Don't worry - pray!

^6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

"Don't worry be happy" is a song most of us knew well in the '80s - written by Bobby McFerrin - it's message spoke of a life free from worry...if you would just be happy :) Some of the lyrics you might have sung along to all those years ago were catchy & almost the perfect remedy for our worries;

"In every life we have some trouble

But when you worry you make it double

Don't worry, be happy"

The problem here is that it's easy to say 'don't worry', but we need something to replace the hole & the void that carried our concerns. Who do we give our anxieties to? Where does our faith in the future lie?

Through a series of circumstances, Bobby McFerrin ended up struggling with major anxieties after this song was released and found it hard not to worry when life became all consuming. It's true we shouldn't worry, but that's only half of the remedy for anxiety. The next (and more important part) is to pray.

"Don't worry, pray" isn't as catchy, but it certainly would have been more effective. Happiness is fleeting, but contentment despite our present situation is more than possible. Despite the storm & the possible negatives swirling around our world, when we are centered on the rock of Jesus we can have peace in the storm.

Storms, however frightening they are, are temporary. The sun is permanent & will outlast the storms. As long as you are focusing on what is right and true & permanent you will be victorious. You have no reason to fear no matter how dark the situation appears in front of you.

What we meditate and 'fix our mind' on is part of our positioning. It is natural to lean towards the fears, worries & cares of the world. They are constant and can sometimes be all consuming - despite how long we have been a Christian & know what is right to do. We all have dark, gloomy days that threaten to overcome us.

Positioning yourself in the right place is the answer.

Standing in the right place, and focusing on the right things, is the key to a life of peace despite the circumstances.

And where is the right place?

Close to the One who longs to be close to you. Leaning into Him.

Holding onto His word as a lifeline. Standing on the rock knowing you are in the right place, and soaking in the rays of the sun as they begin to displace the storm clouds (of fear, doubt & anxiety) and soaking in His love, peace & comfort knowing that tomorrow is a new day.

And He is at the Helm.

I love these verses. They speak of life, faith & promise. And although it seems to go against our natural bent to think of those things that are concerning us most, the answer lies in the super-natural.

Thinking on all the good, and all the beautiful you can.

Something we need to work on every day if we want to live a life free from worry & anxiety - despite the storms.

^8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

The Simple Life

"Keep it simple, stupid!"

That's a well known saying from somewhere that has stuck with me lately....maybe not as blunt as that, but I have definitely been feeling the compelling need to simplify.

My life has been so constant that the colour seems to have faded to a dull ... grey! There have been so many warning signs, and I have acknowledged them, only to put it down on my 'do to' list to reassess my life at a later date. However I have recently planted my foot on the brakes of life and had a good, healthy review.

The 'finds' have been interesting, sobering...and not surprising. This merry-go-round of busy, busy, busy has its negatives, and there comes a time when you realize it's not getting you from A to B that quickly. It's taking you back to where you started.

The scenery looks good, but it's always the same.

It's no-one else's fault but mine if I lack the power (guts) to say no. If I can't control my boundary lines than I can't blame it on my husband, kids, family, friends or colleagues. I am the one in charge of what I do and don't do, and need to regularly re-assess what is going on at the fence line.

People pleasing is not the most ideal trait if it becomes extreme. Its awesome to be kind and want to do the best for people, but not at the expense of your family and your loved ones...and your sanity.

If you have to maintain a relationship by pleasing a certain someone and saying and doing all the right things to keep it all under control - then its just not worth it. It's too exhausting, time consuming and insanely unhealthy.

Pleasing God is good. Doing what is right and noble is good, as long as it's with right motives and a pure heart... sounds simple enough. Often so hard to get the balance right though.

It happens so much - I say yes to a good idea before thinking it through - ignoring that flashing red light in my gut. Confrontation isn't fun, neither is disagreeing when it's going to make you look like the party pooper. But isn't that better than being fake, unauthentic and undisciplined?

In my contemplation of the simple (good) life....I am slowly learning that what counts is like a flashing green light right before you.

Who are the people who love you most? Who do you love the most?

Do you set time aside each day to spend some time in the Word?

What is your primary income source?

What was the last thing God told you to do?

What are your dreams & desires?

Are you feeling exhausted most days?

How often to you go for walks, take photos, laugh?

I used to run everywhere....literally. Everything seemed urgent. I ran late for appointments, regularly forgot where I put my 'to do' lists, keys, sunglasses.....brain....

