What does it mean to BE content?
Phil 4:11 -12
Not that I am speaking of being in need , for I have learned that in whatever situation I am to be content. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger , abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
I read this and I notice something...as God often does. I have learned. I have learned to be content and satisfied. Which makes me think that perhaps as a fallen people, filled with sin, being satisfied and content is not a natural state of being. They are rather a gift that needs to be LEARNED. Contentment is not something that just happens. It isnt something that you wake up to and it remains...No second guessing. I do think that it is something that needs to be worked towards, making conscious choices towards contentment rather then constantly chasing a state of bliss that none of us were promised. We need to realize that contentment and satisfaction cannot be obtained outside of Gods grace and forgiveness. It is only through Him that these things can be found. Paul said for I have LEARNED in whatever situation I am to be content. I have LEARNED the secret of facing plenty and hunger , abundance and need. I have LEARNED. He also concludes however that "I can do all things through Him who strengthens". Being content in all things regardless of the situation God has placed you in at this given time, you will need strength, but you too can learn to be there. To be content and present in this moment. This one. Regardless of what that looks like. WIth the grace of God, Him who gives us strength, all things can be accomplished.
Paul says in EVERY situation. Every , not some , not maybe , not perhaps....EVERY. Not just whens things look bright and comfortable, but also in gloom, sadness, stress and pain. I would argue that it is in the harder times, that you see seek contentment in a bigger way. It is on those times that you will learn the most when you step off the comfort step and into real healing. There are NO situations that warrant us not trying to be in the moment. There are no things that warrant our distress really...truly....In all things , in every situation, show contentment. Its very easy for most to show pleasure and contentment , to be pleasure and contentment in times of quiet, but what about in the eye of your storm. What about then?
I say most, because there are some people that even when times are great, they cannot see anything but what they are lacking. When we do this , we are not only doing ourselves a disservice, but we are falling out of line with where God can take us. We are putting boundaries up around Gods grace and are unable to fully see and realise all the blessings that God has in store for us. Some of us at one time or another in our lives, even when things are going really well , we are constantly seeking. Trying to find the next things that will "make me happy". I dare so though friends, that nothing outside God will do this for you. We will never find contentment and happiness outside of our Holy Father.
" Keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you so we can confidently say . The Lord is my helper , I will not fear, what can man do to me " Hebrews 13:5 . If we think about what the basics of contentment truly are, one word that pops into my head is trust. Its about trusting that our Lord , our God, our Father will get us through. No matter where we are or what we have been through, He will get us through. Whereever you are in your life at this given moment, remember God put you there. You were gifted this moment and he walked you to it. Why in the world would he not want to walk you not only to it, but THROUGH it?
As God has put here, he can also take you out. As sure as you are present, you can be taken away. If you believe and trust in God, a God of love and grace, trust and forgiveness, how then can you not be content? How can you trust and at the same time be discontent with where God has put you, because really wherever you are right now, doing whatever it is your doing is a gift. The very essence of your breath and your eyes being open is a gift. Be content .
Proverbs 3:5 says" Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding." Just be in the moment and trust Him, seek understanding of HIs word in reference to where he wants you today , not where he wants your neighbour or even your spouse..you...and then accept it for what it is and what it looks like to you as a gift, giving gratitude for it with prayer and thanksgiving. Feel blessed for the moment you have for however long you have it. Regardless of the circumstance, it came from God. If right now, its a moment of gloom for you and finding thanks is hard. Being filled with contentment feels useless, then in that moment till you can see the gift of sorrow, be thankful that you do not walk alone. Be content in knowing that this walk, even in pain , is one that is not walked alone.
Heavenly Father I thank you ...I thank you for all gifts, the big ones , the small ones, the joy , the pain. I thank you for them all. I pray Lord that you let my eyes see, that you open them to contentment. Please let my heart be filled with the joy of contentment regardless of circumstance. Help me to learn Father God to be present , in this moment and to feel whatever needs to be felt . Let me see joy in the tears, and replace misgiving with gratitude. Great Father, the true I am , I pray for all people to see you with eyes wide open and with every new breath taken, to be thankful for ever just that breath. You are a God of trust and forgiveness. You are a God of acceptance. You take us as we are. Let us please take you as you are and where you have placed us in this breath. In your name we pray. Amen.
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Friday, 5 October 2012
Moses and Life
Good afternoon,
not a big jump into afternoon but it is afternoon none the less. I came to understand something this morning as I was doing my bible study and devotions. Its not a new realisation, but its one I thought I would share.
