On the way…

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Relationships

Sue’s Views
How are your relationships? We were not meant to be alone. Unless you live on a dessert island ….. your life touches others in some way. Some relationships are easy going ….. while others take a lot of work! We can’t always choose who we relate to ….. but we can choose to set boundaries. A toxic relationship is one that disrespects your boundaries. However ….. every relationship requires some give and take ….. and some ‘weeding’ at times. We often don’t appreciate people until they are no longer with us. So take some time to let them know you love them!

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Masterpiece

Sue’s Views
Harsh circumstances have the potential to destroy us ….. or to make us more beautiful! True beauty doesn’t come out of a bottle or a salon. And it doesn’t come from a life of ease and privilege. It comes from a life of daily walking with God and allowing His Spirit to guide you. We were never promised an easy road. Jesus said ‘In this world you will have trouble ….. but I have overcome the world!’ Some of the most beautiful people have lined faces that tell stories of hardship and sorrow but eyes that shine with love and joy. Don’t allow bitterness to set in. The frost on this grass has turned it into a work of art. You too are a masterpiece that God is working on!

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Half Time

Sue’s Views

We are officially half way through the year. Half time is always a time of reflection. What did we do well in the first half? What can we do better in the second? What changes do we need to make? No matter how bad the first half was ….. there is always hope that things can change in the second half. Don’t carry into tomorrow things like guilt ….. shame ….. regrets ….. resentment ….. or unforgiveness. They will only weigh you down! Leave them on the sidelines. Then you can be confident that you are on the winning team! 

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Let God Be God

Sue’s Views
I saw this yesterday and thought it was worth sharing. It certainly challenged me! How many times have I prayed a condescending prayer about a decision I’ve already made? How many times have I put words in God’s mouth ….. cut bits out of the Bible that I don’t like ….. or twisted the meaning to suit my plan? God made us in His image ….. but so often we try to make a ‘god’ in our image. The Bible calls it idolatry! It’s time we get back to letting God be God ….. live according to His ways ….. and stop doing the things He tells us not to do. How has that worked out for us so far?

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Beyond Understanding

As I began to walk through life,
I saw beauty
There was peace,
There was quiet
I was happy

And then I walked a little further
Someone told me about War
There was danger
But not here
I was safe

I then I grew, and walked some more
I heard that there was darkness
Terrible things were done
But not here
I was secure

My road began to climb
It wound up a steep hill
There was work
I was tired
But I was excited

I reached a mountain-top!
The God of the Universe had found me!
He was loving
I was His child
I was joyful

Then I came to the valley
This valley I had to walk through
I saw suffering
I felt pain
I was hurt

Then there was a darkness
A dark place I hadn’t known before
A place of deep loss and pain
That I’d only heard about
I was angry

Where was that loving God?
How could He allow such pain and suffering in the world?
I had questions
I felt alone
I felt lost

But then I felt His loving arms
His soft, gentle voice that spoke to me
“My child, one day you will know all things,
But right now,
Just trust me.”

And then a new question formed in my mind
How could a perfect God
Have sent His perfect Son
To die for… me?
I was in awe

So when I don’t understand,
I look up to Him, I feel His loving arms
I remember that there are things beyond myself
And He gives me Peace
Beyond understanding…

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Winter

Sue’s Views
All the autumn leaves have fallen ….. and winter is truly setting in. To me …..winter is a wonderful opportunity to start over. Just like these trees ….. it strips you down to the bare essentials. We all go through seasons where we realise what’s really important. We discover that we can do without many things we once thought necessary. We also discover new creativity that has been inside us all along ….. just waiting for a chance to shine. I pray for those who have lost a loved one ….. a job ….. or something they were looking forward to but can no longer happen. It’s not the end! There are many more pages in God’s book you don’t know about yet. Don’t lose hope!

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Singing in the Rain

Sue’s Views
We can’t control the weather ….. but we can control our mood! How’s your outlook? Is it raining with patches of sunshine ….. or fine apart from a few showers? The sun is always shining above the clouds. We just can’t see it!

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Reset

Sue’s Views
On the shortest day of the year ….. we decided to make the most of the hours of sunlight and head to the coast. Just like our electronic devices ….. we all need a bit of a reset at times. The sea air always does it for me. It gets rid of all the debris and unnecessary data I collect along the way. It rearranges my priority list ….. and refocuses me on what is really important. 
Do you need a reset? Find your happy place ….. and spend some time there. It will do wonders!

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Unshakable Faith

Sue’s Views
Ps Sunia spoke yesterday about having ‘Unshakable Faith’. The times we are living in certainly call for that! Just like Saturday’s tornado that came out of the blue and did lots of damage including taking a life ….. storms come suddenly and leave us reeling. These situations really test our faith. Should we give up on our faith and conclude that a loving God would never allow such a thing to happen? Or should we see it as a test of our faith to find out what is really within us. The ‘shaking’ gets rid of all the superfluous stuff ….. and shows us what really matters. And remember ….. the teacher is always silent during a test ….. but still very present!

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Always at Work

“Look Mummy! It's the man from the ice cream shop!” shouted one of our kids.

Sure enough, there was the owner of the local ice cream shop, going for a walk with some friends! He came up and said hello with a big smile. Our kids were so excited! They were surprised to see him outside of the space they normally confined him to… his workplace! Now when we go in to the ice cream shop, he gives them a big smile and there's a deeper relationship. He seems more like a real person to them.
I wonder if we sometimes do that with God… confine Him to His “workplace”: church on a Sunday morning! We expect to meet with Him there, and it's a place where He often does wonderful things! But what about at home on Sunday afternoon? What about on Monday morning… or Saturday night?
Jesus spent a lot of time walking around and interacting with people. He often met them on a dusty road, in the marketplace, in their homes, in their ordinary places of work… like a fishing boat on the shore. He didn't just sit in the synagogue and wait for people to come and find Him (although He did spend time teaching in the synagogue). He ate with them, walked with them, prayed with them, journeyed with them. Imagine getting to walk beside Him every day! But in His human body, He was limited to being in one place at one time… now that we have the Holy Spirit, He is literally with us everywhere, 24/7! 
He wants to be invited into every part of your life, and to hear from you at all times of the day, and in all circumstances. When we start to invite Him to work in the seemingly ordinary and often mundane areas of our life, we will be surprised how much it deepens our connection with Him! He becomes so much more real to us when we see that He is always ready to step in, that He knows all the details of our lives, and He has the power to work in all things, not just when there's nice music and a good atmosphere on a Sunday morning! 
Psalm 139:1-10

1O LORD, You have searched me

and known me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise;

You understand my thoughts from afar.

3You search out my path and my lying down;

You are aware of all my ways.

4Even before a word is on my tongue,

You know all about it, O LORD.

5You hem me in behind and before;

You have laid Your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

7Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?

Where can I flee from Your presence?

8If I ascend to the heavens, You are there;

if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.

9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle by the farthest sea,

10even there Your hand will guide me;

Your right hand will hold me fast.