beautiful story.

Some of the the most beautiful stories of the hearts of men and women, are birthed from some of the most painful experiences of loss and suffering.

Even though you don't understand what is going on through this time in your life...just remember to keep on persevering in your faith...never underestimate perseverance...your story is going to be one of the most powerful stories that touches the hearts and lives of others, to inspire them and give them hope to the hopeless heart, mind and soul. 

Your perseverance is promised to develop character...a character that is being built up in confidence, humbless, compassion and kindness...

...and above all, the love that we experience through coming to know hope, is a love that doesn't shame or disappoint us...Rom 5:3-5

This is the love that we come to know through the stories of our own lives, in loss, pain or hardship...the stories that will change the lives of others, and set eternity in their hearts...

...those stories which God makes beautiful...in it's time.

a little something.

..never dismiss the patient enduring...it is for the development and establishing of the things unseen...

... don't live by the superficiality of the surface, but resource yourself from the crevices of the healing deep.

death.

In order for you to gain life, do you not have to know what you have lost? Sounds silly I know, but think about it...

I was talking with someone a few weeks back, and the above sentence jumped out of my mouth, and it astounded even myself. It clicked...

Loss is not something we all want to have to experience...but it happens to us...to most of us...loss of homeland/tribe, family, friend...there is also loss of identity through trauma, loss of security of heart and mind through words said to us...loss of worth through void crucial relationships like mother and father, or growing up in peer groups...

There is so much to say about all the above...but I'll keep this short...

Your heart, mind and soul, experiences situations and trauma that you just did not expect to happen...then how do you have to all of a sudden deal with yourself in the situation...

You are at a loss....a loss for words....a loss for peace...a loss of sanity....a loss of well-being...the list goes on....and on...and on...

So I'll go to the beginning...for you to gain life, don't pretend that you have not lost treasures of earth...

Life...actual life, like, breathing and living life in fullness and well-being...you have to face the things you have lost...heal, and move on...no actually, I mean move 'in'...that is where the part of gaining life comes...

Moving in...moving into Christ...why?

Because the crevices of your deep soul are being activated and are looking for substitutes.....the places that Christ needs to fill...the risen Christ...life through death...crucifixion to resurrection...death to life...

...the life of Christ...

original copy.

...be original by being unoriginal. in other words. be who you were created to be. not by the standards of people. but by the grace of God.

I know, I posted this on my facebook a little while ago, but it reminded me of what I was thinking about today...sorry, but it wasn't on the way to work...but at home...I was too fried whilst walking and trying to think...

The little thought goes like this......if we stopped copying other people, and allowed God to develop, build and transform our inner beings through him, even in the unknowingness of life...would we then actually believe we were unique and actually believe the christian cliche verses of Psalm 139? We love saying it, but do we really KNOW it in our beings?

The beginning of this post says about being who you are by the grace of God..not people, and what they say over your life...

Be the original person that you were created to be...which means, you can have revelations like CS. Lewis, and the rest...not just like them, but more, or however which way it happens...but this is not for recognition, but just in humbleness, allowing God to bring hope and freedom to others...once you know it is available to your own heart and soul...

...as the great verse goes in Psalm 139...'you formed my inward parts, you did knit me together in my mother's womb...I will confess and praise you...wonderful are your works, and that my inner self knows that well.'

Wonderful you! Unique and created you! Know it well! Trust and rely on a trustworthy and reliable God...

shame.

You'll never believe this! But I was walking to work (again!)...and I had some thoughts!!

my thoughts were about...shame...

I was thinking about what happens when we are aware, or not even aware, of what we do with shame on our lives.

It's probably what you would call, our 'relationship with shame.'

You don't realize the times when you feel shame in your life, other than it being an obvious overwhelming emotion that paralyzes you from the inside out...but this relationship disguises itself in a way that sometimes is hard to identify...and I was thinking about it this morning, as we unknowingly act out a persona or story with this 'shame.'

You know in those films where there is a scene, and someone pretends like they don't know someone, and acts like everything is okay in their presence, but away from their friends, they know this person?

Its like this relationship with shame...you befriend this unpopular reaction called shame that hangs around with you, but until you get into the presence of the Almighty God, we pretend like we don't know anything about it...and that we are okay. We almost live these two separate characters, one that cultivates this shame , but when we pray, talk with God, or let him search our hearts, we automatically pretend like we don't know this character called 'shame.' Our hearts then become discouraged from not feeling like we are known, as we actually don't allow God to permeate our entire being when we commune with him...and let us be KNOWN by him...

However in Psalm 34:1-4 it talks about looking and seeking after the Lord, delivering us from all our fears and troubles, and our faces will become radiant, which will not blush for shame, or be confused.

...its about being in his presence with every part of you, enquiring and seeking after the Lord with our faces turned to him, and that shame lifting as we look to him, and are left radiant.

Our relationship with shame then begins to lose its grip...and you are then able to walk in the unveiled glory without confusion of who you are in him....

train rides.

I was on my way to work this morning...on the train. And I asked God to be with me today. I asked him to help me be in step with him...I did not know where to start with my prayers and conversation with him. But I just started talking, and asking him to be near.

...and then he started letting me in on a little secret...

He directed me in my heart towards my gaze, and where I was looking. All he was saying is 'look up and fix your eyes on me...not on people. You are meant to love people, not seek out who you are in them.' There is a BIG difference...and we get the two so confused!

This obviously was going deep - but I started to understand - that when I do actually look TO him, it frees others to be who they are meant to be, because I am not expecting something from them, or demand their love. As I fix my eyes on him, I am able to love in freedom.

How this works practically...is everytime my thoughts want to compare myself to another, is when I stop myself and tell the thoughts of my heart to look upward, the character and steadfast love of God...here is where the freedom actually begins to take place. Do you know how freeing that is??!

Colossians 3 speaks of looking to things above, the new life you have stepped into, and are walking in through the resurrected Christ - and you have to die to something to find life...walk through the darkness into the light...He hides you in his glory...his resurrection...through death. Through this death I am able to live in life...life in loving people for who they are created to be...in freedom.

..this morning I was so grateful for that moment I had with the father...

i hate all your shows

 

Amos 5:23-24

"I can't stand your religious meetings.
I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
your pretentious slogans and goals.
I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes,
your public relations and image making.
I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
I want justice—oceans of it.
I want fairness—rivers of it.
That's what I want. That's all I want."