I start in Exodus. When The Lord our God (I am who I am) came to Moses. Moses said no...I cant do this , I am afraid. I simple cannot do what your asking of me, I am not good enough and I was never a good speaker. Yet God insisted and said, "But I will be with you". In fact repeatedly God said to Moses, I will be with you. God went even deeper then that and said , "who has made a mans mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak" (Exodus 4:11-12) . Yet still , after all was said and done Moses still didn't have the confidence to open his mouth and speak the words the Lord was telling him to speak. So God handed Moses Aaron and allowed him to be the mouth of Moses. It surprises and confuses me that God would do such a thing, but He knew that this was not going to be an easy job for Moses. This was not going to be something that Moses was able to just walk into the King of Egypt and sing in Broadway fashion , "Let my people go", and they would be allowed to go. God knew that this was going to be a journey , he already knew the walk that was going to take place and he knew that if Moses was walking into this before anything had actually really happened with fear, that the things that were going to/had to transpire would need confidence , love and support. I believe that God could have given Moses the confidence that he needed to walk this journey on his own but he choose not to, mainly because Moses didn't ask, but none the less in enters Aaron. The Lord sent these two men to the King of Egypt, knowing full well that the Kings heart would be hardened and that it would take blood water, frogs, gnats, flies, dying livestock , boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and even the death of the first born males across the board before Egypt would beg for the people of Israel to leave. Would you want to go through this alone? even with a confident faith in God and His works and knowing that you never are truly alone. God knew this. He knew that Moses would need a fellow human, he made him lack the confidence he needed. He knew that people of Egypt would be hard. He knew this because he did it. "The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh , and he did not listen to them , as the Lord had spoken to Moses." (Exodus 9:12) . Again and Again he hardened the hearts of the Egyptians towards the people of Israel. "Go into Pharaoh , for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among you." (exodus 10:1)
God made everything the way it needed to be to go the people of that time to not only see the signs of God, His grace and mercy, but also to prove to the people that he was powerful enough to do it. We have a God of love, power, justice and grace. He is soooo powerful that He can change everything in order to get to the end he needs us to be at. God has the power to give and to take away . He has the power to make a man stubborn or to make him listen. However without our asking and with His grace and consent ...nothing will happen. When you feel as if God is not listening to you, instead of asking why He sisnt there, ask why you cannot hear. Moses and Aaron want to be moved and used by God, therefor they were....in the way that God needed them to be. God made the Egyptians stubborn till he needed them to be stubborn no longer, "and the Lord had given the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked". It is not only a case of the Egyptian people being worn down therefore finally giving in , because as we have seen God could have kept it going . It was more a matter of perfect timing , His timing. perfect asking, His asking and perfect trust, our trust.
We need to remember as one of Gods children , that we are not in control. We need to give the power to our God, and let Him take the wheel. This is the truth to full acceptance of our lives, and the key to being able to get through times of triumph , but even more so times of pain and suffering. Listen and follow, Let Him , the true "I AM" lead the way, even when it doesnt make sence.
In HIs Light
not a big jump into afternoon but it is afternoon none the less. I came to understand something this morning as I was doing my bible study and devotions. Its not a new realisation, but its one I thought I would share.
I start in Exodus. When The Lord our God (I am who I am) came to Moses. Moses said no...I cant do this , I am afraid. I simple cannot do what your asking of me, I am not good enough and I was never a good speaker. Yet God insisted and said, "But I will be with you". In fact repeatedly God said to Moses, I will be with you. God went even deeper then that and said , "who has made a mans mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak" (Exodus 4:11-12) . Yet still , after all was said and done Moses still didn't have the confidence to open his mouth and speak the words the Lord was telling him to speak. So God handed Moses Aaron and allowed him to be the mouth of Moses. It surprises and confuses me that God would do such a thing, but He knew that this was not going to be an easy job for Moses. This was not going to be something that Moses was able to just walk into the King of Egypt and sing in Broadway fashion , "Let my people go", and they would be allowed to go. God knew that this was going to be a journey , he already knew the walk that was going to take place and he knew that if Moses was walking into this before anything had actually really happened with fear, that the things that were going to/had to transpire would need confidence , love and support. I believe that God could have given Moses the confidence that he needed to walk this journey on his own but he choose not to, mainly because Moses didn't ask, but none the less in enters Aaron. The Lord sent these two men to the King of Egypt, knowing full well that the Kings heart would be hardened and that it would take blood water, frogs, gnats, flies, dying livestock , boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and even the death of the first born males across the board before Egypt would beg for the people of Israel to leave. Would you want to go through this alone? even with a confident faith in God and His works and knowing that you never are truly alone. God knew this. He knew that Moses would need a fellow human, he made him lack the confidence he needed. He knew that people of Egypt would be hard. He knew this because he did it. "The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh , and he did not listen to them , as the Lord had spoken to Moses." (Exodus 9:12) . Again and Again he hardened the hearts of the Egyptians towards the people of Israel. "Go into Pharaoh , for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among you." (exodus 10:1)
God made everything the way it needed to be to go the people of that time to not only see the signs of God, His grace and mercy, but also to prove to the people that he was powerful enough to do it. We have a God of love, power, justice and grace. He is soooo powerful that He can change everything in order to get to the end he needs us to be at. God has the power to give and to take away . He has the power to make a man stubborn or to make him listen. However without our asking and with His grace and consent ...nothing will happen. When you feel as if God is not listening to you, instead of asking why He sisnt there, ask why you cannot hear. Moses and Aaron want to be moved and used by God, therefor they were....in the way that God needed them to be. God made the Egyptians stubborn till he needed them to be stubborn no longer, "and the Lord had given the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked". It is not only a case of the Egyptian people being worn down therefore finally giving in , because as we have seen God could have kept it going . It was more a matter of perfect timing , His timing. perfect asking, His asking and perfect trust, our trust.
