No more excuses

There's a programme on Radio 1 I love to listen to called 'Rage against the answer machine'. People phone in and get different things off their chest. Here is my platform...here is my time to release my rage...I'm always late!! I hate it! Set a time for 7:30, I'll get there 7:31, 7:35, 7:40 maybe even 8!! Regardless, it has become so bad that I'm known for being late.

I remember at sixth form and living 9 miles away, 2 buses away, an hour and a half bus journey away! Please note the bus I would catch from my house would only come every half hour. So guess what? I would be late!

Then one day, a friend questioned my lateness. How dare she?! I thought. 'I live 2 buses away...an hour and a half bus journey away...9 miles away...my first bus comes every half hour,' were my responses. 'So just leave earlier,' she said. End of conversation. I realised every reason I had given was actually an excuse. Living however many miles away did not explain why I was late. Like my friend said, I could just leave earlier.

My excuses caused me to NOT take responsibility for where I was - the situation I was in. I had to and still have to challenge myself not to make excuses, but to do something about where I am. In new situations, I can be very reserved and not talk openly to people. I 'excuse' myself - telling myself 'it's okay, I'm shy.' We sometimes have crutches in life we use as excuses to stay where we are.

In the Bible, we read the very first excuse found in Genesis 3. The serpent deceives Eve, persuading her to eat of the Tree of Good and Evil after she was told not to. Eve then gave the fruit to Adam and after Adam ate the fruit their nakedness was known. When God spoke with Adam and asked him why he had eaten of the tree, knowing he should not have, he responded, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.' Adam's excuse? Eve gave him the fruit. So where did the fault lie? Adam didn't accept responsibility for a decision that he made. If you look at Adam's words, he said, 'the woman whom YOU gave me'. Adam has not only blamed Eve, but God for giving Eve to him.

Sadly, we can end up in this rut - not taking responsibility for our choices or actions mean we don't move forward. I will never arrive somewhere on time if I don't take responsibility. :P

How much will we grow when we stop making excuses?

Chains

"I know you feel hurt, but you should give them another chance," he said to me.

After hearing those words, I realised that my Christianity was not just a label. Living out this faith, involves growing. Growth involves challenges. Challenges mean I may have to do things that make me feel uncomfortable.

I have been hearing and studying a lot on forgiveness recently and then I came across the name of a young man in the book of Philemon called Onesimus.

Paul writes a letter to Philemon asking him to welcome Onesimus. What's so special about Onesimus?!

Well, scholars believe that Onesimus was once a slave to Philemon. It is believed that he either stole from Philemon or wronged him another way. Whatever he did caused him to run away from Philemon and somehow ended up in Rome finding Paul. Upon finding Paul, he finds faith in Christ as Paul calls Onesimus his spiritual child. Paul is now asking for Philemon to welcome Onesimus as a brother.

A letter that portays forgiveness and restoration of relationship stood out to me as I read these words: 

This is the header that precedes the verses in the Amplified version. It just made me think, 'Who do I have in chains?'

When we choose not to forgive someone it's like we're holding them hostage to whatever they have done. I know how I approach situations where I feel someone has wronged me. I offer them no freedom and in return keep myself in chains. When we keep people imprisoned we limit relationship.

It's interesting that Paul says that there was a time when he was useless to you (sidenote - Onesimus means useful) but now he is useful to you. There are times when forgive and move on but there are also times where there is forgiveness and relationships must be restored. Like I said, the more hurt I experience, the more guarded I want to become. In my mind I've imprisoned a person, but I'm the one behind the prison bars, and this cuts me off from relationships. Friendships, relationships have the power to encourage us and build up. You've heard we're not supposed to live our lives in isolation-when we cut ourselves off from people, we potentially lose a source of encouragement and support. 

Scholars believe that Onesimus went onto be the Bishop of Ephesus. Imagine what would have happened if Philemon kept him in chains.

Who do you have in chains?

Meaningless!

I woke up thinking, 'What's it all for?' It could easily may be as some would say, "my free paper bun". Meaning my 2 week holiday is over and it's back to work Monday!
It could be be because I spent the two weeks in "sunny" England when I would have loved to have been on a beach soaking up the sun!
Whatever it was, the words 'What's it all for?' echoed around my mind. Those four words started to drown my heart and make me feel as though I'm a hypocrite. Living this Christian life and thinking a lot of things I do are in vain is an oxymoron! Then I remembered somebody else had the same thought.

King Solomon in Ecclersiastes 1:2 writes these words. The New International Version says "Meaningless!" He goes on to say we work, the sun goes up, the sun goes down - everyday consists of some mundane routine. Upon reflecting on the whole of Ecclesiastes, it's like King Solomon is saying all these things without God is meaningless. With a certain perspective theres no meaning. However if we take on another perspective, what is meaningless and mundane has a purpose. It made me think of another scripture I had read in the week. 

Titus 3:14 talks about devoting ourselves to good works, meeting the needs of others and in that our lives will not be unproductive and unfruitful. I find more meaning when I'm living outside of myself meeting the needs of others. The happiest people I have met are not those who have attained the most riches or who are striving to, but those who love God and love people. In the book of John, Jesus is asked what the two greatest commandments are. His response? Love God, love people. King Solomon's concludes in Ecclesiastes 12 that we are to honour and remember the God of our youth. In doing so we will love God and love people. When we do that we will find that there is meaning to life...there's purpose to our lives.

All the Good Things

Philemon 1:6 reads,  "I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ."

This verse emphasised to me that there are good things to be experienced in Christ and I know that I have already, but there must be more! Paul in Corinthians says that we only know in part, so as we travel this journey we understand more and more what these good things are.

