On the way…

Sue’s Views

Today is ANZAC Day ….. and a good time for reflection. A day to remember the sacrifice of the thousands of young men who landed in Gallipoli on this day in 1915 ….. and lost their lives. We also remember those who returned ….. but were never the same again. Sacrifice always involves death ….. suffering ….. or cost ….. for the benefit of others. The only response is ‘Thank You’!

Sue’s Views

What are you believing for? A healing ….. a financial breakthrough ….. a reconciliation? When a man named Jairus’ daughter was dying ….. he went to find Jesus and asked him to come and heal her. Along the way, he was told she’d died and it was too late ….. but Jesus said, ‘Just believe’. The outcome of the story is that the little girl was raised back to life! There is tremendous power when we ‘Just believe’ ….. as long as the One we believe in is Jesus!

Sue’s Views

When Jesus was teaching his followers ….. many times He said ‘He who has ears ….. let him hear!’ They all had ears ….. so what did he mean? Hearing and listening are two different things. We hear all sorts of voices every day. The media ….. ads selling stuff we don’t need ….. gossip. We often hear about people who have ‘selective hearing’ in a negative way ….. but we all need to be selective in what we listen to. We need to discern what is true and reject what is false. When Jesus speaks about hearing ….. He is looking for action. We must be doers of His words ….. not merely hearers!

Sue’s Views

Do you know that God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb? You began in His heart. Whether your parents were excited to have you ….. or whether you were an ‘interruption’ to their plans ….. you were born exactly when and how you were meant to be. You are a product of God’s love and your identity is in Him. he put everything into you you will ever need to thrive. So just let it unfurl. Doesn’t that make you feel special?

Sue’s Views 

I love autumn! I think it gets a bad rap because it reminds us that winter is coming ….. but autumn is a season all on its own. I was never very great at science ….. but apparently there’s a lot of chemistry happening in those trees! The reduced sunlight and temperature cause the high concentration of chlorophyll (that’s what makes the leaves green) ….. to break down and to reveal the colours of the secondary pigments that were hidden. 

I guess it’s like that in life. We don’t always see what’s really inside us until we go through some situations that force a change. When we get out of our comfort zone ….. when things get a bit darker and colder ….. we discover there are other ‘colours’ within us. Beautiful colours! Maybe you’ve discovered a new hobby ….. a new way of doing a business ….. a new way of communicating ….. a new way to adapt and build upon old ideas. 

Dear Lord, thank you for the different seasons in life. Please help us to be willing to allow the changes to bring out the best in us so we can use the gifts You’ve given us to bring You glory. In Jesus Name, Amen

Sue’s Views

How are the school holidays going? Our children are like pieces of clay. They are easily moulded when they are young. But as they get older ….. they are less pliable. The question is ….. who is moulding your child? The education department ….. the neighbours ….. the Internet? All these have a place in their development but ….. as parents ….. it’s our responsibility to teach them values and boundaries. “Train up a child in the way he/she should go and when they are old ….. they will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Sue’s Views

Disappointment is something we will all experience many times on our journey through life. It is inevitable. Mainly due to our reality not lining up with our expectations. We expect people to do what they say ….. or we picture in our minds what the outcome should be but circumstances ruin our plan. I was looking at the word ‘disappointment’ this morning. I see 2 words ….. ‘dis’ and ‘appointment’. The prefix ‘dis’ usually has a negative connotation. What if we look at disappointment as something that takes us away from God’s appointment! When God makes an appointment ….. He keeps it! When He promises something ….. He fulfills it! Sometimes our expectations hinder us from experiencing God’s appointed plan. So instead of seeing things as a disappointment ….. maybe we should be waiting for His appointment!

Sue’s Views

As human beings ….. our vision is limited. We only see part of the picture. God ….. on the other hand ….. sees the whole picture very clearly. That’s why we need the Holy Spirit’s guidance when we make decisions. As we partner with Him ….. He can open our eyes to see what’s going on behind the scenes. Your ‘inconvenience’ may be someone else’s opportunity. Your delay may be God protecting you from danger. Pray that you would see through His eyes ….. and trust Him.

Sue’s Views

Walking with God means going through the tough times! When we are in a situation we’d rather not be in ….. our prayer is often …..”God, get me outta here!” We look for all the ways God could rescue us ….. but He usually doesn’t send a helicopter to take us out. No! He comes down to where we are and walks us through! I’m glad I’ve walked through some things I wanted to go away. I know God so much better!

Sue’s Views

Storms ….. they come out of nowhere ….. we can’t always predict them ….. we can’t always avoid them ….. but one thing we know is that they come to pass! If we can navigate our way through ….. we will come out unscathed. Make sure you have Jesus in your boat! He is very comfortable in storms and He has a purpose on the other side!