Annoying little hoppers

Last week I decided I needed to get into the garden.  I had slept in the afternoon so it was rather late when I got started.  That didn't bother me too much as I'm not afraid of the dark..... However!!!  All it took was on hop from a frog to send me screaming like a girl back inside the house. 

What is it that sends you screaming like a girl when it comes to the devil?  For some of us a nasty cough will have us crying that we are getting the flu.  For others its an expense that came out higher than expected.  For all of us there is that one thing that gets us hunting under every stone to see where a demon may be lying.  

Well, I laugh, because I have probably done all of the above.  I'm not immune to the devil's antics, nobody is, but learning to stand strong and not allow those things to take hold of your thought life and dominate them is the key to overcoming the work of the devil. 

In Christ we live and move and have our being and knowing that we can stand strong in the smaller trails of life will give us the strength we need to stand strong when that tsunami hits.  It is time we learn to turn a bind eye to those annoying little hoppers. 

A scar or a nuisance

Just over a week ago I went to the doctors office for my annual check up and while I was there I booked to have a mole removed that was interfering with my clothing. While we had the needles, anaesthetic and stitches out, I asked my Doc if she would remove another mole for me.

This mole was not getting the knife for interfering with anything other than my patience. Two little hairs would always grow out the middle, annoying me no end. My Doc obliged and it is now busy healing. I had decided that I would rather deal with the scar than the nuisance.

Now my immediate thoughts would be that this would remind me about the story Paul told about the fact that if our hand is causing us to sin, we should cut it off, but there is another side to this as well. Have you not perhaps considered that maybe there are things in our lives, spiritual or natural, that we should just cut out because they draw our focus away from God and onto the annoying problem?

I decided to stop watching the News a while ago. I was getting so agitated and negative and it just simply stirred all the wrong emotions. It made me focus more on how horrible human beings are instead of the Grace and Mercy of Christ, which was given for all of us.

So what annoying moles do you need to cut out of your life?

Simpler, better, but not faster

No, in fact I want to find a way to slow things down as they were.....or at least make it seem that way. We are all on a journey in life and that journey takes us on different paths and I believe each path has a purpose. One path that we can all measure is a calendar year. My journey this year is to find ways to simplify my life so that I can do more of the things I love to do, which generally means something creative.

Why is it important for me to have more time for creativity in my life? Well because stimulating creativity is one of the key drivers to helping me do problem solving in all other areas of life, especially in my career. Accounting requires the ability to solve financial problems that arise on a daily basis. If my brain has been stimulated by creativity I find it so much easier to reach a sound conclusion.

Isn't that what we all need though, an ability to solve problems better? Well that is precisely why God gave us our talents. These are areas in our lives where we can live outside the box, find pleasure and hopefully through those talents be stimulated.

Will you ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to use your talents so that you too can achieve greater things for God this year?

2018 The year of the Dolphin

It was with thanks that I said goodbye to 2017. Last year saw one of my biggest life dreams fulfilled in being able to find a job closer to home. This challenge took up more of my energy than I had anticipated it would but it all finally came together and I was able to close out the year having finished my probation period in the new position. Many challenges still lie before me but I am confident that I will overcome them.

I am declaring 2018 to be the year of the Dolphin in my life and I am hoping you will join me in that. One of the things we love most about Dolphin's is that they can be trained to do all sorts of wonderful things. I wish that we could witness the dolphin training process. I am sure they don't get it right first time every time and that is what our lives are, a continuous training camp for the qualities that God is wanting to instill in us. I know my weaknesses are great and I am praying that this year, where I have failed over and over again, I am praying that God will bring the right mentors across my path to guide me to victory.

Dolphins are playful and I am praying that in the year ahead I will be able to bring more balance back into my life with opportunities to experience the joys of life once again. Dolphins love to perform and they are accurate in their execution and I am praying that this year will allow me the opportunity to put my best foot forward in everything I do.

Dolphins have strength that enables them to surge out of the water and rise to great heights. I am praying that this year will give me the strength to reach for goals that are far greater than I have reached before.

Yes, I am believing for great things from the year ahead and believe that with God's help I will achieve all that I set my mind too. I hope that this rings true for you too and that you will join me in declaring this year, the year of the Dolphin.