Rather be happy ....

I watched a movie about Bill Maher's search for God - Religulous. It was rather interesting but his intentions seemed mixed between 1) simply wanting to make a comedy, 2) confirming his disbelief and needing the world's support, and 3) perhaps a deep sense of really wanting to know.

I see religion, in the sense of it being man's make-up of beliefs and rules about God, and God & His actual Word, can be quite disparate, and the spirit of the law compared to the letter of the law.

I think he would have found more if he had read the Bible before exploring the people (who are going to be imperfect anywhere - glad he didn't come my way :)) and also the historical facts of Jesus recorded by non-believing historians AT THAT PRECISE TIME, both of which, he seemed somewhat lacking in knowledge.

Upon thinking, I decided, that even if I was wrong in what I believe, I'd rather be happy believing that I have a plan and purpose, and experience the joy I feel when I trust I am doing God's will, and that He's taking care of me, to that of feeling my life is just here today and gone tomorrow, and therefore of little or no consequence.

I don't see how we can go wrong if we live by the precept of LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF, as Jesus summed up the law in relation to others. I think there is a sense of eternity in all of our hearts ...... ?

RELATIONSHIPS – LIKENED TO PLANTS

(This is true in many factors – but obviously not all)

When we embark on a relationship we should have a priority of being committed to making it work. If that basic factor is missing, we are not ready for one.

If we wish to have a plant in our garden, we may go to a nursery to procure a seedling. When we find one to our liking we then take it home to plant.

We then take the necessary steps to ensure the seedling has the best opportunity for growth and we invest our time and effort into doing so.

We then have to carefully tender the plant – watering it, ensuring the weather conditions are correct, fertilizing it and weeding around it to make sure our other plants don’t smother it or crowd it out completely.

If it shows signs of disease or weakness we then take the steps required to strengthen it or cure the disease.

All the time we are doing this – our focus remains and is constant on how lovely the plant will be when it is fully grown and what an asset it will be to our garden or what a harvest it will bring.

Now in many aspects relationships can be likened to this.

Firstly, most people easily take the first couple of steps. But then fall completely short of all the rest.

We expect our relationship to grow and flourish in the absence of all that is necessary to make it so – which in the light of our intelligence, is ironic.

After the initial planting, some people expect to reap an immediate harvest. They don’t expect to have to invest much more of themselves – if anything – but expect all to be well and good in the relationship. Or expect the plant to overnight be full grown and exactly how we envisioned it from the start.

If we see a sign of trouble (disease), instead of doing all necessary to correct the situation, we often thinking of uprooting our plant – and may actually keep doing so – and then replanting – until the plant (relationship) is completely dead.

Current contemporary focus is NOT on a constant commitment to carry it thru, or on a happy ending that takes any effort. We, too often, are easily side-tracked on escape, avoidance or some other negative focus. Even wondering if the right decision was made in the first place – usually putting a hold on all effort (eg watering and the rest) during those periods.
This would not generally happen with a plant and our intelligence should tell us that this is NOT the way to success – but uncannily we often think LESS of relationships than we do of plants, and then often constantly wonder “what’s going wrong?”

Unlike when a plant is planted, and thoughts are towards seeing the plant in full growth, people often go from nursery to nursery having a look in case there might be a BETTER plant so we can uproot the one we’ve got and replace it. Or one might not only look, but actually keep getting new plants and uprooting the old ones. Never ever finding the amazing joy, love and intimacy that a relationship can bring.

OLD MIND SETS

Inside every one of us is a picture of God formed by what we have read, what we have been taught, our personal experiences and our past memories and feelings. We can actually have two pictures of God – what we learn we should believe about Him and what we actually do believe.

What you learn about God has to filter down through the existing beliefs in your MIND. This fact is not always understood and many people assume scripturally correct teaching will automatically clear up any wrong ideas someone might have about God. Theoretically, scripturally correct teaching on trust, love and faith should enable anyone to trust and love God with complete faith. And it will – eventually.

The problem is, even correct truth cannot always penetrate a soul that is filled with strongholds. God can sovereignly impart revelation knowledge any time He wants to, but I believe His work of renewal occurs within the framework of our minds, wills, emotions, memories, experiences and beliefs. He does not change, bypass or override. He just keeps offering His love and truth until we finally become willing to exchange our old beliefs and ideas for them.

An unrenewed mind, rigid in mind-sets formed from wrong sources, can distort the most beautiful spiritual truth. There needs to be a continuing process of washing in the Word.

Most minds come into the state of salvation stubbornly filled with old attitudes, wrong patterns of thinking and often some pretty strange ideas. Many of these old ideas and attitudes will be protected by self-erected strongholds.

The key to receiving renewal as fast as possible is to tear down the strongholds around these wrong mind sets. Unfortunately, some never accomplish this, instead, they spend their entire lives trying to intermingle their concepts of God with His truth.

Many people have formed their concept of God from old ideas rather than the truth. This is why some believers never seem to get past believing that God accepts them only when they measure up and angrily turns away when they fail. There are untold numbers who have never truly accepted God as a nurturing and loving parent, loving them unconditionally, and always ready to encourage their development. Rather, they picture Him as saying, “Nope, that’s still not good enough.” This does not come from God. It comes from an old mind-set that keeps them from receiving the truth.

Liberty Savard - Shattering Your Strongholds

Letter to a friend ... boundaries

Hiya

How you?

