2023 - Change in the air

 Happy New Year! 

After a busy end to 2022, including getting sick before Christmas... and feeling extremely grateful to see my family for Christmas, the turn of the calendar page brought a sudden shift. 

On January 1st, Something in the air changed! 

I woke up feeling indifferent, then went to church. As soon as I entered that environment, my spirit quickened to a shift in the atmosphere. There was a new joy. People were happy - it felt as if the "Happiness Barometer" jumped a few new levels overnight! 

It felt as if God was up to something. Like all the challenges of 2022 were placed in a box, and He put the lid on top. Out with the old, in with the new. During the pre-service prayer time, there was an amazing sense of His presence, anticipation and expectation. I saw/sensed helium balloons all over the room, being popped. Breakthrough was beginning! It was almost overwhelming in the most beautiful way. 

I woke up feeling indifferent, and after church, my spirit was energised. Whatever this year holds, I am in anticipation of what God has planned for me, His church, corporately and individually. There is an old song -  "God is up to something good, something good, something good..."  The word I was given for this year is FRESH, and all Sunday, this word was confirmed. This is a fresh season. I am excited to see where He takes us this year! I can't remember the last time I felt excited by a new year. Each previous year, it has been about survival. Maintaining peace and hope amidst the storms and challenging times. 

How awesome it is to feel excited again! 🦋

Bridges of Relationships

I'm sure many who are reading this have been feeling the effects of the transitional season we are in. Things are different. There is a sense of both loss and new beginnings. What I am personally experiencing, is a realignment, even shifting of relationships.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens... Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV).

I can't say it is necessarily a nice, or enjoyable experience, but in the big picture, I trust it is good. 

I have been thinking about BRIDGES regarding relationships. People often say things like, "Build bridges, don't burn them", "Be careful not to burn that bridge!" or even, "How can we rebuild this bridge?" 

Many bridges of communication or connection are burned through, among other things,  hurt, unforgiveness, misunderstandings, or simply dislike. It is so easy to burn a bridge, and much harder to rebuild, once burned. My constant prayer has been to maintain a clean, forgiving heart with no regrets.  My challenge is to actively maintain bridges of communication, even if the other party does not reciprocate. "Why?", you may ask... Because I don't want any regrets, or any hints of unforgiveness in my heart.

Although I actively choose to maintain bridges, there are some bridges in my heart that remain closed. I did not burn those bridges, nor did I close them. In order to protect my heart and help me heal from traumas, God placed a locked gate on my end of those bridges. I hold NO unforgiveness in my heart towards these people (the locked gates helped me work towards this), but God placed a lock on those gates, and I trust Him fully to maintain those gates. One day He may unlock the gates, but that is out of my hands. He holds the key. I have no intention of trying to unlock those gates myself.

Currently, I find myself in the middle of relationship changes. I don't know what caused the changes, but I do know the bridges are vulnerable. So, I have accepted that communication may possibly cease from the other end, but I have no intention of closing off my end of the bridge. Of course, this will involve continued forgiveness, and not treating others the way they treat me... but I've been travelling this mental/emotional path for some time now...so I guess I can say this bumpy path has only made me stronger and wiser. Of course it saddens me when communication breaks down, but sometimes it's best to let things go. So, I'm letting go. If I can't bring these relationships into my future, then I'm not going to waste my time and energy on something I have no control over. 

Some bridges have an Expiry, or Best Before date. Personally, I feel some bridges have reached their Best Before date, so naturally they won't be as good as they originally were. The lesson here is, as Ecclesiastes says, "There is a time for everything". That sometimes you need to simply take a 'stocktake' of your life and keep moving forward. This may involve leaving things behind that can't, or won't travel with you into the future. And that's okay. We don't need to know what the future holds. Just what is our responsibility and what isn't. So I choose to keep moving. Accept my losses, forgive those who hurt me- intentionally and unintentionally - and keep walking forward, not looking back.

If you are reading this, it's likely our bridge is ok. 

If you don't know me, my prayer is that my words encourage you.

If you are one of those who has hit my locked gates, I want you to know you are 100% forgiven. I won't open those gates, but if God ever does, I will be on the other side.  

This is a new season. Time to let go of the old and embrace the new. To fix our eyes on what is good for our souls. To follow God's will for our lives, and not compare. We all have a purpose and calling. Let's embrace this, and cheer each other on!🦋

Communication Styles and Loving Others

Something this season has highlighted for me is the communication styles of people on social media.

The Bible says, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35. 

One simple, yet vital word in that phrase... LOVE. It appears that through this pandemic, many Christians have forgotten how to love. The sad part is they probably don't even recognise it.

When I think about communication styles, I often think about the different versions of the bible. Most people are aware of the King James Version (KJV). The olde worlde language consisting of thees and thous. But this is not the first choice for most bible-reading Christians. There are other versions that use modern language. The version(s) we use comes down to personal preference. 

In my view, at one end of the spectrum of bibles is the KJV, and at the other end, The Message Bible (MSG). The MSG uses modern day language, to the point it reads like a story. It is relatable. You don't need a dictionary or thesaurus to understand what you are reading. Often it is a good translation to compare with others. 

Having said that, I deliberately use the MSG communication style on social media. I want to be relatable. I want people who read my words to understand what I am communicating, with no feelings of judgement or segregation. I want to be a positive voice in the sea of negativity.

There are many who deliberately use the KJV communication style. Unfortunately, this style often carries with it a sense of judgement and fear. There is no feeling of love. There is love in their motive, but it does not carry into the audience. Many readers, including other Christians, feel judged and attacked through this communication style.

This pandemic has caused much fear and confusion. There are voices everywhere, even when you're not actively listening. I call this "chatter", and I'm done with it! Positive and negative chatter. Since I decided to ignore ALL chatter, my peace has returned. 

What we need in this season, more than ever is love. 

We shouldn't need words to tell people we are Christian. Our actions and attitudes should do that. We should be recognised because of our love for others. It is not our place to judge. Our job is to simply love. 

You know you're loved when...

...you leave home at 6.30am on Saturday for a day visit to a camp with the girls and arrive home 12 hours later....to a nice cooked dinner and a new DVD I wanted to see, but didn't want to buy... (Twilight)

...your husband not only buys you the girly DVD but watches it with you!

...you drop your earring down the sink and he gets out of bed to find it for you... when he'd rather be sleeping...

...he makes enough coffee for you without asking if you want any....because you usually do :p

...he pushes you to use the phone when you'd rather not...just to make you more confident

...he helps you write a top cover letter for a job application, then sits in bed editing it when again, he'd rather be sleeping

...he's proud when you get an interview, and after you are told you are what they want, except for one character aspect...which they want to help build on....

...he handles PMS well...

He loves you for who you are, and encourages you to be who you can be :)

Love You David!!!!!!!!