Being Led

When I was young I used to have big plans about all the things I was going to do with my life. I was going to be a great artist, a world traveller, a famous writer, an adventurer, a movie star, an animator, a dancer, a singer and I was never going to get married. Some things came to pass, others did not, and there are still others yet to come.

Did I plan even half the things that happened in my life? No. God had better plans for me. I am married to the most wonderful man in the world. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better man. He is good for me in ways I could never have written on a shopping list for the “perfect man”. He taught me to trust, and to love, and to be myself.

I never dreamed I would end up leading youth groups or fellowships, or even the elders of the church. But I did. I never dreamed I would grow such a passion for my Lord. But I did.

He leads me in ways that are both scary and exciting. He takes me down roads I would never have walked on my own. He carried me through darkness and safely delivered me into His Light.

I can’t imagine what tomorrow will bring, but knowing my hand rests in His, I will gladly walk with Him wherever He will lead me.

Where has the Lord led you?

Soul Trade

Countless stories have cropped up over the ages about those willing to sell their souls for something they desire, usually knowledge, youth, fortune or power. As Christians we would like to believe we would never do such a thing. However, is it possible to sell your soul without realising it?

Apparently thousands of gamers sold their souls to a gaming company. The company wrote the clause into their terms and conditions. Who ever shuffles through all that fine print? The company intended it as a light-hearted joke, but it made a very good point. You can read about it here.

So many of us sell our souls and we don’t even realise it. We neglect to read the fine print. We think it’s enough to attend church. We think it’s enough to believe in Jesus. We think we are saved if we are good people. But we are mistaken.

We deny God when we decide we don’t need Him. We deny Him when we think our actions alone can save us. We deny Him when we don’t include Him in our lives, when we toss Him down our list of priorities, when we fail to recognise his awesome greatness.

So, rather than pushing our Lord away, embrace Him and all that He offers. Remind yourself daily of His worthiness, His wonder, His amazing love. Give Him your soul, your mind, your body and your strength. He will keep you safe.

Our Cues

I did a short stint of university level psychology. In an experiment to demonstrate the way people think, a situation was set up where a loud crash was heard in an adjoining room to where people were waiting. If the majority in that room didn’t react, then neither did the test subject. It works the other way around as well: if the majority suddenly got up and ran from the room, then the stranger who had no idea what’s going on ran also.

We are creatures of community and learn to rely on those around us – even strangers. This leads to the question: from whom do you get your cues?

The world says we have to fight for our rights and our freedom. God says He has given us our freedom. The world says we have to earn respect. God says we must respect everyone, whether they ‘earn’ it or not.

God says we don’t belong to the world. We belong to Him. This means we are set apart from the world. This means we can get our queues from God Himself. We don’t have to run and hide because everyone else around us runs and hides. We can lend a helping hand and show a caring heart in places where no one else is doing these things.

God is our cue because He has transformed us. He is our Lead, and our Compass.

Who is the greatest influence in your life?

Not Your Own Understanding

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

A few years ago I considered going to Bible College. What I didn’t expect was the number of doors that closed in front of me. God’s message was very clear. He said, “No.”

I was so surprised. Surely He wanted me to learn as much as I could about Him and His word. Bible College seemed like the obvious answer.

I still don’t know why I wasn’t meant to go. I can speculate. It would have led me into a different direction for my life.

But often what we think is right for our lives may not be right. There is so much we don’t know, can’t know. God, however, knows everything. He knows what is best. He will show us the right way, the best way.

All He asks is that we trust Him.

Once Every 3000 Years

I found a brief article hidden away in a back corner of the local newspaper. After some further research, I thought it was interesting enough to merited a post here.

The article was about the discovery of a rare flower found by a Chinese woman in Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi province, China. It is called the udumbara flower or youtan poluo. According to Buddhist legend it blooms once every 3000 years and supposedly marks the coming of a future king.

Rare and unknown things will almost always have legends and myths surrounding them. This flower is no exception. It is extremely tiny and they grow in white clusters which look very much like the eggs of lacewings.

I don’t know if it is true that this flower blooms so rarely or even if it exists. As Simone Preuss notes in her article I found here, “It is interesting to note, however, that the first sighting of an udumbara flower was in July 1997 at a Buddha statue in a temple in Korea, exactly 3,024 lunar years after Buddhism first emerged.” It is also interesting to note that, according to David Emery “they don't match any known species of plant life…”

Do we find things only when we look for them? Is it about being aware of the possibilities and opening our eyes? Or is it a matter of wanting so desperately for something to be true that we close our eyes to other facts? Or do we even disbelieve because we don’t want it to be true?

For me my faith in God is so much more than simply wanting something to be true. Admittedly I did only look for Him when I became aware of the possibility of Him. I looked for Him because I needed Him. But our Lord asks from us more than blind faith. He asks us to learn of Him. He asks us to think about Him. He asks us to be prepared and aware, and He gave us the scriptures and the Holy Spirit to guide us. He reassures us that He is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6)