God Sees You!

Sue’s Views
Do you know that Almighty God ….. the Creator of the Universe ….. sees you? There is nowhere you can go to escape His gaze! Now that can be comforting ….. or alarming ….. depending on where you stand with Him. If you are one of His children ….. that is wonderful news. It means you never have to be afraid of danger ….. or worry about provision ….. or be anxious about your future. It means knowing who you are and whose you are. Above all ….. it means knowing you are forgiven from all your wrongdoing ….. and have God’s Spirit within you to guide you through life. However ….. if you don’t know God as your Father ….. you are missing out on the life He intended for you. There is only one way to change that and it’s through His Son, Jesus. In His words ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’

Getting Rid of Weeds!

Sue’s Views
After a long winter ….. it finally feels like summer is on the way! With that comes a desire to get outside and deal with those weeds and overgrown shrubs in the garden. It’s also a great time to look at some of the ‘weeds’ growing inside of us! Things like negativity ….. self indulgence ….. resentment ….. and other nasties that choke the good stuff! One thing I know about weeds is that you have to pull them out by the roots ….. otherwise they will come back even stronger. Don’t just try to do better ….. look for the root lies that have given life and power to the weeds! Pull that thing out and put it on the rubbish heap. Then replace it with a plant of truth!

Your Story

Sue’s Views
We all have a story! Some are more dramatic than others ….. but they are each unique and powerful in their own way. Your journey may have been difficult ….. but there are people out there who need to hear it. It becomes your testimony. It can be an encouragement to ones who are on a similar journey. It can be a warning to those who are heading the wrong way. But most of all it can prove to them how amazing God is ….. and how He can make something beautiful out of an ugly situation. If a butterfly could talk ….. it would have an amazing story to tell!

Dig Deep

Sue’s Views
The most valuable treasures are never on the surface. Gold ….. precious stones ….. minerals are hidden underground.  They have to be dug for! The same can be said for people. We have to dig down deep sometimes to find the true character and beauty that is hidden there. But we can help them discover it by getting to know them and taking am interest in them. The most valuable treasures though are found in the pages of the Bible. Again ….. we have to dig for them. We do that by reading ….. asking questions like ‘who’ ‘when’ ‘where’ and ‘why’? ….. applying it to our situation ….. and by chewing it over several times. Like a cow chewing the grass ….. it takes time to make it become part of us. But once it does ….. we will be changed forever!

Make That Call!

Sue’s Views
Another poignant message from our beach walks last weekend. It says, “You thought these phoneboxes would be around forever? Call your parents!” It’s so easy to take things and people for granted ….. especially those closest to us. We do tend to think they will always be there. But life is short ….. and new technology that is supposed to save us time ….. ends up robbing us of time and relationships. Is there someone you need to call ….. visit ….. or contact? Do it while you can!

Waiting

Sue’s Views
Who likes having to wait? And yet we all spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting in queues ….. at the traffic lights ….. waiting for someone else to get ready ….. waiting for an answer to prayer. These surfers amazed me at how much time they spend just waiting for the right wave! And yet ….. when it comes ….. it makes all the waiting worthwhile. Waiting definitely has its challenges ….. but it also does a lot of good in the process. It teaches us patience ….. perseverance ….. and trust. Waiting on God doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means seeing what you are hoping for in your mind and believing you have it. It means doing other things while you wait to help others. It means continually praying and thanking Him for all He is doing in and through you. And it means getting ready. Because when that wave comes ….. you won’t want to miss it! It could be the ride of your life!

Rest

Sue’s Views
After a few lovely days at the beach ….. we are heading home today. One thing I’ve learned this weekend is that resting is a vital part of life. God intends for us to rest. But it’s more of a state of mind than a posture or place. I’m sure we’ve all had sleepless nights where we were lying down but unable to turn our anxious minds off. We can be in the most idyllic environment and still unable to relax. It’s not about the absence of activity or turmoil. It’s about the presence of ‘the peace that surpasses all understanding’. And that can only come from the Prince of Peace Himself. He is with us in every situation ….. through every storm ….. every moment of every day!

Celebrating Marriage

Sue’s Views
Thank you everyone for your lovely wishes for our Anniversary yesterday! As you can see ….. we’ve had a mixed bag weather wise ….. but somehow it doesn’t matter when you are at the beach! It’s awesome even in a storm. I guess these pics sum up our 46 years of marriage. Sunny days ….. stormy days ….. days when you have fun together ….. and days when you seem to be going in different directions! But you keep loving each other ….. and keep making memories. We are so thankful to have God in our marriage to keep us strong ….. and to have the love and encouragement of friends and family.

Rest

Sue’s Views
Yes! We are back at our happy place for a few days break. I’m not sure if the beach got longer or if we are just getting older ….. but we didn’t quite make it to the end! But we’re ok with that. We are here to rest. Resting doesn’t mean doing nothing ….. it means not having to meet deadlines or expectations. It means taking time to enjoy the things you’ve accomplished. It means taking time to hear from God about the future. Even in the busyness of life ….. we can learn to ‘enter God’s rest’ each day. In order to do that ….. we must have faith that God is in control ….. not us!
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

Uniquely Loved

Sue’s Views
Which flower do you identify with? Do you feel like the ‘odd one out’? Do you feel like you don’t fit in? Do you wish you were more like other people? Or maybe ….. you are sick of being ‘one of the crowd’ ….. and wish you stood out more? When God looks at you ….. He sees you as one of His children. Every parent knows ….. no matter how many children you have ….. each one is unique. There are resemblances ….. but each has their own specialness. God sees your specialness! He will never overlook you ….. He doesn’t favour others over you ….. we are all His favourites! So be the best ‘you’ you can be. And that comes from receiving His love for you and knowing you belong to Him.