We need to remember as one of Gods children , that we are not in control. We need to give the power to our God, and let Him take the wheel. This is the truth to full acceptance of our lives, and the key to being able to get through times of triumph , but even more so times of pain and suffering. Listen and follow, Let Him , the true "I AM" lead the way, even when it doesnt make sence.
In HIs Light
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
A brief introduction and Commitment,
Good Morning, I pray this post finds you well and that your week is blessed.
We are the Walkers, and were so glad that you have found us on this rainy day in October. Wow, I just typed October, that's so odd. We have had a blog before here, but we thought that it would be good to start a new...again....because our lives have changed...again. God has had us on a bit of a whirlwind tour os of late, and quite frankly I cant keep up. Good news is , I font have to. Alas, I am happy that God has lead us and carried us through, so there really is not anything to complain about. God is funny that way.
My name is Sarah , for those who are unawares. I am a Christian Helpmeet wife and Mother of five. I say five , with some hesitation .... We lost our darling Emily-Rose this summer at the age of "almost two" August 8th , she went home. Her death is the number one reason why this new blog has begun. I went to post i the other blog and quite frankly it just didn't seem to fit our family anymore. I think grief does that. It changes who you are. Sort of takes your insides out ....stomps on it , then God picks them up and puts them back in....but their never really put back in the way they were before.
Our little emmy drowned in our swimming pool. I look back on that day and I cringe...I hurt, I almost plea with myself to take that thought out of your head, least it happen. Of course then I need to remind myself that it did indeed happen and our little girl is away. not gone, but away. I dont see her as gone. I cannot see her as gone. I see her walking a few steps ahead of us in a place that is so amazing and we will be joining her when our time here is through. We are not for here , we are for something higher, bigger and she is there already.
I see things differently now, with alot more clarity, which is why I have decided to share this journey. This blog will not be only about grief, though there will be aspects of such. It will be about our farm also. About our simple life...and how you too can make a commitment to simplicity...however small, if that is where you feel God is leading.
I have learned alot about myself , my family, God and death in the last 8 weeks. Lessons I would have preferred not to see, but I looked death straight in the face and was forced to accept the loss that that leaves. I am no longer afraid. If God can get me through this, I can accomplish anything. Everything with His grace. I have been lead to start this ministry of healing and have been support by Gods hands and feet as they express to me how much they want to see more of my thoughts and feelings in writing. I feel honoured to share our journey with you , however also terrified. I ask that you keep me accountable in my sharing. Because though there are things that are hard to talk about, I think that is exactly why I need to keep sharing.
Emily -Rose didn't fear anything. Every morning she woke with joy in her eyes and peace in her spirit. She lived each day with a smile on her face and everyday wanted to make sure she filled it full....I had a passion to make sure she accomplished that. I see that as a gift from God. Emmy being the fifth it would have been easy for me to just sort of rush through. But I didn't....I held onto every second with her. I thought at the time that it was because she might be my last....but now I see this was God telling me to take my time, as she doesn't have alot.
I miss her in all the little things that she did, said, walked, grew, giggled, cried. even in the way she took a bath. everything in my life reminds me of her, and it hurts. As I sit here with tears flowing from the depths of my soul, I have a smile on my face. The same things that cause me pain, bring me also immense amounts of joy. I miss holding her little body in my arms, and her smell that never seem to change. I am so happy that God gave me a chance to have even a little piece of her. That was a gift. Her being placed in my arms at all was a gift. I have realised that this life is not about asking why did something have to die , its more about asking why did they have to live in the first place. I am and will continue to be a mama of at least five, because even though God has taken her to be with Him, I still have a responsibility to her. I am responsible to continue to love and to remember her . I have a responsibility to live my life in a way that places me with her , with our Saviour when my time comes. I also have a responsibility to live this life as if today was my last because quite frankly it could be. I didn't know that when I ate supper that night , that that would be the last time I would get her dinner ready for her. I didn't know that that afternoon when I held her and breathed her in , that that would be last time. I didn't know that I would change her last diaper on that evening. But I do know that I wouldn't do anything differently. I would have done the same things over if given the chance. I might have made dinner last longer....but overall ...I would do the same things over. I miss my little girl...I miss her so deeply that it physically hurts most days...but were healing and were growing. I would like to share this journey with you if your willing.
