Wednesday, January 8, 2014

High mountains and a faithful Father

It is  one a.m. and  I cannot sleep ( again). It is hot and humid, The sheets are twisted and damp. I toss and turn and the year ahead lies like a mountain in front of me. There are so many seemingly insurmountable challenges that our family will face and all I seem to be able to do is turn them over and over in my head. And catastrophise ( my husband says I do really well at this). I feel as if I am standing in the foothills of a very high mountain range. On the other side lies a peaceful valley but all I can see are the steep, jagged cliffs of the mountain range, waiting to snare and destroy weary travellers. The wind howls in the heights and snow covers every path.

I cannot see a way over these mountains and I am fearful and feel defeated before the journey even begins. So much will be required of me this year. Time, money, emotions, energy. A dying to self in order to thrive . A giving of myself to others so that they may grow. These are only the things I see. What of the unknown, the beasts that lie in wait in caves and on lonely mountain passes, waiting to devour and destroy the traveller who dares pass by ?

And as I lie there in my bed, fearful and frozen, the words of Psalm 121 whisper to me, coming quietly through the chaos of my thoughts.

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—    he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm
    he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.
 
My God and Father is the maker of these mountains. He knows the path that I am meant to take to make it through these mountains, even if I cannot see the way. He will guide me and keep me safe. I just need to trust Him fully. AND TAKE THE FIRST STEP. It is so easy for me to worry and so hard for me to trust but I know that if I am to make it through all that lies ahead this year, then I need to lean on God and trust Him completely in everything. So I am putting one foot in front of the other, leaning hard on my Father and grasping His hand tightly as we go into this new year together
 

Friday, January 3, 2014

Fridays Fave Five #1

Two posts on one day! I am not sure if I will be able to keep this up but I am definitely going to try. Susanne at Living to tell the story has a great way of ending the week by giving thanks for 5 things in the past week. What a great idea. I want learn to be more thankful this year and this seems a good way to start.

Things that I am thankful for in the past week:

1. Free books from one of my favourite authors. Beth Moore has a number of free Kindle books on offer. For a bibliophile this is a wonderful way to start the new year.

2. Highveld thunderstorms. Unless you have lived in Africa this is impossible to explain. I love the way the storms builds up during the day like huge tsunami of sound and light that culminates in a spectacle of booming and electricity followed by lashing rain that washes away the heat and dust of the day.

3. A new home. We will be moving at the end of January to the house that we own, which is about 10 kms from where we currently live. I was angry at first that we were having to move but after going to see the house today, I think I am finally looking forward to the move. My own home, a swimming pool, a separate play room and a LARGE kitchen.

4. Parents. both my parents are alive, healthy and living not to far from us. So many of our fiends have emigrated or  have parents living in another part of the country. We are so blessed to have parents close by and very much a part of our lives.

5. Two healthy, happy children. I take this so much for granted, especially when I am tired or stressed from the endless rounds of meals, dishes, laundry and discipline that children require. I love little arms around my neck and those sweet, earnest conversations that build the bonds of parent and child.

So there it is, my first Friday Fave Five. I pray that this year may be one of thanksgiving, both in the good times and the bad.





Five Minute Friday: Fight

It's Friday again and I am linking up with Gypsy Mama Lisa- Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday challenge. The way it works is that each Friday she gives us a word. For five minutes you just write whatever comes into your head, no corrections or rewrites. Then go over to Lisa Jo's blog and link up your post.  Here I go:

FIGHT

I so hate conflict that writing about this is tough. I grew up in a house where there was a lot of yelling and shouting and slamming of doors. I hated that and would shut myself up in my room and turn my music up loud or lose myself in a book. As an adult that is not such a healthy way to deal with problems, especially not in a marriage or a work context. As I have grown older, I have slowly learnt that it is okay to have an argument. Nobody will break and relationships do not collapse if you disagree about something.

I have a really long way to go but am slowly learning to stand up for myself and make my voice heard. I am still scared to argue with my husband but it is getting better. This is not because of who he is but because of who I am. And sometimes a fight is not a bad thing. A fight to save a marriage,
fight for injustice or for those without a voice.

So as I grow I hope to fight fair and hard for the important things in my life and allow my Father to walk with me on this journey.

STOP

Hope you will join me on this Five Minute Friday adventure.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Free Beth Moore books

This is a really special New Years gift. If you enjoy Beth Moore's writing then you are going to be really excited about this special offer. Amazon has four Beth Moore titles available for free (yes for FREE). I heard that this special is on until 10 January 2014 and that there may be other titles that will also be  offered for free or at reduced rates, so keep checking on Amazon. Click on the links below. Happy reading and happy New Year.

When Godly people do ungodly things

Believing God

To live is Christ

The beloved disciple