I was thinking about my life and what it may have in common with yours.

Previously I was run ragged trying to meet the demands and requests of all those around me, especially my family, where I believed it to be my responsibility.

This morning I thought it like a geyser. It only gives out so much hot water (KEEPS A RESERVE SO IT DOESN’T BLOW) and then has to fill up again before it can give more.

I was tending not only not to wait until being refilled and heated up (my own self not being taken care of) but I was running out the reserve too and obviously that’s why I used to land up “blowing” or “popping” and going off the rails feeling like I couldn’t cope – which I wasn’t and couldn’t – and that my efforts were unrewarded.

I have been trying to look deeply into the motives and reasons of why I do everything. For this the two main factors seems to have been and are the cause of this:

• Guilt – and wanting to make up for what I felt I had done wrong or where I had failed
• For worth – wanting to be needed and loved and feel worthwhile
• To sort of “play God” and be the source of others’ happiness.

I have got less guilt than I had before but still the other points have been causing problems in my life. As it is a journey without end like a dog chasing its tail.

Just thinking about this, it not unusual for people to turn the tap on when there no water in the geyser but the geyser does not give water when it has not filled up and there nothing unexpected or unusual about that yet people can expect us to give out of a depleted resource when we have got to the end of what we are capable of giving. It is our job to inform them when we are not able to.

This can create guilt in us if we expect ourselves to deliver the impossible (which I have tried to do for years) or we realise that we are human and limited and have a right and a NEED to fill up before we give again. And I even felt guilt if I didn’t pour out my whole reserve!!!!

I am trying to learn how to fill up – without depending on others – by finding peace and tranquillity with God, doing things that bring ME satisfaction, and doing things that I WANT to do just cos I want to, be with friends, etc.

This is not selfish – but necessary – FOR EVERYONE ! It is as good for them as it is for you !!

A popped geyser is no use to anyone and the difficult part is establishing in the minds of those who expected you to give and give and give without end that there is an END (for a time) and it not forever and there is a time for YOU!
I am still having difficulties with that. Cos I will have a queue of people wanting me to do something and they say they just got ONE LITTLE thing but they are after ten other little things and they don’t like hearing NO. But sometimes NO is the only way I gonna survive and even if what they want is necessary (just as a warm bath is) the geyser must be allowed to fill up. I am trying to stand firm and protect myself and that will mean protecting them too, even if they don’t realise it.

I have discovered that people are never satisfied, made happy or will never make me feel worthwhile (even tho I don’t seem to stop trying) – and so the responsibility is our own. I want to find my worth in God and be satisfied with my life for myself and not have this temperamental satisfaction from others which often goes away as soon as I stop performing for them. For others it is never enough. So I want to do what is just enough for me and what I feel to be enough for them.

I hope this makes sense. And I hope that I can succeed. It’s just that you seem to be run ragged, like I so often feel, and stressed because in the end it doesn’t seem to ever achieve the result hoped for and I sure identify with that.

Lots of love
Trace
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anger ... thwarted goals

I was once told that anger is generated when something or someone stands between yourself and a goal.

I have often found this to be a good way of identifying goals that were unknown or hidden, even from myself. For instance I felt resentment toward someone and this weekend when I was trying to think of "why" I realised that my primary goal is to feel worthwhile, an asset to my family firstly and then to humanity, and he had, by his unkind words, tried to "convince me" that I'm not. It obviously wasn't his blatant intention but nonetheless that was the result.

I believe that if I succeed in finding my worth in the truth of what God says, that people's opinions won't devastate me as much as it is more difficult for people to come between a vertical relationship with God than a horizontal relationship with man. If that makes sense?

In the meantime seeing the problem for what it is makes it easier to cope with and face up to and perhaps find a constructive solution.

So next time you're angry, take a moment, you could find out something about yourself that you never knew. Step back and look at "why" and your goals may become more obvious to you.

Signposts ... Knowing God's will

When he was crossing the Irish Channel one dark starless night, Dr Meyer stood on the deck by the Captain and asked him, “How do you know Holyhead Harbour on so dark a night as this?”
He said, “You see those three lights? Those three must line up behind each other as one, and when we see them so united we know the exact position of the harbour’s mouth.”

When we want to know God’s will there are three things which always concur – the inward impulse, the Word of God and the trend of circumstances!

• God in the heart, impelling you forward
• God in the Book, corroborating whatever He says in the heart
• And God in circumstances, which are indicative of His will

NEVER START UNTIL THESE THREE THINGS AGREE.

Stand still at the crossroads ready to walk or run, and you will not be kept waiting long.

When we’re not quite certain if we turn to left or right – isn’t it a blessing when a signpost looms in sight! If there were no signposts we should wander miles astray – in the wrong direction if we didn’t know the way – or if we rushed ahead before waiting to see them.

God has set His signposts on Life’s strange and winding road. When we’re blindly stumbling with the burden of our load – He will lead our footsteps through the pathway twist and bend – In some form He guides us, through the Book, a song, a friend ...

In the dark, uncertain hours, we need not be afraid – When we’re at the crossroads, and decisions must be made ... Though the track is unfamiliar, and the light is grey – rest assured, there’s bound to be a signpost on the way.

Let us be silent unto Him, and believe that, even now, messengers are hastening along the road with the summons, or direction or help which we need.

Patience Strong