And then I would crash and burn and wonder why...

In getting 'off the ride' and having a good shot at simplicity, I have been re-learning a few things about myself....

I have re-discovered that I love to sing, and I love watching sunsets.

I love white chocolate ice cream. :)

These days life is still full, but I am grabbing the moments a lot more, and no longer feel guilty spending quality time with someone special, or a complete stranger.

You just can't put a price tag on a conversation with someone.

I also have become a lot more organised. Considering my home is often filled with eight or more people I have no choice. It's either write extensive lists or be buried alive under mountains of laundry, post it notes and a billion toys (which I'm certain multiply by themselves!)

I have discovered many quite simple ways to keep on top of my life and it's 'to do' lists, and still feel like I have time to enjoy the day and it's treasures.

I update my diary, write a fortnightly meal plan, throw the junk mail in the bin before it gets past the front door, fold my washing before the end of each day, give myself a day off a week...

Order is good (ask my husband!) and even though it's difficult and doesn't come naturally, it is possible for anyone. Once the routines are established and I give myself some grace, there is a chance to breath.

Those dreams that disturb us at the wrong times when we allow ourselves to think back to those times when we were moved deeply, cried at the injustice of something, or were young and dreamed and planned our life ahead....they are worth reclaiming, re-assessing...

It's a tragedy when the simple life starts to fade as busyness takes the drivers seat, and you take off down the fast lane. Dreams hold on for life then become almost invisible as the years go on and we start to lose belief in ourselves and the path we had once seen clearly.

The simple life will give you room to move again. Time to reflect, pray, awaken what has lain dormant.

Dream.

The thing is, we all only get one life....

...so enjoy the journey each day brings (even if it's just one solitary moment of light when we're in the depths of the valley), and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.

So simple to write, not as simple to do. But I'm going to try.

The Secret Place

'When we spend time with the Lord in prayer and in His Word, we are in the secret place of God's presence'. Joyce Meyer

Years ago one of my favourite books was 'The Secret Garden' - a secret, safe place to retreat surrounded by the most beautiful trees, scents and colours. I longed to have my own 'secret garden' one day, where I could run away and hide in place that no one knew was there. A place filled with beauty, secrets & mystery...

Years later, I was in the midst of a fairly big storm in my life (more like a tornado) and was having a coffee with an amazing woman of God who spoke simple truths into my life.

"You have to find your secret place." she said with conviction. "Noone can take away what you find there. It's the place where you meet God."

That stuck with me. It was really between me and God and how important it was to me to set aside time to really connect with Him and hear from Him without the constant distractions. Life can sometimes feel like a rubbish pit especially through those dark seasons that don't make sense. In those times finding the secret place is paramount to our sanity.

"The secret place is a place of peace and security, a place where we can give Him our cares and trust Him to take care of us. When we spend time in God's presence, He becomes our protection, our stability, our place of refuge. He becomes the source of our help, not only when others want to hurt us and speak evil against us, but in every situation and circumstance."

How awesome to have a place we can call our own. That place that doesn't depend on situation or circumstance. We find it on our knees - in the words of His Word - and in the times we set aside to meet with our Maker, and hear Him.

We have eight people under our roof (and yes I watched nearly every episode of 'Eight is enough') so finding a place to think can be tricky, especially when our bedroom is often used as a hiding spot for the boys, an extra media room or meeting place for half our family (and pets), so I have to be creative.

We had an unused space next to our dining room that (with the help of some amazing friends) was transformed into a beautiful haven for the girls in the house (and boys as long as were silent!) I filled it with books and paintings, big sofas and throw rugs. Perfect for that quiet time.

I found a space outside and ripped out the weeds & rubbish and transplanted whatever plants I could find around the house, as well as some from the markets...A restored bench seat under the shade and I had my perfect little spot for a cup of tea and an outdoor retreat (along with the rainbow lorikeets who visit every second day..)

It doesn't really matter where you go, as long as you go. You can sit on a chair at the table with your bible open and your journal ready, turn off the mobile and set aside half and hour to just go to that place with God as you spend time with Him and meditate on what is good, true, right, lovely and noble. Fix your thoughts on the truth not on what the world is telling you.

A word from God is greater than a thousand from man. It will keep you on course.

It will keep you safe.

As long as you remember to go back to the Secret Place.

"In the secret place of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you keep them secretly in your pavilion from the strife of tongues." Ps 31:20

Love like that...

