Faith, Trust

You Are Not Alone

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It’s funny how kids remind you of the simplest of things. My son cried out during the night, waking me up from a deep sleep. I was irritated at first. I love my bed! I got up though. What mother wouldn’t if you heard your child crying?

I clambered out of the bed and stumbled into his room. He was sitting up and grumbled that he felt a bit sick. I comforted him and reassured him that he will be ok. He stuck out his bottom lip and gave such the cutest look (you know the look that Puss in Boots gives in Shrek? It was cuter than that!)

He started crying and said he felt lonely. Lonely? It’s the middle of the night, my son is crying and he feels lonely. I gave him one of his favourite teddies to cuddle and settled him back down. I stroked the bridge of his nose and gently whispered to him that he is never alone. Why? Because God is ALWAYS with him. With this in his mind he smiled, hugged his teddy tightly and gently went back to sleep. My son was at peace again.

Getting back into bed I carried this same thought with me. Me reminding my son that God is with him is just as relevant for me as it is for him. It’s the same for you too! God is with us people. Sometimes we may not feel it, but He is. Just like a favourite teddy bear and a gentle whisper will comfort my son, God is there with us in our midst gently whispering to us…I love you.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:3-4

Whether you are going back to work after a holiday, starting a new job, have a new venture, starting back to school again, or even starting a new school…you are not alone.

~~~oO0Oo~~~

Something to think about…

Are you facing a new season right now? Are you feeling scared? Hand it over to God and leave it in His hands. He has this…and He has you! You are not alone in what you are going through.

Hand it over to God and leave it in His hands. He has this...and He has you! You are not alone Share on X

Prayer

Lord, I am scared for what I am about to face today. You know what my situation is God and I am leaving it in your hands. Take away any feelings of insecurity that I have and help me to deal with whatever comes in my path. Thank you for the promise that you have given to me that you will always be by my side. I know that I am never alone. Amen.

Faith, Trust

God Guides Us Through Troubled Waters

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Rocks by the sea

I am currently on holiday with my family on a cruise around the Greek Islands. It’s been a beautiful time away with my family resting and relaxing with no worries. I have left everything behind – the stacks of dishes to wash, the piles of laundry, the endless amount of cooking, and the neverending to do list. This has been the one thing I have been looking forward to, as well as spending time with my family of course (and maybe soaking up a bit of sun!)

I don’t even have to plan how we are going to get from one place to another. This is all done for me. All I need to worry about is what time to get up in the morning and what will I wear!

One day, as we were traveling to our next port on the final leg of our journey home, I was sitting on the open decks reading a book (It was Love Idol by Jennifer Dukes Lee if you want to know). Suddenly, a cloud of thick mist fell around us. It was literally like sailing through thick pea soup (although it wasn’t green mist!) We could no longer see the sea around us.

I then started to wonder if we were going to be alright out at sea as we couldn’t see the path clearly ahead of us. I don’t like it when I am not able to see what is in front of me as it brings about uncertainty. All the “what ifs” start running through my mind and I plan for the worst to happen.

Misty waters

I forgot momentarily that I am actually safe. There are people on the bridge of this ship that are trained for every eventuality. The ship slowed down so that we would navigate the seas more safely. It then started to sound its horn to warn other ships that we were here. The Captain of the ship will do everything in his power to make sure that we are safe, despite what troubled waters we may sail into. We just need to trust in his guidance.

Ship in cloudy seas
Ship in cloudy seas

This got me thinking about my own life. How often do I travel along in misty waters not knowing where I am going or what will happen next? I often try to see if I can navigate the waters myself, but more often than not I struggle to stay afloat, the waters get rough and I start to drown.

Momentarily, I forget Who I need as my lifeguard and Who is The Captain of my ship. He will not let me drown in these deep waters I sail in. He will always navigate a clear path for me so that I am safe. This got me thinking to that amazing miracle when Jesus calmed the stormy seas in Luke 8: 22-25.

And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.

This is what we need to remember when we are in times of troubled waters. We just need to call on Jesus to save us and He will calm the waters still.

Thought to think about…

Are you going through a time in your life where you are struggling to get your head above the waters and see clearly where you are going? God knows everything we are going to go through, just like Jesus knew the disciples were going to go into a storm. He wants us to have faith though. He will always be there with us through the thick of it and He is there even before we realise it.

Prayer

Lord, help me to remember when I am going through stormy seas that you are there with me. Help me to rely on you as my Captain to navigate me through the rough waters. Thank you for being my constant guide, even when I don’t realise that you are there. Amen.

Faith, Five Minute Friday

Collect your apples and use them

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I have 4 apple trees in my back garden. Each year they produce an amazing amount of apples. You would think now that I would tell you about the amazing amount of food that I am able to bake from all those apples.

Well, for those of you that know me, I’m not really much of a baker. It takes time and energy, both of which I have little of. I have grand thoughts of what I would like to bake though, and they look stunning in my mind – it just never reaches the plate!

What happens to the apples then? Well, I never collect them. I leave them to rot or to be eaten by the birds. Not intentionally though. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve already cooked all these apples in my mind! I just never get around to collecting them though.

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I went out into the garden yesterday and saw how delicious the apples looked, and again thought to myself that this year I must not waste them. Even if I don’t collect them for myself, I’m sure that I have a friend or two that would make use of them.

Daniel 4:12
Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, And the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, and all living creatures fed themselves from it.

An apple tree was designed to bear fruit. Why then waste what is provided from it if it can bring about further good things. If you have a fruit tree in your garden, why not collect the fruit from the tree so that you can multiply it and give good things to others. Or, give the fruit to other people so that they can multiply it and give good things to others too.

