Sunshine Skies

After days of gloom and rain, the lugubrious voice of the presenter on the radio this morning read out a forecast of yet another day when grey skies would drip down upon us. 

I’m just back from a walk under fairly clear blue skies, pretty mild temperatures for January in Scotland and respite from the powerful winds which have buffeted us over the last few days and weeks.

As I rounded a corner in the path, the few clouds there were began to take on the pink tinge of dawn and before I reached the next bend, the sun reached out in glorious golden rays, refreshing the landscape and my spirit.

There are several points of uncertainty in my life just now. As I rehearsed one of the more worrying ones silently during breakfast, I was reminded – in the old King James version’s words – ‘sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof’. In other words, there’s enough to think about today without worrying about what might or might not happen tomorrow.

Then our daily reading took us deep into the Old Testament and the story of a king called Jehoshaphat. When faced with an overpowering army marching on his nation, he turned to God and prayed, ‘We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ (2 Chronicles 20:12) God then spoke through a prophet, advising that the battle was his, and just to march out praising him.

Praise is powerful. Not because it is a weapon against any enemy particularly, but because it raises our faith level. It reminds us of the integrity of our God. It reaffirms deep within us our core belief that our God is a loving, good God, who has given up his son to death on a cross so that we might share a relationship with him forever. He is smiling at me – and at you – right now. He only has our best in mind. He loves us truly, madly and deeply. And when I praise Him, I remember that, and my love for him is deepened, too. 

So whatever the January challenges are, today I am praising my God and my King, my Lord Jesus Christ, because I know that he is for me. And if he is for me, who can be against me?

Tangled Locks

One of the lovely things about Dusty is her long hair. When groomed, the long black curls look very attractive.

Unfortunately, though, she is one of those rare dogs which hates to be brushed. She moves off as quickly as she can when the brush comes out. So I don’t do it very often, and by the time I do, the dreadlocks have formed behind her ears, clumped into matted twists of hair pressed hard to her skin. They form in other places, too, and are equally challenging to deal with.

Eventually, I will take her to the groomers, though that in itself is a huge challenge because she becomes so agitated she needs sedating, and even then is not easy. Once or twice they’ve shaved the knots off while she was knocked out by the vet for other reasons. 

Sometimes that which is most attractive in us can turn ugly. Power – when used for good, it can be so beautiful, but how often it gets hold of the powerful and corrupts them completely. Wealth – money can be such a blessing to others when it is used generously by those who have plenty of it, but how often it gets hold of the rich and makes them mean and greedy.

Blessings from God are to be sought, but so, too, is wisdom from him as to how to use those blessings, be they temporal or spiritual. 

Help me, Lord, not to let your blessings become a tangled dreadlock pressing hard on my heart. May your blessings to me today flow through me and out into this world in which I live.

Stormy Weather

The wind is fierce outside today, bending trees low and flinging cold raindrops every which way. Down south there are floods; here it is just very windy, and wet and gray. Not sure how long it is forecast to last.

Inside my stomach another fierce storm is churning things up. I’ve picked up the bug that is plaguing the area right now, and just hope that it is limited to 24 hours. 

The year has just begun, yet all around me I see people contending with stormy weather in their lives. Financial challenges. Ill health. Untimely death. Homesickness. Grief. 

The list goes on.

The Bible recounts a time when Jesus’ friends had set sail on the Sea of Galilee at night. A fierce storm blew up and threatened to overwhelm them, and just at a point when they were near despair, they woke Jesus up and begged for his help. 

After gently scolding them for having so little faith, he turned to the wild wind and weather and commanded, ‘Peace, be still’. And immediately the wind and waves subsided and peace was restored.

May you and I call out to Jesus for help today with the storms raging in our lives, and may we all hear the his voice commanding the storms, ‘Peace, be still!’

Challenging Times

‘In this world you will have trouble,’ Jesus told his friends, ‘but take heart, I have overcome the world.’

You start the new year full of hope and even vague expectation that it is going to be great. Of course it’s just another month but there is something cathartic about taking down the old calendar (if you’re like me and not yet sold on the advantages of linked up Google diaries) and putting up the new.

It’s a clean slate. Anything could happen. You’ve identified those things which tripped you up last year. You’ve declared you won’t let that happen again. So, there should be no problem with getting on with a new vision, realizing a new (or even an old but as yet unfulfilled) dream.

And then the new year starts. And if yours is anything like mine, already there have been a few glitches. Only three days into it and we’ve had a sickness bug, a problem at work, a dog who looked like she was on her last legs and then, miraculously, has picked up again. And I just don’t seem to be getting on with anything much. Keep getting distracted and then having another cup of coffee. Or reading a newspaper. Or eating a sugar cookie.

Well, I don’t know about you but I am so grateful that Jesus has overcome the world, and that as big as some problems seem, as yucky and unpalatable as some are, he is still with me. He is still whispering into my heart words of encouragement, words of love. He hasn’t stopped believing in me and wanting to help me to realize some of those dreams.

And he’s whispering those words of encouragement into your heart, too. So take time to listen. I’m about to slip into my prayer alcove and shut out the world. Because in it, we will have trouble.

Thank God for Jesus.

The Benefits of a Good Pruning

I’d forgotten that I had a view of the hill from my kitchen window, because the Leylandi had obscured it for so long.

Then Don trimmed some of the lower branches. Wow!

Not only has the view been restored, and much enjoyed as it faces west and allows me to soak in the glory of some amazing sunsets, but wind resistance has been decreased, giving the tree a better chance of keeping a grip on the ground.

Some things which have become a part of us are not good for us. For instance, my aim in life is to live a life which is as transparent as possible, so that others can glimpse God. Not that I am holy and living a perfect life, but that when I mess up, others can see God’s grace at work within me. When I am under pressure, others can see God’s strength pulling me through. When I am falling apart, others can see God pulling me back together. 

But if I have allowed unhelpful ‘branches’ to grow – perhaps some personality traits which are not very godly – then the view of God becomes restricted, or even obliterated.

So at the beginning of 2014, I am opening myself up to the divine Gardener to prune off those bits which are really restricting a view of God and resisting the fresh wind of his Holy Spirit. 

And I am aiming to sink my roots deeper into Jesus in the process.

Happy New Year.