Little Things

Last August my husband, myself and our two dogs spent a week in a little cottage just a minute from a beach where we walked each morning and evening. The beach was made up of mostly pebbles and rocks with odd strips of sand and was practically deserted. At the top of the beach was a row of mixed chalets and bungalows and we would often see their residents sitting outside enjoying the sea air.

Our attention was drawn to one man who, evening after evening, would be carrying boulders and stones, one at a time, to create a barrier between the row of chalets and a small stream that ran down past them its way to the sea. It seemed a rather pointless task and we did not quite understand the logic behind the intensity in his actions as he laboured away. After a couple of days of nodded "hello's" our curiosity got the better of us and my husband stopped and asked him what he was doing. He explained that, in the past when the stream had become swollen with rain, it had breached the natural banks and rushed in front of the chalets, eroding the banks and threatening their very existence. If he did not build up breaches it would do the same again so he had set himself the quest of protecting his property and those of his neighbours. 


It seemed rather a thankless task to me and I couldn't help thinking that he was rather wasting his time as the vast and mighty ocean just a few meters in front the the houses was surely a far greater threat as it crashed headlong on to the beach than a small, tinkling stream. 
As we walked away from him I was suddenly reminded of the little foxes in the Songs of Solomon. It is the small things in our lives that can bring about ruin and destruction if left unchecked.The world is full of the big problems which we, personally, have no (or very little) control over - wars, famines, earthquakes, political unrest, the dreaded Brexit, etc. Yes, they are there. Yes, they are a threat. But, like the mighty ocean crashing on that small Welsh beach, we can do nothing to halt their progress. The small things, however, that niggle away at us - that little white lie, our laziness, ignoring those near us in need - these things we can address and, by doing so, will actually make a difference to our own lives as well as those we touch. Tell the truth and you will not have your conscience pricking at you, get up and clean those kitchen cupboards and you will have that feeling of satisfaction of a job well done, send a card to someone who you haven't seen for a while and brighten their day. These little acts might not seem much but, just like the man on the beach, they could, metaphorically,  manage to stop your house being washed away.

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. Song of Solomon 2:15

Sowing Seeds

Today is Harvest Sunday and the speaker at chapel today, like many others across the land I suspect, chose a reading from Mark's gospel - a parable about a man who sows some seeds then, day and night, as he works and as he sleeps, the seeds sprout and climb out into the light, even though he doesn’t understand how it works. The speaker then produced a couple of conkers that he had picked up and said how hard it was to imagine how they had enough energy inside of them to produce a huge tree.

This got me to thinking and expanding on what he had said. Yes, the seed has enough energy to produce a tree but not before it reaches out and takes water, nutrients and sunshine. It does not do it without help.

Imagine that our Christian life starts like that seed, slightly withered, nothing significant at all, just waiting for something to happen but, to all appearances, dead to the world. Then the good Lord sends His rain which might be in the form someone who has steadily been praying for you or maybe they have sat you down and drenched you with the words of the gospel. Your hard, outer coating begins to soften and suddenly, gradually even, that moment happens, and from your dead heart begin the stirrings of new life.

First you reach out a tiny shoot of hope and feel around. You see light - it is good! More rain falls and the sun shines on you and you feel little threads of roots beginning to form, wriggling down and around as you feast on the scriptures, holding on firmly to the truths you have read and heard, taking everything in just like a plant taking nutrients from the soil.

Your roots grow deeper still as you begin to meet with other Christians and begin to pray and have conversations with the Lord. You grow taller and begin to form leaves which divide into branches.Sometimes the sun is shining on you and you can bathe in that glorious warmth. At other times the winds blow so hard you fear your roots will be ripped right out but if you have a strong hold on that rock beneath you nothing will make you let go.

Slugs and bugs and mildews are always around, just like those everyday minor issues that eat away at you. The odd white lie hear, a bit of gossip there, you're too tired to read your Bible today, worries and cares - they can alter your appearance and stunt your growth. You must remember to reach out those branches, praying to the Lord for help and guidance, asking for forgiveness, turning back to Him and letting your roots take up the support offered by your fellow Christians.

As a tree waits for a change in the seasons so we must wait on the Lord. Just as a tree drops it's leaves carrying the slugs and bugs and mildew, in autumn all our cares and worries will, too, fall away. As a tree sleeps and protects itself against the ravages of winter we should take a time to rest and recover as we delight in the scriptures and converse with our Lord, ready to break forth refreshed and new again in the spring.