This is only the beginning of a small trip on a great journey that only starts after we die....I know that now and will treat it as such. RIP Emily-Rose , I love you with all my soul.
Be well all
In His Love
Sarah Walker
We are the Walkers, and were so glad that you have found us on this rainy day in October. Wow, I just typed October, that's so odd. We have had a blog before here, but we thought that it would be good to start a new...again....because our lives have changed...again. God has had us on a bit of a whirlwind tour os of late, and quite frankly I cant keep up. Good news is , I font have to. Alas, I am happy that God has lead us and carried us through, so there really is not anything to complain about. God is funny that way.
My name is Sarah , for those who are unawares. I am a Christian Helpmeet wife and Mother of five. I say five , with some hesitation .... We lost our darling Emily-Rose this summer at the age of "almost two" August 8th , she went home. Her death is the number one reason why this new blog has begun. I went to post i the other blog and quite frankly it just didn't seem to fit our family anymore. I think grief does that. It changes who you are. Sort of takes your insides out ....stomps on it , then God picks them up and puts them back in....but their never really put back in the way they were before.
Our little emmy drowned in our swimming pool. I look back on that day and I cringe...I hurt, I almost plea with myself to take that thought out of your head, least it happen. Of course then I need to remind myself that it did indeed happen and our little girl is away. not gone, but away. I dont see her as gone. I cannot see her as gone. I see her walking a few steps ahead of us in a place that is so amazing and we will be joining her when our time here is through. We are not for here , we are for something higher, bigger and she is there already.
I see things differently now, with alot more clarity, which is why I have decided to share this journey. This blog will not be only about grief, though there will be aspects of such. It will be about our farm also. About our simple life...and how you too can make a commitment to simplicity...however small, if that is where you feel God is leading.
I have learned alot about myself , my family, God and death in the last 8 weeks. Lessons I would have preferred not to see, but I looked death straight in the face and was forced to accept the loss that that leaves. I am no longer afraid. If God can get me through this, I can accomplish anything. Everything with His grace. I have been lead to start this ministry of healing and have been support by Gods hands and feet as they express to me how much they want to see more of my thoughts and feelings in writing. I feel honoured to share our journey with you , however also terrified. I ask that you keep me accountable in my sharing. Because though there are things that are hard to talk about, I think that is exactly why I need to keep sharing.
Emily -Rose didn't fear anything. Every morning she woke with joy in her eyes and peace in her spirit. She lived each day with a smile on her face and everyday wanted to make sure she filled it full....I had a passion to make sure she accomplished that. I see that as a gift from God. Emmy being the fifth it would have been easy for me to just sort of rush through. But I didn't....I held onto every second with her. I thought at the time that it was because she might be my last....but now I see this was God telling me to take my time, as she doesn't have alot.
I miss her in all the little things that she did, said, walked, grew, giggled, cried. even in the way she took a bath. everything in my life reminds me of her, and it hurts. As I sit here with tears flowing from the depths of my soul, I have a smile on my face. The same things that cause me pain, bring me also immense amounts of joy. I miss holding her little body in my arms, and her smell that never seem to change. I am so happy that God gave me a chance to have even a little piece of her. That was a gift. Her being placed in my arms at all was a gift. I have realised that this life is not about asking why did something have to die , its more about asking why did they have to live in the first place. I am and will continue to be a mama of at least five, because even though God has taken her to be with Him, I still have a responsibility to her. I am responsible to continue to love and to remember her . I have a responsibility to live my life in a way that places me with her , with our Saviour when my time comes. I also have a responsibility to live this life as if today was my last because quite frankly it could be. I didn't know that when I ate supper that night , that that would be the last time I would get her dinner ready for her. I didn't know that that afternoon when I held her and breathed her in , that that would be last time. I didn't know that I would change her last diaper on that evening. But I do know that I wouldn't do anything differently. I would have done the same things over if given the chance. I might have made dinner last longer....but overall ...I would do the same things over. I miss my little girl...I miss her so deeply that it physically hurts most days...but were healing and were growing. I would like to share this journey with you if your willing.
This is only the beginning of a small trip on a great journey that only starts after we die....I know that now and will treat it as such. RIP Emily-Rose , I love you with all my soul.
Be well all
In His Love
Sarah Walker
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