Demands on my time.

The demands on our time will be different depending on our age, gender, marital or family circumstances, employment, volunteer activities, faith communities, recreational and sports commitments etc. etc.

We are all different and unique, as are our lives.

The demands on our time are different.

Spouses, children, grandchildren, parents (elderly or otherwise), bosses, co-workers, employees, team mates, and friends, can all make demands on our time spoken, or unspoken but expected.

Sometimes we juggle our time and relationships with others, as if we are spinning plates hoping that none of them crash to the ground. I have definitely felt that sensation in some seasons of my life.

There are demands on our time, and they never seem to go away. Even if we are blessed to be able to have a "holiday" often certain demands on our time remain.

I wrote at the beginning we are all different. There is one thing that is the same for us all.

God doesn't demand our time.

He doesn't put pressure on us to spend time with Him.

This is the beauty of having a totally free will relationship with God.

He loves us, and we can choose to love Him.

He is with us all the time, and we can choose to be conscious of His presence with us and interact with Him.

Herein lies the tragedy of free will, because we can reject His love, and reject the invitation to be consciously with Him throughout our days.

He does not force us to spend time with Him, or try to make us feel bad if we don't give Him time in our day. He doesn't nag us, or manipulate us, or show self pity because we have let Him down in some way, or remind us of what we could have done better. (Do any of these sound familiar to our human interactions?) 

He is.

And He invites us into a relationship with Him.

And part of that relationship involves our free will choice to spend time in His presence, both speaking to Him and listening to Him.

Jesus, when asked which was the greatest commandment, said;

Matthew 22:37 "...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."

A relationship founded on love, not on demands on our time.

The question we need to ask ourselves, and answer honestly, is this;

How are we responding to this invitation to love God,

and how are we responding to this with our free will choice and our time,

however many demands on it that we currently have?

Remembrance 2

We can forget God's faithfulness to us.

This was going to be an issue for the nation of Israel, and Moses warned the people about it. 

Deuteronomy 8:2 "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not."

He reminds them about what God has done for them, and gives them a warning.

Deuteronomy 8:19 "Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish."

Remembrance was going to be vital to their relationship with God, and it is to ours as well. 

If we forget how God has brought us out of our own particular Egypt and done miraculous works in our lives, then we are very likely to find ourselves following the modern versions of other gods, or believing that where we are now in life is all because of our own merit and strength.

Psalm 103 puts the challenge of remembrance so beautifully.

Psalm 103:1-5 "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Positive remembrance is a powerful force that can lift our faith, and reassure us in times when we are facing the manifestations of the enemy's kingdom on the Earth. 

David, when faced with Goliath, remembered how God had given him strength in defeating the lion and the bear that had come to attack his sheep.

1 Samuel 17:37 "Moreover David said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine..."

Now I'm not trying to stretch this to say David spent five minutes a day being quiet before the Lord. I think being a shepherd he probably had way more opportunity to be silent before the Lord than five minutes. 

Of course this was when he wasn't actively worshipping and praising God out loud, and leaving us a multitude of wonderful psalms to help us connect what we experience in our lives to our faith in God.

David's life was not crowded out with an intensely active media invasion.

Our lives often are.

Positive remembrance is an important part of our relationship with God that can sometimes be missed in our talking, busy, thinking of ourselves or others' prayer life. 

We need to spend some moments in silence. 

We need to allow time for God to bring to our remembrance the good things He has done for us. 

The enemy will have a harder time pushing us off track if we have remembered God's goodness as we wait quietly in His presence, allowing Him to remind us of His great faithfulness in our lives.

Psalm 77:11 "I will remember the works of the Lord: Surely I will remember Your wonders of old."

Remembrance 1

I find the Scriptures relating to when Jesus was giving His last words to His disciples so powerful and encouraging. The account in the Gospel of John shows what is important to Jesus, and what He wants His disciples to really understand and remember when He lays down His life for them and for all people. 

Of course they all, except Judas, will see Him again as the risen Christ, but this is a concentrated time of sharing His Kingdom vision and truth, and preparing them for the future.

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." 

When will the Holy Spirit do this?

Of course He can do this at any time, in any place, and in any situation.

But what if our minds and thoughts are so full of other things that there is no time and place for remembrance.

What if we fall short of the mark God has set for us, because we have not taken the time to remember His words of life?

What if our thoughts, then actions, hurt those around us, because the Holy Spirit has not been given the opportunity to bring to our memory the words of Jesus about loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

It would be foolish to think five minutes is a complete amount of time for the Holy Spirit, but what if there is no time available in a day for Him to act as our beloved Counselor to prevent pain from occurring in our own or others' lives.

He wants to bring the words of Jesus back to our minds, but He needs us to actually be listening to His voice.

Some modern trends of the expression of Christianity seem so far away from Jesus' actual teachings to be almost unrecognizable as discipleship. It seems to be more of a form of humanism and consumerism with a gloss of religious outward content.