As summer comes we will mature and start to form beautiful flowers so everyone will easily recognise which family we belong to. As the flowers fade seeds begin to develop which eventually ripen and ready to fall. Not all our seeds are productive. Some are greedily taken by squirrels who bury them in the stump of a tree for future use but, invariably, forget where they left them and they rot away. Others are blown away on the wind, never to be seen again and we may never know what happened to them. But none of this is our concern. All we have to do is produce the seed and fling it out on whoever passes by - the Lord will do the rest.

And the answer is..........

When the date was getting close to my son taking his R.E. GCSE exam I asked him how his revising was coming along. His reply was there was no need to study because the only answers you needed for this particular paper were God, Jesus and The Bible. He bore this out by saying one of the questions in the mock paper was “who did the two disciples meet on the Damascus Road” so, not knowing the answer, opted for one of his stock replies, Jesus – and, of course, he was right. 

Whereas this might be a somewhat flippant response, typical of a teenage boy not wanting to waste precious moments going over old notes when he could be linking up with his friends on Xbox, and not particularly showing our education system in very good light if there really were only three possible choices for the answers in this subject, it did get me to thinking that he wasn't far from the truth. By turning to God, Jesus or The Bible the majority of today’s problems can either be solved or we will be given the strength, change of attitude or ability to work them through.

God is the creator of all things and, as I sit typing this in my garden on a warm May afternoon, it is easy to believe this. The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and white fluffy clouds drift across the sky. The sound of my neighbours enjoying the day in their gardens with happy children laughing as they splash in a paddling pool while the mouth-watering smell of BBQ’s drifts through the air make for an idyllic picture of family life and it is natural to thank God for all He has provided. It is not always so easy to do this when the rain and wind come, the neighbours are fighting with each other and the kids are screaming but God is still there all the same, loving us through the good and the bad and He always wants the best for us whether we see it or not. We just need to trust in Him and focus on what He wants us to do, not what the world is telling us do. We have to remember that God has a different agenda to ours and His plan is far more intricate than we ever dare imagine. Do what you know is right with Him and everything else will fall in to place. It might seem impossible and you feel the task is too mighty but if it is from God the doors will open and He will give you strength and knowledge. With God all things are possible and He has the answer to everything.

Jesus is not only the Son of God, He is our friend, our brother, our Saviour and even acts as an intercessor between us and our heavenly Father. He is also very much alive and lives in every believer’s heart through His Holy Spirit. With this we are equipped to discern what is good and bad, what is from God and what is not and enables us to tap into the very thoughts of God. Jesus loved us all so much that He took our place on the cross and died for our sins. Just think, the very worst thing that you have ever done was the very moment that He died in your place – it makes me so ashamed to think that He even knows what I did, let alone took my punishment for me. All I have to do is believe who He is, what He did and that He was raised, victorious, from the dead and I will spend eternity with Him – how incredible is that? But while I am here on earth in my mortal body I can talk to Him and ask Him to show me the way He wants me to go. All the answers lie with Jesus so just fix your eyes on Him and you cannot go wrong.

The Bible is the very word of God in handy book form for us to delve into whenever we want. Whatever you want to know in relation to the way you live or about getting on with others, you will find the answer in this wonderful book. It never ceases to amaze me that I can read a particular passage of scripture time and time again, believing I understand what it is saying then, suddenly, the meaning changes and leaps at me off the page coming alive and becoming relevant to a particular circumstance I am in at that moment. Of course, this is not always a pleasant experience because sometimes the words convict me of something that is wrong in my life which I need to change. Just like old Jonah who’s first instinct was to run in the opposite direction from where God wanted him to go, I do not always want to obey what the Word is telling me and quickly turn the page. However, the Bible is no ordinary book, it might have been written thousands of years ago but it is just as relevant to me today as it was when it was first put on paper. This is the living Word of God and it will not let me go – every time I open my Bible the same message comes through loud and clear, wherever I turn – even when I am in church and others read or preach I hear that same message piercing its way into my heart.  In the end my only option is to do what it is telling me. And then I have peace.

Of course, as a more mature Christian I would also add the Holy Spirit and prayer to the list as they act as ‘telephone lines’ between the others but I don’t think my son was far wrong in his statement – the answer to all questions is either God, Jesus or The Bible!

