Making Peace at Christmas

I passed a couple who were pulled over in their car yesterday, they were having a full on barney and at least were sensible enough not to fight and drive, shortly after the four wheel drive in the lane next to  me nearly ran up the car in the front's backside because he was yelling at his kids in the back.  The little boy closest to me turned and looked forlornly out of the window.  I thought here we are, silly season has arrived.  The rushing, spending and shoving that we get caught up in, taking it out on everyone within the blast radius until we finally arrive hot and frazzled at Christmas lunch,

and explode all over the relatives we don't see from one year till the next.  Kind of makes me wonder if this really captures what God had in mind when he out of His great love for mankind sent his only very loved Son into the World to save us, and saving us is exactly what we need.  The good news the angels declared was peace, and yet when we look around there is little peace on the outside, someone once told me that at any one time there is at least 25 wars in progress, somewhere on the planet, so world peace is probably not what Jesus was talking about.  It is hard to get two people to agree on anything, so getting 7 billion of us to is probably out of the question.  But, if I can encourage you to just stop for a moment, and take a deep breathe.  Allowing God's love into our life changes us on the inside, and while we may never see the 'World Peace' the beauty pageant winners are talking about, you will have the peace that the Angels were talking about at that first Christmas, so long ago to the Shepherds, that peace that comes on the inside and passes all understanding, that makes you be able to move about calmly in the middle of the chaos, and hopefully be able to share that peace and love with the next frazzled person who asks you why you are calm and not going crazy like the other mortals.  God bless you this Christmas, and remember, the next time you are tempted to do more than you are physically capable of right now, remind yourself that we are celebrating Christ's birthday and that He wont care if you buy fruit mince pies instead of baking them yourself.  Merry Christmas xx Evie

Who told you you were naked

At a women’s retreat the speaker was telling us about her son who was quite small, who had been teased at school about his size, they had always tried to make him feel good about himself, no matter what his size.  She said to us, I asked Him “who told you you were naked” “who made you doubt yourself”.  It made me think that most of us are succeptible to the enemies attempts to make us ineffective.  We come into the Kingdom of God often from horrendous backgrounds,  filled with self doubt, low self esteem from growing up with out ever being encouraged.   The enemy knows what buttons to press, to drag up some of that old low self esteem.  The only way to overcome the doubt is to renew our minds, with God’s word, till we come to the place where we believe we are new creatures, that all things are new, that we can do all things through Christ, and see God work in our lives to the point where the Voice of the Holy Spirit is louder that any other in our life.

For some of us that journey takes longer than for others and most of us could write a book about the trip, maybe I will as soon as I believe I can do it.

Life is what happens while you wait for something better to come along

LIFE HAPPENS WHILE YOU WAIT FOR SOMETHING BETTER

WILLIAM WALLACE IS QUOTED WITH THE SAYING “every man dies, not every man really lives”    I ALWAYS PRIDED MYSELF ON MY TENANCITY.  IT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKED BEST ABOUT MYSELF, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED IN MY LIFE I ALWAYS MADE THE BEST OF IT, DIDN’T LET IT SQUASH ME DOWN.  IF I GOT PUT IN A CORNER AS A CHILD I WOULD FIND SOMETHING TO DO, TRACE THE WALLPAPER WITH MY FINGER, DAY DREAM THAT MY MOTHER WAS RUN OVER BY A BUS, NEVER GOT BORED.  NOW AT NEARLY SIXTY I AM READY TO SAY WHEN, BUT, NO ONE IS LISTENING.  MY DAUGHTER AND SON IN LAW MOVED IN SO THAT THEY CAN BUILD THEIR NEW HOUSE.  I REMEMBER DISTINCTLY SAYING NO, YET BEFORE I KNEW IT, WE WERE TURNING OUR DOUBLE GARAGE COME GAMES ROOM AT THE BACK OF THE HOUSE INTO A GRANNY FLAT, WITH ONE BIG BEDROOM.  THEY HAD TWO SMALL CHILDREN AT THE TIME, A THREE YEAR OLD AND A ONE YEAR OLD, AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FOR ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS.  HERE IT IS FIFTEEN MONTHS PLUS ANOTHER SON LATER, AND THE PAD FOR THE HOUSE IS MEANT TO BE LAYED ANY DAY NOW.

GOD PROMISES NOT TO GIVE US MORE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO BEAR, SO I MUST BE ABLE TO BEAR LOTS.  IT’S A BIT LIKE THE OPENING OF A TALE OF TWO CITIES, “IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES”, BECAUSE LIFE IS LIKE THAT.  THERE ARE ALWAYS SOME GOOD AND SOME BAD POINTS TO EVERYTHING WE DO.  WHILE IT HAS BEEN A REAL JOY TO HAVE GRANDCHILDREN LIVING WITH US, SEEING THEM EVERYDAY, THEIR CHEERY LITTLE HELLOS SHATTERING THE MORNING SILENCE AS THEY THUNDER INTO THE KITCHEN, THERE ARE REGULAR BOUTS OF DESPAIR THAT CAN OVERWHELM YOU AND THE ACCOMPANYING PANIC, THAT YOU AT NEARLY RETIREMENT AGE, NEVER HAVE A PEACEFUL MOMENT, OR VERY FEW IN ANY CASE, AND THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR LIFE FOR EVER. 

EVENTUALLY YOU HAVE A TALK TO YOURSELF, THE STUFF YOU PREACH TO OTHER PEOPLE SURFACES: THIS IS JUST A SEASON, THIS TWO WILL PASS, GOD WILL DEVELOP CHARACTER IN YOU THROUGH THIS, I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.  I FINALLY DO GET UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND SPEND A FEW MINUTES JUST SITTING WHILE I POUR OUT ALL MY TALES OF WOE TO GOD AND BEFORE I KNOW IT I FEEL PEACEFUL AND READY TO ATTACK THE NEXT DAY, WITH A NEW SENSE OF SURVIVAL AND A BETTER ATTITUDE.

I AM NOT TRYING TO BLAME MY ENGLISH ANCESTRY (YOU KNOW WHINGEING POM) BUT I DO SEE A PATTERN OF COMPLAINING AS I READ BACK OVER MY JOURNALS AND SCRIBBLES FROM EARLIER YEARS, SO I CANT REALLY BLAME OLD AGE OR SHOULD I SAY MIDDLE OLD AGE ON MY TIREDNESS, IT MAY JUST BE THAT I AM EXTREMELY LAZY OR JUST TRY TO DO TOO MUCH AND ALWAYS HAVE.  I REMEMBER FEELING TIRED IN MY TWENTIES, THIRTIES, FORTIES AND FIFTYS SO WHEN I AM REALLY OLD I WILL STILL JUST THINK I AM TIRED FROM DOING TOO MUCH AND KEEL OVER DEAD … ANYWAY, I HAVE HAD AN EPIPHONY…..LIFE SEEMS TO BE BUSY FOR EVERYONE AND IT ISNT LIKELY TO CHANGE ANYTIME SOON, SO WE JUST NEED TO ENJOY EACH DAY AND MAKE THE MOST OF THOSE LITTLE SNIPPETS OF FUN IN AMONGST THE RUSHING, BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS THIS MOMENT IS YOUR LIFE, AND IT ISNT A REHEARSAL, THIS IS IT, SO DON’T WASTE A MOMENT.