Laugh

We laugh.
It makes us feel better.
Covers up and relieves pain.

The best laughter is genuine.
Sometimes we just keep laughing.
For it is more preferable than sorrow.

We can be are released from our troubles.
When we let others it makes us truly happy.
So we continue to relish in that sensation.

Good company consists of those we laugh with.
People whose laughter is contagious.
So when was the last time you laughed?

Not a Barbie Doll

I am not a Barbie Doll.
My body is not perfect.
I don't tick all the boxes.

My body is loved as is.
All bumps, bones and curves.
I work to achieve my goals.

Being real is better.
Working for what you wait for makes you value it.
Causing you to not just get, but learn and grow.

Thank-you Father for the ability to choose.
The choice to be real.
The ability to look beneath the surface.

Little Things

Sometimes on the grey days and the black days,
we are prone to focus on the darkness.
But it is far better to look at the shoots and the stars.
Those little stars in the bleak blackness.

A call from a friend.
A walk with the dog.
A good book that makes you laugh.

All of these are can lift the weight off you.
Each little thing helps.
They don't have to be complex.

A hug rather than a worried look.
A small task completed for you.
A meal made for you.

Just little things, but they make life worth continuing.
Every little sensation.
A taste. A touch. A feel. A smell.

Thank You God for all the little things.
For even when there is darkness all around...
I will choose to fix my eyes upon the little things.
Starting with a breath and ending with a poem.

Shared...

'It is not good for man to be alone'
Genesis 2:18

So many things are better when shared.
Shared, experienced and treasured by two. 

When you stand still in awe and wonder there is no one there to hear your exclamation.
When you stand together you share your thoughts, conjectures, and perceptions.

Trees need a Xylem and a Phloem to function.
To be healthy, to grow, and support one another as each day passes.
They are together as one.

Good relationships are like trees.

When two people are devoted to caring for one another.
When two people can share faith, values, goals, beliefs...
slowly becoming of the same heart, soul and mind.

Of course, due to the presentence of sin, this isn't always the case.
We let each other down sometimes, forget the needs of the other and want things done our way.
Yet with God's help and intervention repairing the damage is possible.
If only we are willing and humble enough, to ask for his guidance and his aid.

I pray that my relationship will grow to be like a tree one of these days...

Dogs

They are a unique species. 

No animal comes in so many varieties. 

From the St Bernard to the scruffy Mutt, 

to the little Jack Russell, each has its own personality.

They each possess so many abilities. 

Police dog, companion, Blind dog, 

specifically trained therapy dogs for PTSD, 

Epilepsy, and even those who help people with CP (Cerebral Palsy),

 to maintain their balance.  

It's been said that even looking into a dog's eyes

 can generate oxytocin- happiness. 

Dogs can calm, exercise, reduce anxiety and depression, 

give you a reason to look after yourself, 

reassure you that they adore you, no matter how bad things get,

or how many times you may fail.

Dogs make our lives better. Thank you God for dogs.

Words of Faith

“My soul thrusts for you as a parched land thrusts for rain’ Palam 143:6

My soul was parched. My thought was dry. I was out of words. Deflated. Had lost confidence in my beloved God. I was afraid to speak in case, he was indeed, a tyrant.

Then came a sprinkling of hope… It occurred to me that I was not alone. “Others have experienced this before me”, I said to myself. Unlike me they were more objective and logical. Not overcome by emotion, but willing to grapple with the historical and science evidence. Challenging God on uncomfortably raw moral questions. After reading and listening to podcasts, Audiobooks, and talking openly to Atheists I made a discovery. It was this; the fact that intelligent people have done so for centuries. Beginning and continuing to read the book of Job and seeing his words. Words such as these:

“O earth do not conceal my blood. Let it cry out on my behalf. Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high. My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God.” Job 16:18-20 (NLT)

I’m glad that God gave us doubt. Without it I would not have questioned. If you want to truly understand someone you need to ask them questions. It demonstrates that you value that relationship. I want to better know my Father; therefore, I question. That I may see him more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly, day by day (God Spell).

Not to do so would make us complacent. We would not then be restored. Nourished and reassured by his words each day. Comprehending and gratefully accepting Jesus’ death and resurrection.

I once saw engraved on a young women’s gravestone the words;

“I have redeemed thee, I have called the by thy name, thou art mine.”

Conveying to the Atheist: Injustice, imprisonment, despair, anger, scorn and scoffing.

Yet to the Christian…

These words mean hope, joy, and a deep sense of peace.

The question is…

What do these words mean to you?

Emotions

There are times when I’ve yearned for my emotions to simply cease.

But what would that look like? After contemplating the question, I resolved that if we eradicated all feelings… grief, loneliness, comfort, jealously, satisfaction, affection, joy, hatred, compassion, envy, anxiety, dispiar, anger, shame, joy…

Leaving them all behind would destroy our motivation, empathy and sense of purpose.

We need to feel. If we became entirely apathetic we could not feel for others. Never having experienced, and therefore not able to understand, where the other person is and how they are feeling.

It is deeply encouraging to me to know that Jesus knew how painful it can be to live in this world
- but he came regardless.

He came so that we might not endure the estrangement, but the adoption.

So that we may know the happiness amongst the grief. The colour against the black.

For what we did not earn he gave in abundance. He gave his grace. 

A treasure that will never spoil or fade.

Now when emotions make strong attempts to overwhelm me, I will recall him who triumphs.

I will put on the armour of God as I prepare for battle. As I march out surrounded by other Christians, I will remember that I do not struggle alone. With the support of my brothers and sisters, I am not alone. None of us are, God is with us…  Always.

Rain

I've been learning to fully appreciate moments.

In all the chaos, I pause, experiencing the calm in the midst of the storm.

Noticing the breeze and how it moves through everything.

The trees sway and their leaves rustle. 

The clouds float across the sky and shapes form, change and dissipate. 

The birds are guided by the pressure and direction of the wind. 

Time ticks on , yet still I sit, absorbing and valuing each moment.

My eyes continue to scan the landscape. 

The colours of the grass, fading from vivid green to dusty brown.

The varying colours of  tree trunks
-grey, red, blue, silver, merging with the brown. 

The shade, making colours darker and richer.

The sun, making colours brighter and lighter.

Making dappled sunlight fascinating.

Looking up at the sun as it sets,

It draws the eye along with the blues, purples, pinks, oranges, and yellows.

It eventually gives way to deep purple, blue of the sky, and silver of the moon and stars. 

To think that God created all things, just using words.

But I know my words cannot truly express what the eye can see and the heart can feel.

So I would urge everyone to pause and fully appreciate moments.

To find the calm in the midst of the storm.