"His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that." Eph 5:2 TMB

What an extravagant verse!! Another translation says to 'walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.'

Isn't that the salvation message in a nutshell? Isn't the definition of pure love what Christ did for us on the cross? He gave everything to us, for us. His grace poured from heaven so that we could receive what we didn't deserve just because He loves us.

And, by the way, we need to love like that...

Sometimes the simplest words are the hardest to grasp.

Love is one of them. I mean... God is love. It's a big word. It's what makes the world go round, and it affects every person on earth.

Love also hurts.

The less you give into a relationship, or into life, then the less opportunities & chances there will be for any type of conflict, unkind words, disruption and pain. However the irony is that if you play it that safe you are most probably lacking in love & close relationship - which means that deep down you are hurting anyway.

The walls that were meant to protect us end up preventing the love from reaching us.

The hurt is worth it. The risks associated with real agape love are worth it. (it's the only way through to the other side)

Jesus most probably would have loved to opt out of dying the worst ever death on the cross. But it was the way through to the other side. It was pure, amazing love.

Another word I find hard to grasp is grace.

I'm only just starting to get my head around this illusive word that just seems to mess with my head.

Why can't I just accept that God just wants to love me without all the conditions?

Am I still acceptable? What if I do something wrong & the goal posts change?

Accepting Gods grace means accepting that you don't have to keep trying to be acceptable.

You can breath and enjoy the journey without having to people please and God please.

"But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more"

Good overcomes evil. Light overcomes darkness.... and grace overcomes sin.

It all ties in together really. The gift of God's grace is love.

When I am in a situation where I could show love, I should show it extravagantly. Who cares if they deserve less, give them more! Love to give, not to get. Easier to say than do, but it's definitely an exercise I want to see happen more and more in my life.

What a life it would be if we all lived like that. Outgiving eachother. Shining God's love and overcoming the darkness of this world.

Let's love like that.

The Gift Giver

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above & comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:1

This has always been a favourite of mine, this verse tucked away in the book of 'tell it how it is'...I love the directness of James & the common sense so unashamedly daring us to take Him at His Word. It is what it is.

'Every' is derived from everything. It means all, inclusive, without exception. So when we read 'every good & perfect gift' I suppose thats exactly what it means.

We are created in His image, which probably explains why we love to give gifts. We give them to our children, our loved ones, our family & friends, our colleagues...whenever there is an opportunity to outstretch our hand with a gift - tangible or not - we give with a heart that wants to bless. We give to show our love.

I remember so many times the anticipation of seeing my childrens faces light up when they open up a long awaited gift....the reward is seeing their joy & their delight. They don't have to do more than receive & enjoy what was handpicked just for them. Photos are taken & memories made. Everyone is blessed.

God is the ultimate Gift Giver. He is the Father of light. He is the One who delights in seeing us open His hand picked gifts for us. Those moments in life that you just can't orchestrate on your own - the ones that take your breath away....I believe He shares them with us & delights in those moments. He cheers when we achieve that dream & stand on our high hills. When that bridge is finally crossed & peace becomes a reality. When those situations are addressed & relationships restored. When breakthrough comes in our finances....He is there...cheering us on... smiling. :)

Our children are our gifts. Mine all know they are our 'presents from God'....our greatest gifts from heaven. It makes them feel valuable knowing they have been handpicked & 'chosen' for us. Our family unit was framed & planned in God's heart. It makes the value of family even more priceless....

'no variation or shadow of turning...'

I love the stability & consistency of our Father of lights. What a beautiful description - our path should be in line with His - consistent; straight; dependable; a destination.... There is not even a shadow of His turning away from the spoken word and promises that were given as gifts to us all those centuries ago.

I love that my moral code is set in stone..on the parchments of old. That I can say without doubt that my God has my best interests at heart; my childrens; and my children's children...

His gifts are greater than any other. Each one personalized in line with the deepest desires of our hearts and the plans laid out for us.

What was one of your gifts today? For me it was the joy (for many this wouldn't be a joy..) of digging in the earth - transplanting heaps of ferns & plants from around the yard into my 'secret garden' that used to be a weed pit. It's not finished - but I loved seeing new life & beauty in my part of the world. Very satisfying. :)

I wonder what our Father's gifts were today? Most likely seeing us delight in our gifts - knowing we are thankful & aware of where they came from...

The gift giver.

"Every desirable & beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light.....He bought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures."