Focus on the Details!

 I recently bought myself a new camera and have been getting to grips with all the features it contains. Yesterday was a beautiful day (unusual for a Bank Holiday Weekend) so I spend some time out in the garden playing with my new toy and really finding out what it can do. One of the features I had rather ignored was the automatic focus button and thought it was something that was beneath my capabilities as an experienced photographer - perhaps not in a dissimilar way to how we think we know better than God when we disregard that small, still voice in our heads in preference to doing something the way we want to do it. How many times when we have failed at doing it our way do we realise that simple idea that we pushed aside was actual the best way and the job would have been done in half the time had we tried it first?


 Getting back to the camera, I had tried all of the other features and taken numerous trips back into the house to upload pictures I had taken and study them to see how they had turned out and thought I would do a comparison with the auto focus and scene selector button. I sat in my chair on the decking and zoomed in on various plants and features in the garden that were way quite some distance away and could not even make out clearly with my naked eye. I was stunned by the results. Everything came into sharp focus and really made things stand out in sharp relief as it clouded out the background. That button that I had discounted was simply amazing.

Once again I was reminded of Jesus. How often He is just a blurred image in our thoughts and minds - we know He is there but we just don't look very closely. But, oh, the wonders when we do finally fix our minds on Him and focus on him properly. He stands out clearly and the rest of the world seems to fade away - just in the words of that old hymn - Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His Glory and grace.

So, what lessons has my camera taught me? To begin with, never consider myself to be so good at something I have no need of being shown another way, especially without even trying it first. If I try it and don't like it or don't think it any better than what I am already doing then, fair enough, carry on as I was but I never know what delights I might discover if I don't try something new.

More importantly, I know I should fully focus on my Lord and King and spend time in His presence and concentrate on Him and, when I do, He will be there, magnificent and glorious. He truly is a beautiful Saviour and worthy of gazing at - the more I look, the more I see and the more I listen the more I learn. Ever patient, ever faithful, ever waiting for me to turn to Him, He is always there in the background of my life, often neglected and forgotten, but when I zoom in with that automatic focus He takes pride of place and He is simply wonderful.

God is my strength.

As I sat down at my desk at work today I had that feeling of rising panic that threatened to engulf me as I looked at all of the things I had to do and yet did not quite know where to start.

All of a sudden the words 'God is my strength' came into my mind rapidly followed by more phrases. As I was already sitting at my computer I quickly started to type and, for a few minutes, the words flowed. It was the strangest feeling that it was me praying the words to God but it was Him who was giving me the words to say. At the same time everything around me faded away, the chatter of people on the shop floor below me, the churning of the heating system and the drone of the fridges and freezers in the food hall all ceased to exist and I had a feeling of tremendous calm and peace. Time seemed to stand still although, in reality, it was only a couple of minutes.

When the world came back into focus I emailed myself the words that had flowed and it is only now, reading them back, that I recognise that they are not particularly words and phrases that I would have used myself and are interspersed with verses from Scripture. I am more and more convinced that the Holy Spirit was interceding for me, just as it says in Romans 8:26 - In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;.

As for the work load, it was nothing. I skipped through everything and cleared work that had been sitting there for weeks. God was in control of my life today and I feel Blessed.

Here are the words that came to me:

God is my strength my rock and my fortress in Him do I trust, He is a shield about me. I turn to Him in anguish, I trust Him with all my heart and lean on Him for understanding and let peace fill my heart. Blessed is His holy name. My heart sings for joy as His blessings shower upon me. Thank you my God and King you have saved me from the miry pit. O holy one, redeemer of Israel and creator of all mankind your greatness and righteousness abound for all eternity. Your loving kindness will last forever and I will sit at your feet in wonder and awe.

Butterflies!

Alive in Christ

Around three months ago two peacock butterflies came in on the same day and took up residence in a high corner of our bathroom where they have sat, side by side ever since with their wings tightly closed hiding their beautiful colouring within. After a few days they had not moved and I thought they had just died. I know this does not say a lot for my house keeping skills but I could not bring myself to get them down and there they have sat, two dead, colourless leaves. Until yesterday. As I was taking a shower I suddenly felt something gently land on my arm and, when I looked, found this beautiful butterfly sitting there. Not wanting it to drown I quickly removed it to the top of the shower curtain and from there is flew off and landed on the opposite wall from where it had come from.

