Caught in the thermals

When we are in the pressure zones of life we may often ask ourselves whether it is possible to find true joy in the midst of the mayhem.  I believe it is possible.  Think of an eagle that takes to the air from the ground.  He knows his destination is high in the air amongst the thermals, but in order to get there he has to first fly against the air pressure and any gusts of wind that he may encounter.  In order to get high up though he has to keep flying up, he cannot stop. 

Once our eagle has gained sufficient height the thermals will grab him and he’ll be able to glide round and round, up and up and ahhhh, the joy of care free flight kicks in.  Knowing the good that lies ahead in life can give us the strength to fight against life’s windy zones and give us the courage to keep going, because we’ll know our destination. 

The bible tells us that for the joy set before him Christ endured the cross.  He pushed on through the pain and agony until He finally declared “It is finished!”  Jesus knew that His death would pave the way for us to enjoy eternal salvation and life with God and that image in His mind kept Him going. 

Whatever you are dealing with right now know that there will be an easier time ahead when the thermals of life will lift you up and you will be able to soar!  So rejoice, smile in the tough times and know that you will arrive at your destination.

 

Pressure pressure

When the pressure is on it can feel like the walls are closing in on you.  You can feel pushed and shoved from every direction and it can be totally intimidating.  Maintaining focus, energy and strength and balance can be really difficult. 

Jesus knew all about this kind of pressure.  From the moment His ministry went public and people heard of the miracle worker, he was followed and crowded in on a regular basis.  We see it when He climbed into a boat at the Sea of Galilee, when he was rushing to reach Jairus’s daughter, when the lame man was lowered through the roof of a house and we could go on.  The point is Jesus knew what it was like to have people pulling and pushing Him and yet He was able to maintain His composure at all times. 

Well, you might say, He was Jesus after all.  Yes, but He was human too.  So how did Jesus strike the balance in order to maintain control?  He knew what is goal was and that was to touch as many people as possible with the power of God and to bring healing and restoration.  He also knew when to withdraw from ministry for times of personal refreshing. 

So what should we do in similar circumstances?  Be goal directed.  It doesn’t matter that our goals are less spiritual they are important nonetheless, so be focused and check your progress on a regular basis.  Also remember to make time for personal reflection and meditation and know where your source of strength lies. 

God is with you and you can do it! 

Oh the pain of honesty!

These past few days brought me face to face with a scary reality….I haven’t been truly honest with myself about my emotions.  Strangely…..or not so much, I realized that my dishonesty with my emotions has robbed me of the opportunity to see the truth for what it is.  The hardest thing for me was to accept that this meant that in a particular area I was not truly walking in faith. 

It was hard not to get critical of this lack of faith for after all, I profess to be a woman of faith believing God for His best in my life, but the reality of the matter was that I wasn’t practicing this at all.  But then I remembered Peter sinking in the water and I could also see Jesus holding out His hand and saying…..don’t be afraid, come to me!  God’s grace and mercy are strongest when we see ourselves sinking. 

Now a new opportunity arises, one to see the truth, to know my weaknesses and to look faith, rather than failure and see God’s strength and abundance just waiting to meet my need.  This abundance in faith is not only mine, but yours also, so I invite you today to join me. 

Have you been downcast over the loss of a dream?  If so, raise your head and look to Jesus, and join with me as we dare to walk on the water with Him!

Stealing time

I had planned to go to the office on Saturday. The kitties normally wake me up early to go outside but as it was raining they didn't want to go out.  To settle them down I had them climb into the bed with me and we all went back to sleep.....into a very deep sleep!  So much so that I completely overslept and by the time I woke up again it was pointless going to the office. 

I must admit it felt a little naughty!!  It felt as though I was doing something I wasn't supposed to do...stealing time!  I decided that I should use the time wisely and get some chores done that I was avoiding and I must admit that felt good. 

Time is the most precious gift we have in life and God wants us to live fully in every moment and to know the joy of life.  This is especially important knowing how short our time on earth truly is.  Most importantly in life we should remember to let those we love know how we feel and know that we care.  

To all my friends and family....you are precious to me and I love you and miss you!

The air I breath

Just as quick as it started the hay fever has left, this thanks to a cold front that is busy blowing in.  The gusts of wind have cleared out the pollen's and I can breath a little easier and sneeze a little less.  Hopefully we will start getting rain tomorrow and it will clear completely. 

Spring brings with it relief in many ways.  Relief from the cold, relief from dryness, relief from the darkness with more sunlight hours available.  For some it may even bring relief from loneliness with more social activities to attend. 

There are times in life when the Holy Spirit ministers to us like spring rain.  He showers us with a physical manifestation of God's presence and let's us know beyond a shadow of doubt that He is near.  In those times as we draw close to God we can experience the healing power of His love and find restoration for broken areas of our soul. 

If you are longing for God to touch your life, get ready....for the Holy Spirit is about to bring forth new life where bareness has taken hold and He will bring forth good fruit in season. 

Living canvas

Over the last few months that I have been going to art group I have watched others paint beautiful paintings.  My decision to challenge myself to do the same has been quite testing.  I do not have a natural hand or eye for this craft but I am determined to find some way to express myself on canvas. 

While dressing this morning I reflected on the art of cosmetics and that this is one art form that I not only enjoy but am good at (or so I hope, tee hee!).  The human skin is an amazing living canvas that moves and feels and responds to colour. 

So too our souls a living canvas but this master piece is painted on by so many.  Over the course of our lives we come into contact with thousands if not millions of people and in some small way they each have an impact on our lives and paint a stroke on the canvas of our soul.

If  beauty is in the eye of the beholder then God must be the biggest art aficionado of them all, for He will gaze upon our souls and give us His unconditional love, forgiveness and grace.  For us He paid the highest price ever paid for an esteemed art work...... He paid with His Son!