Mankind seems well and truly at the center, and Jesus is allowed to be a figure of historical importance somewhere on the outskirts of the gathering. I sometimes wonder if Jesus did actually turn up at a Christian event whether anyone would notice Him.

I don't mean this to sound like a harsh judgment, but it is an observation of what I see these days.

I believe this must grieve God, because His Holy Spirit is willing to bring to remembrance the words of Jesus to whoever is willing to listen.

Are we willing?

Are we listening?

Do we give God any time in our days, or do we rush to the next Christian gathering using words about giving God the glory, without actually listening to what He would say to us personally.

Listening to a great and inspiring preacher is not the same as allowing the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit to bring life changing remembrance of Jesus' words, counsel and help.

Do we want to go deeper in our relationship with God and truly be a disciple of Jesus?

Spending five minutes actively listening to God every day is a good beginning. We will never know how much treasure He has for us until we decide to begin. 

Can I have a minute?

Can I have a minute,

just to breathe,

to sit and be still,

and not respond immediately

to everything

and everyone.

Can I have a minute,

to pause,

to reflect,

to not rush past

the 'Selah' of your Word.

Can I have a minute

to grieve,

to recognize 

what I have lost,

and how my life

has changed irrevocably.

Can I have a minute

to choose to say no

to the ever flowing

tide of information,

that demands

something of my soul.

Can I have a minute

to just

be.

I wrote this poem in 2024, a few months after my beloved Dad died. It was a time of turmoil for me with other external challenges and personal health issues. My soul was completely wrung out, and I was struggling to respond with trust towards God and grace to others.

Have you ever experienced a season like that in life, when just getting to the end of each day seems like a major achievement?

Others often don't realize the depths of despair our souls have reached. We are exhausted and empty, and we just want a minute to recover.

Of course we need much more than a minute, but we use this classic phrase because we don't want to seem too desperate, needy, struggling, or overwhelmed.

A minute is such a tiny amount of time, but our brains register it is enough to give respite.

Do you think God sometimes wants to say that to us?

Can I have a minute?

Of course, He is totally fine and not in need of anything, but He looks at us with such intense love in His eyes as we collapse in a heap when no one else is watching us.

He sees us.

He loves us so much.

He would love to have more than just a minute with us, because He knows how much grace, hope, strength, comfort, and love He can pour into our lives if we give Him our attention in the midst of our struggles.

Maybe the pain and trauma won't disappear immediately. Maybe there won't be an outward shift in circumstances. My Dad wasn't coming back to me, however much I grieved losing him.

But there was something else, significant and profound, as I gave God some minutes. I understood God was with me, that He would never leave me or forsake me, and He would be faithfully present with me each time I chose to be still in His presence. The powerful truths contained in Psalm 23 have become more real in my life journey.

There is comfort to be experienced in our time with God, and a growing revelation of what a gift eternity will be, to always be with Him and with others who have also responded to the free gift of salvation through Jesus. 

Psalm 23:1-6

"The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever."

Try Something New

Try something new! 

This sounds like a phrase from an advertising campaign that is trying to jolt people out of their regular routines.

This is hard, because we like things that are familiar and habitual to us. This is one reason why we find it hard to give up bad habits and start good new ones.

We are creatures of comfort most of the time, and don't like change unless it has been explained to us in a positive and meaningful way (hence my attempts in this blog).

Often our unspoken fear of failure or looking foolish to other people inhibits our once free to roam childhood curiosity.

I have read information about multi-directional thinking which I find fascinating, as I am definitely an example of a creature of comfort/not great with change without meaningful explanation.

Children and adults are clearly different as we know, and one of the differences is how they think.

Children rely on divergent thinking. They don't have a fully developed prefrontal cortex, and respond to life with curiosity and play. 

They have few biases, and are not afraid to be wrong (high risk tolerance). Their thought processes are chaotic and associative (look at most children's bedrooms before they are tidied), and they are great at generating ideas. 

Adults rely (mainly) on logic and efficiency. Their prefrontal cortex is fully mature, and they can respond to life with deep focus and systematic thinking.

They have a high level of bias shaped by experience (we know this). Often their risk tolerance is low with a fear of failure or judgment. They are (more) organized and systematic, and are great at implementing ideas (unless they are struggling with procrastination!)

I wonder if this difference in thinking between children and adults, is one of the other reasons why Jesus spoke to His disciples in Matthew 18:2-3

"Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

He was clearly teaching about letting go of pride and the desire to be the greatest. He talks about being humble as a little child. 

What if by saying "unless you are converted and become as little children" He was also talking about our thought processes and subsequent actions when it comes to entering the kingdom of heaven?

We clearly can't physically become little children again, so Jesus is talking about our thoughts, will and emotions, and then how we interact with those around us.

What if this also speaks to how we interact in our relationship with God through our thoughts, will and emotions in His kingdom?

What if it means being willing to respond with curiosity,

 to put aside our bias formed through past experiences,

 to risk something without fear of failure,

 and to be open to a new idea?

Like spending five minutes silent and listening to God each day?