TMB

The stray that couldn't stay....

Last week I visited a lady I met just over a year ago when she bought a bed from me. We swapped phone numbers and have been in contact ever since.

She has six children and lives a life that seems shadowed by the past. Day to day existence, and chaos within her walls.

She is fighting for sanity. Some days, she is fighting to survive....

Often I find her in the same spot, just standing there. She stands on her verandah, rolled cigarette in one hand, steaming coffee in the other, and stares out past her prized cactus patch as if looking for someone familiar.

I have dropped by for many reasons.

Once I dropped around two coffee mugs. One with the word LOVE & the other with the word HOPE in bold, bright letters....a small gift in comparison to the great need of this single mum, but when I dropped them around it meant the world to her that day.

On my last visit, a little kitten brushed past my leg as I was absentmindedly chatting to her and the kids. It looked like a little tiger, so small and defenseless...and its cuteness must have messed with my reasoning skills, as I really didn't think very rationally from that moment on. She had put an ad in the paper for the litter of unwanted kittens, but I felt it was almost impossible to put the kitten back on the lounge chair with her brood of brothers & sisters...so I didn't.

I took it home, and just assumed the rest of the family would be equally besotted at the cute little tiger kitten.

We (my daughter, son and I) named her Esther on the way home.

When you name something, it becomes personal. I should have realised this at some point on my drive home. However, reasoning still had not returned so I wrongly still believed we were taking her home to live with us forever!

As we walked through the doorway, it then dawned on me that our other cat may not appreciate the newest visitor as much as I did. He was used to the primary attention of our five children, who, for the last fourteen years have given their love, attention and laps to our much adored family pet.

I should add at this point that we also have two dogs, two chickens, a budgie and a dozen fish...not to mention the rodents that didn't survive over the years...guinea pigs, mice, another chicken (murdered by our dog) and a few other birds..

Needless to say, my husband was not impressed.
"You can't bring every stray home that you find!" he reprimanded.
"I don't!" If only he knew how many creatures I am tempted to bring home...

We tried everything, but after two days, the deadline was up, and Esther had to go. Dad had spoken, and after pleading, silence, begging and finally...tears!!... I realised he was right. And so did the kids.

It seemed our cat had sunk into a cat 'depression'. If we went near him, he hissed. He curled up on the dining room chair & stayed there most of the day!. He wouldn't let any of us pick him up. He truly had his feline nose out of joint.

The family dynamics had changed with the unannounced arrival of Esther. I thought it would work, but even the kids were ready for her to leave. They wanted our cat to love them again.

Taking Esther back to her 'family' was very difficult for me. They were a family of stray cats really. They existed on the premises, but they often weren't fed, and they weren't staying there. They were destined to fight for survival themselves...

I dropped off Esther and a stack of kitten food, and after checking numerous times that she would be cuddled and they would keep her name, I drove away.

I started thinking then. I thought about how many 'strays' there are in the world that I can't bring home. Forget about unwanted pets, I was thinking about the orphans...the faceless unwanted children that we can't bring home because our family dynamics would be so greatly affected that it would mess with our family lives - our routines - our systems....our hearts.

It gets messy, taking in strays. It hurts. Just like our cat felt rejected and unwanted, replaced...the dynamics change.

I thought about what we can do even if we can't bring them home. And most of the time we can't. Not our home anyway.

But there is always something - big or small - that I can do.

I can sponsor a child. I can send money. I can love someone.

I can be a voice for those who have no voice.

It seems almost overwhelming when you think of the great need of the third world. But when you make a difference in one little life, whether it is a child or a kitten, you are changing the world.

I often think of Leo, the boy I met on the streets of Cambodia on the last day of my visit. He slept all night in the gutter. Through a translator I found out he had no home. I gave him food, water, toothpaste and a toothbrush. And I held his hand.

He was the same age as my son.

I wanted to take him home off the streets. If I could have I would have. That would have disrupted the family dynamics!

But all I can do is pray. And keep doing something - even if it's small.

Because to Esther... and Leo....small is big.

The Last Note

My daughter turned 16 last week. It was an eventful week with preparations for her party underway, and on her birthday she was singing & playing piano in front of the entire high school. It was very exciting to be performing on her special day. I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

The day of her birthday arrived, and after a morning of presents & celebrations she was off to school.

It was then that my day began to unravel.

