Time

Time has a very different dimension for me now. Since losing my mum as a result of an accident, I am far more aware of the need to get things done and just how necessary it is for me to not let time hang heavy. If I do, then I know that I am going to slip down into that dark pit that many of us dread, the pit of depression.

I am reminded of the verses in scripture that tells us: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; A time to be born, and a time to die; ……..  A time to break down and a time to build up; A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4) All of these selected things seem to me to be very relevant to the process of grief. There just doesn’t seem to be enough time to do this particularly in our current society’s climate. We are under pressure all the time to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and get back into the swim of life. Life is so busy for many of us that there simply isn’t enough time to take time out and really connect with those around us. Is it any wonder that when people bow to this pressure and sometimes they don’t have a choice financially, that they start to sink into that dark pit?

I was headed in that downwards direction. Since making the commitment to write a story every day, using the Photo-a-day prompts, I have felt so much better. I now have an external motivational tool to help me move forward. My mother lives outside of time now but I must still live within it confides – I pray that I will use it wisely.

 

Wall

What is that saying? “The writing is on the wall”. As mothers we often groan when we see writing on a wall. As it usually means that “Little Johnny” or “Missy” have found some pencils, crayons or textas and managed to create some artwork in the wrong place, meaning extra work to remove it and bring the wall back to its pristine condition. Then there is the graffiti that often sends a message, not always polite mind you, to the public as they walk the streets or ride the train. This artwork can often just say that people were bored, frustrated or destructive. Occasionally though there is what can only be described as street art and shows great talent.

Messages being written on the wall date back to ancient times when King Belshazzar sees a hand write a message on the wall of his palace. (Daniel 5:5-9) It frightened him and he had to ask Daniel to interpret it. Daniel tells King Belshazzar that “God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it…Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting…Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (Daniel 5:26-28) This is why when we say that the writing is on the wall we usually mean that we are predicting the demise of something.

It would be easy as we look at our society today to imagine that the “Writing is on the wall”. There is so much crime, broken promises by those in power, greed and all sorts of “sick” behaviour that one could despair of ever seeing the return of what we could consider a civilised society.

There is hope! Jesus came to earth, this we celebrate at Christmas time, grew up amongst us and showed us not only how to live but provided us with a way to be able to be better people through Him.

Signs

Things seemed to be hold for such a long time and so I often felt like asking God for sign. I wanted to know what I had to do to move forward. I wanted to know if I was getting in His road. I wanted to know how long it was going to be before something happened.

Each time that I felt like asking God for the sign I would remember another lady and the lesson she taught me about asking God for signs.  

Her life, at the time, was on hold while they waited for a property sale to go through and the move to their new place. There just seemed to be one hold-up after another and so she asked God for a sign. She wanted to know how long it would be before they were able to move into the new place.  One day while they were driving home, she looked up at the sky through the car window; there was a cloud that caught her attention. It was shaped like a very old fashioned number four. No one else in the car knew what the significance of this would be as they had no idea of her prayer or how she wrote her fours. 

Now she still had a problem: was God telling her that they would be moving in four days; four weeks; four months or even four years. She realised that even though God had given her a sign she didn't know much more than before.

Many people asked Jesus for signs while He walked on earth but He spoke to Thomas, who wanted signs, thus the name “Doubting Thomas” saying: “Thomas, because thou hast seen me thou hast believed, blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” John 20:29

A Day to Forget

I have been praying a lot this week about what to post for Mother’s Day. This morning I thought about how I have celebrated Mother’s Day this week. I had the pleasure of a cuppa with two daughters, I spoke with my mother over the phone on Thursday and again this morning and I anticipate a visit from my sons today. So many blessings! Yet, God made me think about all those mothers who don’t have these blessings. What about the women who have no children, the mothers who are facing their first Mother’s Day without a child? 

Think about the mothers whose children have abused them, forgotten them or just don’t care, how about you give them a special thought.  SO:

Dear Lord

You know all those women who would rather forget what this day is supposed to celebrate, who are sad, lonely and hurting badly. I ask that you wrap your arms around every one of them, give them comfort and help them to see one little thing to make them smile.

Amen

Sharing Christmas

It was another Christmas that did not feel like Christmas. It was getting tedious. During the week I had listened, while men smiled, as they credited their wives with all the gift shopping, wives saying they were depressed, because they had been left with all the work. I saw very few shops with decorations in place. To cap off the whole week, members of my own family wanted plans changed at the last minute to suit themselves. “God, why is Christmas such a chore?” I prayed.

Then, I saw the most common picture associated with Christmas. It was Joseph walking all the way to Bethlehem, leading a donkey, which was carrying a very pregnant Mary. They shared the workload! 

If we are to believe the romantic stories of Christmas’ past, all the members of the family worked together, to make sure everyone else in the family was cared for. I thought back to the many Christmas experiences I had as a child. The memories included all the adults working together.  The men helped each other get the outside chores done, the women chatted, while they prepared the meals, as the children played together outside. 

The birth of Jesus would not have happened, without the “Trinity” working together. “’For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). Christmas presents the greatest opportunity to tell the politically correct world about the love of Jesus. Yet, it seems to me, that we could easily let the opportunity slip through our fingers.  

Yes, if God allows it, we will get another opportunity next year. Let’s start planning now to share the greatest story ever by working together.

Greatness

A great lady, known for her charity, hard work and love for her country, died. At the same time, in another country, a mass killing took place. It appeared this young man wanted to be remembered in history. Lady Dianna Spencer, Lady Murdock, will both be remembered for their works of charity. History remembers those people who give their lives for the good of mankind.
 
There is one other person who sacrificed His life, so that others would be able to live. Jesus Christ did just that. He lived His life, carrying out every day, many acts of charity, as we are told in John 21:25. “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” He then gave up His life on the cross so that all men could be given a way out of eternal death. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17) 

As I watched the media report on both these people, I found myself wondering why people feel the need to be remembered, if at all, for evil rather than good. Why more people did not take up the banner of charity! Yes I know that evil dominates our world, but God is stronger and we should aim, in the strength of Christ, to be remembered for the good we do. The only way for that to happen is for all of us to roll up our sleeves and start.

Life's Storybook

A particular chapter of my life had come to an end. It was finished! As I waited to find out what was in store for me next, I got to thinking about how life is just like a story. It is sometimes said that our lives are made up of various chapters. That made me think about how a book has many chapters but the last one is the one that finishes the story. I then realised that, yes, while our lives might be like a story in a book there is one very big difference. Our last chapter will go on for eternity!

Revelation 21 and 22:1-5 tells us something of what that chapter will be like for those of us that have faith in Jesus and have had our sins forgiven.  On the other hand we read in Matthew 8:12, Matthew 22:13 and Revelation 20: 11-15 of the consequences for those who do not have their names written in the Book of Life.

Every person will have a different story written about them but there will only be one of two last chapters for all of us. One chapter will be our lives spent eternally in Heaven and the other will be eternity in Hell. All of us still have unfinished stories, chapters that are still to be written. It depends on how we write those chapters as to which closing chapter will be the last in our story.

If you are reading this, you are still living and still have time. The pages of your book are still clean, waiting to be written on. How your story continues determines the final chapter for your life. Choose Jesus and Heaven will be the final destination, Ignore Him and Hell is inevitable. Which final chapter will be yours?