Dead in Adam

Initially I thought that this was another butterfly just come in out of the cold but when I looked up, to my surprise, there was nothing where once the two lifeless butterflies had sat so I started looking round for the second one. And there it was, hanging from the light switch cord, wings closed once more. After such a long time of hibernation what had made them come to life, fly around for a few minutes and then settle back to darkness once again? This morning they were still in their new positions but a couple of hours later they have gone, disappeared completely. I do not know where.

It has got me thinking that these butterflies are a little bit like our (or my) Christian life. We bring it out into the sunshine every now and again, flutter around, touching everyone who sees us, doing good and living the way that Jesus wants us to but, all too often, we hide ourselves away in a dark corner with the shutters drawn where no one can see our best bits and we don't tell anyone about the love that Jesus has to offer. I would like to think that those two butterflies are now dancing over the gardens and flowers in the sunshine making everyone who sees them wish that they could be the same as those two beautiful creatures and seeing they have something special inside them that they want too. That is exactly what we should be doing - going out and making disciples of all nations and taking the gospel to all the world and not hugging it to ourselves. Once in a while we have to let go of our cosy little hidey hole and trust God to guide us to where He wants us to be and to do what He created us to do. We should be like a butterfly and leave a little mark on everyone we touch, whether they choose to take any notice of it or not we will have done what God wants.

God changes hearts

I was once told that, when you are finding it hard to cope with someone or a situation, if you trust in God and follow His commandments, He will either change the heart of the other person, take you out of the situation altogether or change your heart. It has just occurred to me that all three of these things have happened to me in the last few years.


The first time I came to know the reality of this was quite a long time ago when I had to work alongside a lady who was making me very miserable, although I would be hard pressed to put my finger on why, and I often wonder if there was some sort of evil spirit in her that was conflicting with me. It was really making me doubt myself as a Christian. How could I possibly be a Christian if I felt this way about another person? I was not the only one in the office to feel unsettled and the whole situation was becoming so unbearable that I was seriously considering finding another job - having been in the same employment for 20 years meant this was a major decision to make, but I was prepared to go. I happened to go along to a prayer meeting one evening and there it was mentioned about praying for your enemies. I knew what I had to do immediately and, that night, I prayed for her and asked God to bless her and make her happy. The next morning I went into work to find the lady had handed her notice in and she left the company within the week - God had answered my prayer and taken the situation away.


More recently I was involved in making a difficult decision (I cannot explain the exact details here for confidentiality reasons) and had to place a vote which was in direct opposition to everyone else involved. The vote was whether we should take legal action against a third party and everyone else wanted to go ahead with this route. All of my Christian principles screamed at me to forgive this person and just let things go, although I knew that we were, legally, in the right and should this person be allowed to keep something that was not rightly theirs? After some very sleepless nights and a lot of praying I took the stand of saying 'no' to the prosecution route and placed my vote. Needless to say that everyone else voted to take it to the small claims court. Strangely, I was totally at peace with this and it was no longer keeping me awake at night and I knew I had done what God wanted me to. This was over six months ago and I think God must have been at work again and changed peoples hearts because everyone has been too busy to sort out the paperwork for this and nothing has happened.


I have now been at the same company for 34 years and, over that time, people have come and people have gone. The majority I have got along with very well and rarely have I worked with anyone that I did not like. However, the company has grown a lot in the last year rising from 60-70 employees to the present day 109 so it is no longer the small, family business that it once was. Amongst the new recruits there have been two members that I have found it difficult to feel comfortable with although both seem to be very proficient with their work so there would be no reason for them to go. I just thought it was simply that you can't get on with everyone and there are bound to be a few people you don't gel with in a company of that size. Then God reminded me of the time when I prayed for the lady I once worked with so I began to make a very conscious effort to go out of my way to be helpful and supportive of them - I have also prayed the same prayer as before, that they will be happy and blessed. I think God has decided that, this time, it is down to me to change because I suddenly realise that I now quite like these people and actually enjoy their company.


Only God can change your heart (or the heart of someone else), you cannot do it yourself, but, when you ask for help, be prepared for that to happen. We have one Mighty God who will always do what is best for us.

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Ezekiel 37:26-27