This is the same with our own lives. Each of us has unique qualities and gifts that we can bring to the world. It’s how we use them that makes a difference to people’s lives.

Something to think about…

Do you bear fruit that can bring about good to others? Think about the gifts and qualities that you have and see how you can implement them to help others.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you that you have created each of us for a specific purpose. Help us to realise what gifts we have so that we can bring about a difference into other people’s lives. 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. The word prompt write is “collect”. (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

Stepping Out Of Our Comfort Zone

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We all have something in our lives that has broken us in one way or another.  Something that is hidden deep in our closet that we don’t like to talk about or share openly.

It may be that you lost someone really close to you…

…Or your parents separated when you were younger…

…Or you had someone you looked up to and they made a comment towards you which hurt you really deeply…

…Or you didn’t have a great time growing up in school…

Whatever has happened to you, it has probably affected you in one way or another.  You may not notice it straight away, but what happened to you in your past affects how you are today and how you perceive situations you are in.

Let’s just say that you are someone who experienced your parents splitting up when you were younger, and you never saw one of your parents again.  This may then affect you in your own relationships with other people. You may not receive love very well from those that are showing it to you.  This then in turn could bring about feelings of rejection.

Or, you maybe someone that was bullied in school.  It may not have been physical bullying, but the constant name calling of how ugly you were…or that you would never amount to anything…the little comments behind your back in classroom of people threatening to “get” you after school.  This may then affect you on how you perceive yourself.  You hate to look at yourself in the mirror because you detest what you see. You are constantly trying to seek people’s approval.

You see how what happens in your past, which broke something inside you, affects how you react towards situations today?

If you are still reading this, then maybe I am resonating with you in what I am writing about.  If so, I want you to listen closely to me as I share with you a truth that you need to hear.  What happens in our past doesn’t have to define ourselves, or our future.

What happens in our past doesn't have to define ourselves, or our future. Share on X

I believe, with a passion, that it doesn’t matter how broken we are inside with what has happened in our lives, we can still turn out to be beautiful people.  For me to believe this though, and for me to get you to believe this too, I need to be able to step outside of my comfort zone.

Do you know what this might mean though?  It means me sharing my deepest stories with you.  Stories that may open up my wounds and seep a little (and it may sting a little in the process too), but I hope that it may help someone to realise that they too can heal from their broken past and become beautiful.

Some of you may be thinking that sharing openly about something that is so personal is a little daunting and that you are not brave enough. I don’t think it’s about being brave enough to do it, and actually, I will admit this…it is down right scary for me to do this.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

One thing I am sure of is this…I have God by my side through every step of my journey. He will send me His Holy Spirit, not to make me afraid of what is going to happen, but to give me the strength that I need so I can step out of my comfort zone. In doing so, I hope the messes that I have been through in my life, become a message for you to give you a glimmer of hope.

Something to think about…

Can you identify an area in your life where you feel you have been broken? Consider asking God to show you how to use that brokenness to step out of our comfort zone to help others.

Prayer

Lord, there is an area in my life where I have been broken. Send your Holy Spirit upon me and give me the strength and courage that I need to step out of my comfort zone and to use those fragments of life to show others that you can piece together a beautiful picture.  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. The word prompt write is “comfort”. (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.

Book Review, Faith, Uncommon

Uncommon by Carey Scott – How this book is perfect for you in fueling your passion

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When it comes to spreading The Word, I am so pleased that we don’t have to do it perfectly, coz guess what? I’m not! I am so far from perfect, but then you probably already knew this.  My life is full of so many messes and I want to share with you how God has helped me to get through it all.

I have been comparing myself to other people around me though…I wanted to try and be perfect in the way that I can share how God has helped me in my life, but every time I looked at someone else and how they delivered their message, I always wondered why I couldn’t get it so perfect.

Why was I not good enough to do what they do?

“You were born to be different—to stand out. We all were, but we all won’t. You have to make the choice to live that way, not perfectly but purposefully.” Uncommon: Pursuing a Life of Passion and Purpose

Guess what though? God will use my messes whatever and turn them into messages the way that He wants them to be. Not the way I want them, or how anybody else wants them. My messy messages will still come out torn and tattered at the edges when I share them, but that is who I am.

I am not perfect.

I am an uncommon mess with an uncommon message!

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I’ve come to this knowledge with the help of one woman with a courageous heart. Carey Scott has penned her heart so well in her book Uncommon and it is launched today (Saturday 1st July 2017)! If you are one of these people that needs a little encouragement to be brave and to step out into the unknown then this book is for you.

“Uncommon: Pursuing a Life of Passion and Purpose is a battle cry for women to step out of the ordinary and live differently. It’s a blueprint for a life full of passion and purpose. And it has the power to change everything.”

Taken from Carey’s website, which you can visit for more information on her book.

Carey is so down to earth in person, and she is no different in her book. She shares with such honest vulnerability and still keeps it real. Through her book she will help to give you the power you will need to stand up and take hold of who you are in Christ, despite what hold your past has on you.

If you like what I have written here and you want to be encouraged to step out in your faith, then Uncommon is available to buy on Amazon now. You can also download one of the chapters on her website to see how great her book really is – don’t just take my word for it – have a look for yourself.

This post was inspired by the book Uncommon: Pursuing a Life of Passion and Purpose by Carey Scott. You can learn more about the book and order at http://careyscott.org/uncommon/

Encouraging hope in a broken world

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