Maybe, because we are scared of rejection?

Colossians 4 v 5-6: Walk in wisdom to those who are outside, redeeming the time.  Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may knowhow you ought to answer each one. 

Something to think about…

Next time you are in a waiting room, or sitting on a bus, or maybe even having your hair done, look at the person near you and smile at them.  Pray in your heart that God would open a door for you.  You never know they may actually smile back at you and a conversation will start.  Look for the unexpected.  You may be the salt that they need to season their lives.

You may be the salt that they need to season their lives. Click To Tweet

Prayer

Lord, give me wisdom to see those who are around me that need seasoning in their lives.  Give me the grace I need in the conversations that are stirred and help me to be the salt that adds a little flavour.  Amen

 

 

You are reading a Five Minute Friday word prompt. This is hosted by Kate Motaung and is where a group of people write about a given word for that week. I am a little late to the party, so this was last weeks word prompt write, which was “expect”. (Everything before the line break shows what I wrote in five minutes.)  If you are interested in taking part or reading other people’s inspiring writes, then hop on over to the site.

Faith, Five Minute Friday

The Future Is Now

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The future is now.  I know this might seem like a contradiction because the “now” is the present.  The future is something that is going to happen, not something that is happening.

When I say the future is now, I mean that what we do, what we say and how we behave affects our future and those around us.  So really, we should live like we are in the future.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Every time I would hit a rough patch in my life, I would always think of this Bible verse.  It would give me hope because I knew that God would not let me suffer forever…sooner or later, I would prosper.

I have recently learnt though that this Bible reading doesn’t mean what I thought it meant.  It was one of those “Really?” moments.  You know, when it comes as a shock to you that what you thought something was for so long, has actually turned out to be something completely different.

My hope is not lost though.

Here’s the gist of the story behind this verse…

Whilst the Israelites were in exile, there was a false prophet called Hananiah who stated that God was going to free them in two years.  Well, as we probably know, God doesn’t kinda work like that in letting people tell Him what to do.  It kinda goes the other way around. **wink**

Now, in steps the good guy, Jeremiah, to tackle this. **Sound the trumpets** He approached Hananiah and basically says, (and I’m paraphrasing here) “What do you think you are doin’?” Jeremiah then gives him a bit of a truth bomb and reveals that they are going to stay in exile for 70 years – a bit different to two years.  Some of them probably won’t even live that long to see them being free!

The Israelites will prosper in the future, but only after they learnt to seek God where they are now – in their current situation.

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7

If we can learn to seek the good things in the situation that we are in now, and be at peace with it, then we will prosper from it.  You’ve probably read this and thought…

How on earth, in my current situation, can I think positive and look for something good? Seriously? I am just too tired and it takes up too much energy.  It’s so much easier to just carry on with the way things are. Nobody cares anyway if I am a bit grumpy.

Does this sound about right?

Friend, God knows the plans He has for us and He will give us a beautiful future. But for now, as we are in this world living our crazy-filled lives, keep in mind that as we persevere through our difficulty, it will bring us hope and success.

Something to think about

Can you think of something that you are facing right now that you are finding difficult?  If so, hold on to the true meaning of what Jeremiah 29:11 brings.  Not hope that He will take away your difficulty and give you a better future, but that He will provide hope during your difficulty to make your future better.

Not hope that He will take away your difficulty and give you a better future, but that He will provide hope during your difficulty to make your future better. Click To Tweet

Prayer

Lord, you know what I am facing right now, and I will be honest with you…I’m not liking it very much.  Be with me Lord, right beside me and give me the hope that I need to persevere through this hard time. Open my eyes Lord, to what is around me and help me to grow through my trials.  In Your Name. Amen

You are reading a Five Minute Friday word prompt. This is hosted by Kate Motaung and is where a group of people write about a given word for that week. This week the word is “future”. (Everything before the line break shows what I wrote in five minutes.)  If you are interested in taking part or reading other people’s inspiring writes, then hop on over to the site.

Faith, Five Minute Friday

Should

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//When I think of the things that I should do, it gives me a feeling like I have this big responsibility to do it…and you know it’s the end of the world as we know it if I don’t get it done, right? So, here then follows that well known feeling of failure because most of the time, let’s face it, I don’t do what I should do. And, I often think about the things that I shouldn’t do that I am doing!

Should is defined as an obligation, a duty, or correctness, and it’s usually when someone is criticising the persons actions. Basically meaning that when someone should do something, it is supposed to benefit you or those around you in a good way.

So, how do I know what I should do? Well, the Bible is full of all the things that we should do in order to live our lives right, so I guess that this should be a good starting point…//

Colossians 3:12-17 

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

In just 5 verses I have been given a lifetime’s worth of advice. I should…

Be compassionate; Kind; Humble; Meek; Patient (especially with those that irritate me!)

I should forgive (and I know this is easier said than done at times); Love (always and forever, with anyone and everyone); Be thankful (for anything and everything); Peaceful; Wise; Giving praise to God (even in the hard times); Read my Bible and let His Word live within me.

Wow! All that in 5 verses. (I’m pretty sure that I’ve probably missed one as well). It’s a lot though to take in, right? This is just a little list of “should dos” taken from a small passage – can you imagine what the list would look like if it was the whole Bible?

Do not fret though. We are not always going to get it right. One thing we have that we can fall back on when we feel we have failed, is Gods amazing Grace…and then we should get back up again and carry on with our obligation to live our lives right by God.

You are reading a Five Minute Friday word prompt. This is hosted by Kate Motaung and is where a group of people write about a given word for that week. This week the word is “should”. // marks what I wrote in 5 minutes.

Faith, Five Minute Friday

More

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//”Can I have some more, please?” One of my children ask me nervously.

“More? You seriously want more after everything you’ve had? Let what you’ve had satisfy you,” I reply sharply.

We live in a world now where we are not satisfied with what we have. We always seem to want more. We get the latest mobile phone model or the latest car, which makes us happy for a few weeks, or even a few months at a push, but we realise something is missing and another new model has come out. So, we go back to square one of needing more so that we can accomplish more and feel more satisfied. It’s a never ending circle.

Children are the worst for this. They receive something that makes them feel good, but they get bored easily so they come back and ask for more. Children are young though and it takes them longer to understand concepts in life. The notion that we need to be satisfied with what we have in front of us is just too hard for them to handle sometimes.//

Children need to understand that we are not always capable of providing them with more…with everything they want. Children are children though, and like I said, it takes a while for them to understand the concept of being satisfied with what they have. You would think it would get better though when you get older…right? It doesn’t.

When I think of how unsatisfied we are in this world, I am truly grateful that we can fall back on the One that will always satisfy our needs. The One that I always go to asking for more…

More grace…

More peace…

More love…

More of Him.

Isn’t it a good job that He doesn’t reply so sharply to me “be satisfied with what you have. I have given you enough grace as it is to last you a life time.”


I am satisfied in knowing that if I go to my father, he will always give me more.

You are reading a Five Minute Friday word prompt. This is hosted by Kate Motaung and is where a group of people write about a given word for that week. This week the word is “more”. // marks what I wrote in 5 minutes.