Another thing this scripture points out is that these things are OURS. These good things in Christ belong to us also! 

There's a difference between borrowing something and owning something. There are good things in Christ that we don't see as ours also - we only see them 'in Christ'. Whilst I was studying a few years ago I rented a house with a few friends. Although we lived in the house, the house wasn't ours. If I wanted to make certain changes, put things up or move things around, who I would I have ask? The owner. Now (many years later) me and my husband now thankfully own our own house. We have the freedom to do to our house what we please. It is not borrowed, it's owned! 

It's the same with the things in Christ. They are not borrowed, they are owned! They are ours. So we are free to use them as we please. It's not for us to gain the good things that are in Christ, but it is for understand that they are already ours!

The Living Dead

The celebrations of Easter have come, with its bank holiday rain and masses of chocolate! The bellies are satisfied and the hearts are content! And 2000 years ago scattered celebrations occurred when the disciples found out that Jesus was alive!

As we have celebrated over the weekend the death and life of Christ ( I love the order this goes in) something stuck out to me. Jesus is alive!!

Ermm duhh! You say! But for some reason, something clicked and struck me this weekend that I hadn't realised! Jesus is alive.... IN ME! Colossians 1:27 says that 'Christ in us, the hope of glory'. If Christ is in me, everything that He stands for is in and ALIVE in me! 

Love, hope, peace, joy.....we search for these things, fight for these things, crave these things and sometimes the search consumes and destroys us. Like zombies, we can be moving corpses, consuming all we can to satisfy the death that has taken a hold of our bodies. Was that not out lives before Christ? But sometimes we still find ourselves searching for these things. Our Pastor read a scripture yesterday that again struck me....As the women approached the empty tomb to anoint Jesus' body, they say instead a man who asked them 'Why do you look for the living among the dead?' We look for love, hope, peace and joy (things that represent life) amongst dead things! 

We search for what Christ has already made alive IN US! So now I see the blood of Christ. It didn't just purchase eternal life for me but abundant life here on earth. And that abundant life entails love, hope, peace and joy, which call be found ALIVE IN ME because Christ is alive in me! We are no longer the living dead but now alive in Christ. And He is alive in us!

There's Something About Mary

I haven't blogged in a while! And this seems to be becoming a tradition, so maybe I shouldn't even explain myself! But in truth, I feel that the words I read in scripture are so far from who I am- I don't match up to what I read. So reflecting on this and this Christmas season (It's Christmas - WOOOO!) it makes me think about the life of Mary-there must have been something about Mary!

Mary, a young virgin girl, is told that she is going to be birth to a son and He is to be called Jesus! The angel Gabriel tells her she has found favour with God. Favour! I want some of this favour- not so I can be part of an immaculate conception! But because it seems that this is what brought Mary into God's great plan! Favour = approval/an act of kindness beyond what is due.

What caused Mary to receive such approval?! To me, her response to the angel gives a huge clue. "May your word to me, be fulfilled". Now listen...if I'm enjoying my youthful life and everyone knows me to be a virgin and then I am told I am going to give birth....I'm not sure I'm going to agree so quickly. 1) I'm a virgin so society will have me killed when they find out I'm pregnant 2) If I survive death threats and stoning my fiance will not marry me thinking that I've been with another man 3) How will I raise this baby on my own? These are few of many questions! But Mary says let it be so! 

This is so telling of Mary's heart, her character. I don't think Mary necessarily did anything to find favour with God, but the position of her heart allowed God's favour to be with her. She was willing to walk on whichever path He set for her. There was definitely something about Mary and honestly I want there to be something about me. I learn so much from this. 

Months later, Mary would give birth to Jesus, the One who would bring truth and grace. If Christ is in us the hope of glory, we possess that truth and grace-the Word. But will we allow God to work through us to give birth to Christ in our lives? We can get so caught up with what is happening around us, not giving chance to be part of the great things God's wants to do in us.

The truth is, there is something about all of us! Are we willing to position ourselves to see it?

Still my heart...

'He had lost all of his children and everything he owned. Once a wealthy man, now poor in health. Where was God in the midst of all of this?'

Last Sunday at church, we were singing a song....Hillsong 'Here Now'. As I took time to focus on the lyrics certain words stood out to me:

                                                                                         Here now

All I know is I know that You are

Here now

Still my heart

Let Your voice be all I hear now

Spirit breathe

Like the wind come have Your way

Cause I know You're in this place

Still my heart... I think those words resonated within me, because as I shared a few weeks ago, I tend to worry a lot. My heart is constantly beating the world record (sorry Bolt) trying to catch up with my anxieties. But meditating on those words I started to understand the importance of a still heart.

Many things in life can try and grab our attention and try to win the affection of our hearts. When our hearts are still, we can focus on His voice. And sometimes our hearts are running so fast, trying to catch up with the rhythm of the lives we have created, we lose sense of God's voice and wander where He is.

The sentence at the beginning is a summary of a segment of Job's life. A man who had it all, was now a man who only owned suffering. During this time, his friends tried to encourage him, but many of their words of wisdom just left Job in the midst of his pit. Until we meet his friend Elihu. In Job 37:14 Elihu says, 'Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God'.

In the midst of our fears, frustrations and despair, sometimes all we can do is stand still. But in the stillness we need to focus on the One who created us...the One who loves us...the One who calls us. Our focus needs to be on the One who calms the storm.

When we focus on the greatness of our God, it will change how we perceive everything else. For me, reading the chapters where Job is describing the wondrous works of God, it makes everything else seem small in comparison. It reminds me that He is still amongst us. Then a new excitement for life comes knowing that the God who performed all of these wondrous works can also do the same in my life and in the lives of those around me!