We had borrowed a set of disco lights from a friend for her party. We discovered that morning that the fuse (or something more sinister) had broken & my job was to find a replacement. Easier said then done. 'Needle in a haystack' is the phrase that comes to mind. When the vital fuse was finally discovered after trips to Dick Smiths, Tandy's & every inch of the yellow pages, it still didn't work.

So we hired another set of disco lights. Problem solved.

I had been writing her a poem over the last week...my attempt to sum up the last 16 years of her life, which then morphed into a 24 verse epic. This became unprintable as my computer was obviously illiterate!! Her birthday would be over that night & it was so important to me that she got her poem - on her birthday!

After many more attempts to print the poem, I then sent my husband the unsaved original copy by mistake, so the wrong version arrived on my doorstep later that morning. You'd think getting a poem printed would be easy! Long story short the final (correct) copy arrived in my hands at 10.30pm that night, and then into hers.

Could have been worse. Another potential disaster averted!

After cleaning the house that same morning, I had intended to do a 'party food, decorations, prizes & games' shop, order the birthday cake & arrive with time to spare at her school assembly. Fuse & poem problems aside, I still had time!

Then the phone rang.

My youngest son had a medical ailment that needed immediate attention (the sick bay nurse informed). I realised then that I had given myself no room to move, as now I needed to drop everything & find a doctor. We had a long weekend coming up, and my son needed antibiotics & fungal cream ASAP.

Obviously the rest of Brisbane needed fungal cream, as no doctors in Brisbane were free, except one that I avoided calling (until the last minute) for reasons I remembered a few hours later.

I arrived with my son to a full waiting room, an hour & ten minutes before my daughters performance. I had just enough time.

We waited, and waited and waited. I then realised that there was one doctor to see everyone in the waiting room, and there were more sick cases arriving by the minute!! My frustration was shared by another woman who had enough when the doctor bypassed her for the second time. She was next in line, but he popped his head out & randomly chose a lady sitting closest to his door. As I watched the confrontation between her & the receptionist, who confirmed she had been the next patient, I realised that my chances of getting there were going to be very slim.

After an hour, we were the next in line! I still had 10 minutes before the assembly. It was then that the doctor took a toilet break. This lasted another 5 minutes. I wanted to run out but there was no room for the rest of the day, and my son's health had to come first.

When he finally came back, we were called in & I experienced the fastest doctor's visit of my 17 years of mothering. One minute & we were out the door, prescriptions in hand.

There are no words that describe the frustration of really bad timing on the roads. I didn't speed, but I did get every red light back to the school.

We finally got there, and I bolted through the doors, son in hand. My daughter was on stage playing the piano, and I arrived just in time.... to hear her last note.

It was a beautiful long note, one that I will always treasure, as that will be my only memory of her performance.

I was in the auditorium for no more than two seconds, when her song ended & everyone clapped & cheered. My husband raced over & tried to make me feel better.

"It was amazing!" "You would have loved it!!" Yep that helped.

I fought back the tears & tried to find something positive. I could have missed the last note. That is true.

Rach found me & was lovely as ever. She saw me come in right at the end. And she understood I tried my best to make it.

The rest of the afternoon I thought about the emotions I felt missing most of her song. I took my son back to the surgery for further attention, & realised that I had to choose between two of my children - my son who was sick or my daughter on her special day. Obviously my son's health was a priority.

As stressed as I was, I still saw the God moment in the whole frustrating episode.

The last note - so beautiful & worth everything just to hear it.

But I would have much preferred to hear the whole song.

How much of our lives does God hear? Is He hearing our song or just a few notes.

I often wonder if I frustrate God. The many times I go around in circles, trying to live my life properly - but not including Him in my plans. How many times do my plans not turn out the way I expected.

Is my life the song that God was waiting for??

I can almost see Him leaning in - listening for the notes, the beats & the beauty of the song He created me to sing. If not for anybody else to hear - but for Him.

You see - I missed my daughters performance - but He heard every note.

Each of us have a symphony to play for the One who hears. I don't have to be everywhere. I shouldn't put that expectation on myself. The world will still keep turning even if I don't show up once in a while.

My daughter sung her heart out, and I know it pleased God, as well as everyone who were blessed enough to hear.

And that one lovely note was a gift that I am so thankful to have heard. A little treasure to hold on to - also a reminder that the song I am singing every day - my life song - is for Him.

And the song you are singing - every kind word, every act of obedience, the small things as well as the big that happen every day - it's all for Him.

He hears it all.