The long way home

 Sometimes after we get to the end of ourselves, we get to the metaphorical end of the line, and realize we should go back in the direction we came from. It is hard, because we tend to be stubborn in some measure, and generally unwilling to admit we are wrong.

Sometimes we don't just get to the end of the line, but the wheels come off, and we crash secretly or spectacularly, but either way we know we have greatly sinned.

We are in company with multitudes of others who have also sinned. Let's see how the Bible puts it...

Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

This definitively includes everyone, so that any of us who likes to point a finger at others, should stop what we are doing and ask God for mercy.

The account of the Prodigal son is an amazing story of God's love. Read it in the Gospel of Luke 15:11-32.  The Father runs to the returning and repentant son, and then showers the son with blessing and love.

So why do we avoid eye contact with God when we find ourselves sitting in the misery of our own not so great decisions?

He is waiting for us, like the father of the prodigal son, looking out for us to see if we have started to move towards Him. We sit in the pigsty we have chosen, and think it is better to hide from God (as if He doesn't know everything already), than come to our senses, repent and return. 

The enemy of God and of our souls would like us to linger permanently in the pigsty. The devil is glad if our avoidance of God because of our sin behavior stretches from days to weeks to years to a lifetime lost.

The devil is fine if we rattle off religious prayers, without truly thinking about or meaning what we are saying. He is fine with everything except us wanting to repent, return and re-establish who we are as sons and daughters of God, in intimate relationship with the One who has created us and loves us so much.

The devil has a real issue with this, because he knows then we will be empowered by God's Holy Spirit to do some radical life changing things in our own existence and in the world around us.

Anything but that....so the devil lies to us that it is a really long way home, and we probably won't make it, and even if we eventually get there, God is still going to be really angry about what we have done, so it is just a lose-lose situation.

Huge lies...but we can believe them, often because other humans have acted that way to us. 

In reality it is not a long way home at all.

God waits for us to turn from our sin, and look to Him for forgiveness, and then to receive His cleansing and grace to move forward again.

This can happen in the minutes of silence when we face God, and allow our eyes to turn to Him again, to start this process of return. We may find we are enveloped in the Father's love, before we can get to the end of what we intend to say about our unworthiness.

God loves us. 

Forgiveness is waiting for us as we turn to Him again. 

Don't believe the lie that it is a long way home.

Sense and Sensibility

 Okay, I'm a Jane Austen appreciator. I don't want to use the word "fan" because it is short for "fanatic", and nowadays that can have some seriously negative connotations. So let's just say I appreciate her writing, and much of her nuanced literary examinations of peoples' emotions and subsequent actions within the settings of her time. 

One of her novels, "Sense and Sensibility" looks at the Dashwood sisters as they navigate the twists and turns of life and love. Really not much has changed today except for there being a lack of balls to attend, and everyone wears more casual/scruffy/gym wear clothes most of the time.

Anyway to my point. Human nature doesn't change. Civilizations rise and fall, external dress codes vary, society expectations alter through time periods, but humans are humans still.

We love, laugh, do or don't dance like someone is watching, and make the same relationship mistakes with each other throughout human history. Starting with Genesis and reading our way through the Old and then New Testament to the very end of Revelation, human behavior has not changed.

Toxic responses, selfish actions, murderous impulses, blame shifting and that is just in Genesis.

God shows us something very clearly through His Word. He shows us His love for the whole world, and He shows us His ultimate remedy to the fall of mankind and plan for salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

He also shows us, among many other things like how to actually live well and safely, that humans are humans from the beginning to the end of human time. 

We crash through the window pane of life hurting ourselves and those around us, often not realizing there is a much better way to experience life.

God would love to show us this better way, and it involves these two areas of response within us, sense and sensibility.

The word "Sense" can mean a physical ability, the five natural ways we as humans experience and interact with the world; sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

It can also mean an inner feeling, like experiencing peace or joy or sadness. It can mean to have good judgment with the phrase "common sense", or to feel or notice something such as sensing danger. 

Spending five minutes with God each day in silence can attune our physical and emotional senses. We can learn to be more aware of God's presence with us, and His guidance through the person of His Holy Spirit. 

To hear His voice is to receive wisdom that we can often not come to in our own ability. We can sense our own emotions when we are quiet too, and be able to release negative ones to God, that are weighing us down or twisting our responses to others.

There is so much here of the richness of relationship with God that He wants us to experience, but we are too often busy crashing through another window pane of life.

The word "Sensibility" means the ability to feel, react or understand deep emotions in response to positive things of life, such as an appreciation of beauty in the physical world, music, literature, art or culture. It can also mean a person's delicate feelings that can be easily hurt or offended.

God is very able to help us in both these areas too, to help us to appreciate the good aspects of life, and bring healing where we have interacted with negative aspects of life and been hurt.

God is so good. There is nothing stopping us from spending time with Him each day. 

Except ourselves.

If we need some help in the areas of "sense" or "sensibility" He is there, waiting for us to let Him respond to what we have said to Him (or want to say to Him) about all our issues of life as humans, whatever era we live in.