Painting Parables

Ponder fodder....

As with any project, good preparation helps with the smoothing out of bumps ahead. Doing painting is no different. Before we embarked on our painting, we first had to get rid of the loose, flaky bits. Otherwise they might break off, fall into good paint, create bumps, get stuck on the paintbrush/roller, and essentially "contaminate" and spoil the final work.

This reminds me of how we can desire to do good things... but if we don't look at the old/past, allow God to deal with whatever there is required to prevent us from finishing well, the very thing we seek to avoid will be what will happen - we will not have a good finish.

Chest Pain

It's a good way to get a reality check.

How you are doing relationally.

How you fare about heaven and hell.

How you stand about judgment day.

How you think about being mentally alert but physically inert.

How you would cope with a fast going or a slow one.

How you view spiritual and/or physical healing.

Yes, chest pains can be good.

Infertiltiy and Mothers Day

I haven't forgotten how it was. My oldest Arrow is going to turn 21 years old and I have been married for over 27 years. But I have not forgotten the difficult times, the awkward years, the months of disappointment.

I was diagnosed with primary infertility with no known cause. How difficult it was to see one of my best friends being pregnant. In her graciousness she asked me to attend the birth of her baby but I found at that time, it seemed like even looking at her caused me to struggle with emotions I never knew existed within me. To say that I didn't like her for being pregnant when I couldn't is putting it mildly.

These years of being barren, empty and feeling of incomplete helps me to understand and empathize those who go through this. I KNOW how they feel.

Of course, the Lord knows best.

But perhaps that is why He let people like me go through that too. So we can be a little extension of Him here. Especially on a day like this one coming up.

Battling Fears

Such a fear gripped.

The heart almost physically shrunk.

Squashed and squeezed. It felt physical.

Made one feel sick.

Mentally, the thoughts of the fears being irrational did not break through.

Emotionally, that the fears are unfounded did not embalm the heart.

The fears were real and paralyzing.

The only deliverance would be utter and total dependence on the Lord and the receiving of His love because "perfect love casts out fear" and God IS Love!

There then is the crux of the matter.

How many truly know how to receive His love?

Setting the Example

So here I am coughing away. It's tiring business, this coughing is.

What does one do when faced with illness? It's a minor one of course. But our attitude towards it counts.

Should one hibernate and snuggle under the blankets?

Should one hide away and let the world go by?

Personally I dont think that's the right attitude.

Hence laughter comes in. I remind myself and those around me how laughter is good medicine. A merry heart is good medicine. God's joy is our strength! And so forth. I am sure you know even more verses.

Then I have to LIVE IT OUT. Smile, laugh, even though it might bring on another coughing bout. Praise God unceasingly. Pray unceasingly. Meditate on His Word and His Way.

And then I went swimming. Hahahaha! Yes, against the usual old wives tale, I went swimming. Swam 3o laps of a 25 metre pool - did you do your maths fast enough? That makes 750m - a little short of my norm, but I was pressed for time.

The aerobic exercise did me a world of God.

But more importantly, it set an example for the others to see and emulate. After all, these illnesses are small matters and should not hinder us from Him, His joy, His Word and His Way.

Please Pray for Joe

We flew 14 hours to another land recently. We meaning my husband and I.

There, on one of our visits to see places and people, we met this man. His name is Joe.

Our friends and we prayed for his bad back. He got upset even though he was glad that we prayed for him. He was upset becaues he lost a child to leukemia and blamed God.
Please pray for Joe. He is a South African on holiday in a sunny land far from home where he was reminded that God will never let him go by some Malaysians on holiday.

Talk about divine appointments.

Please pray for Joe. Here, our friend is giving him a pen which has the contact of the church she worships with.

For more about our trip, visit Metamor4sis, The Hinge and Big Mmmmomma.

The Healing Has Begun

It had been a time of great difficulty. Subsequently, I discovered chunks of memory loss during that period. I read later that such loss can occur when a person undergoes great pressure. Literally, apparently, parts of the brain dies. I have wondered if that is possible. But then, just a few days ago, my Hubby mentioned an event which I have no recollection of. Perhaps it is old age, I tell myself.

But as Paul said, we need to forget what lies behind and press on forward to the goal. Which is what I strove to do. Seemingly successfully too. I was able to face adversity and adversaries.

For that reason, when circumstances seem to go full circle, I had to wonder why. Then I found I felt fear.

Fear of repeated rejection. Fear of repeated of hurt. Fears that I thought had been dealt with... but obviously hadn't.

I told the Lord that I had no desire to repeat history.

Imagine my delighted surprise then, when I find that when history seemed to repeat itself, the emotions experienced are totally the opposite.

Instead of rejection, there is acceptance.
Instead of pain, there is affirmation.
Instead of feelings of being used and abused, there is relief and understanding.

In such circumstances, these are alien sensations, thereby confirming how deep rooted this is for me. My conditional reaction to this is to try to protect my heart. Only to find that there is no need for this.

The healing has begun.