So my sister - the middle one - she's started her last year of school. She's started it, though in some ways, her last year hadn't really stopped. She's started it and she's got assignments and exams and hours of work pouring out of her ears and working its way into her eyes, her mind and her heart. She and her friends.
And I've spent a fair bit of time with them over this past month - seen them as they've made the most of these holidays before their final year at school. Seen them as they've consolidated and re-affirmed their friendship, determined not to let the threatening tide of grades and performances and ranks wear away at their hearts and their friendships. And It
Each and every one of them is God-fearing. Is loving. Is strong. Is brave. They are wonderful and intelligent, and I have said this before and I will say it again: I am so proud of my beautiful sister, and I thank God for the friends He has put in her life.
And here is a little message from my heart to theirs, and anyone else in a similar position.
Dear brothers and sisters - for such a relationship I can claim through Christ,
The World will try to conform you to their standards. It will seek to tell you that how you perform is all that matters, that what you do is who you are. It will push you to achieve, and achieve regardless of the cost to yourself and to those you love. It will want you to put your trust in your grades - because when your trust is in something so changeable, then you are off balance, unfocused and easy prey for the Enemy that threatens everyone, but especially those who are God's children.
And into this the World will come. The World will what you to act a certain way, to do a certain thing. It may try making you wear a mask, conceal the Truth of your heart and your mind and your soul, because the truth of those three is a powerful light, a candle burning bright. And if you're trust is in the Lord, then it is burning bright with a Truth the World does not wish to face. It burns with the Truth that we have fallen short of the Glory of our Creator. It burns with the Truth that we are imperfect. And this the world has no desire to hear, no desire to see. So it seeks to snuff it out, to hide it. And the World knows that the surest way to snuff out a candle is to smother it. And so it seeks to smother the Truth of your heart and your mind and your soul before it has seen the Whole Truth burning there.
The World seeks to smother the Truth burning in your because it is too afraid of the bad news there to look long enough to see the good news. The Gospel. It does not see - and sadly often does not wish to see - the Truth that our Creator God stepped into our fallen, broken, imperfect lives and became the God-Man. The Truth that Grace is on offer and that all who chose to accept it are raised up to Glory of our Creator, are made perfect. But, for all the World does not wish to see this, the World needs to see this.
My friends, you know the Truth. I see it in the way you treat each other, in the activities you choose to be involved with, in the topics that bring your eyes to life. It is my prayer, my earnest prayer, that you will resist the schemes of the World. That you will always know that it is not what you do and how you perform that matters, but who you are and into what you place your life. Recognise the mask the world wants you to wear for what they are: a basket with which to cover the Truth burning within you.
And as I have spent time with you all this past month, I have been saddened that I am moving away, for I have felt a pull on my heart towards each of you. I pull that tells me to love and serve you as I can to make this year, if not easier, then pleasanter for all of you. And I know that my location will limit my ability to do this. I know that there are many people in your lives who are loving you and praying for you and who you can turn to for aid in times of stress, but I want you to know that you are always welcome to shoot me a message, by Facebook or phone, or that I am always ready to put on the kettle (should you happen to come to my door), whether you have need to pour your heart out or simply to sit a moment and just be.
And that bring me to one last thing I wish to say. I'm sure you've heard this all before, but I'll say it hear too: do make sure you sit a moment and simply be. Take time to close your eyes, breathe in, appreciate the fact that you are alive and breathe out a prayer of thankfulness to our God, our Provider. Take time to admire sunsets and praise the Great Artist. Take time to sip delicious drinks or savour tasty foods. Take time to laugh. Take time to cry. And with each moment, turn to God as our Comforter and our Father. You'll find that time slips through your fingers as sand does, but don't forget to stop for a moment each day to appreciate the Creation around you and the friends that are with you. This is so, so important. Because as long as you make time to enjoy Creation and speak with God, then you'll find the World can not steal enjoyment and your relationship with God from you.
I am young yet, I know. I am not much further along in life than you, I know. But I do hope and pray this is of some help, some encouragement, some blessing in your life for you. And with that, I shall conclude. May God bless you all richly, may this year be a joy (though it brings with it pain), and may you always know that you are loved not for what you do, but who you are.
With love,
Laura
Showing posts with label Wondrous. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wondrous. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Heavenly Father, I Cannot, but You Can (part 2 of 4)
So, yesterday, in the first part of this blog series, I talked about the selfishness and sin that clouded my perceptions of what I as doing on beach mission, making me feel completely useless.
Another factor that a friend of mine suggested was at play that week is related to my blindness to my contributions. To put it bluntly, I believe there was an element of Satan attack me, trying to blind me to what I could do and what I was doing. The purpose being to discourage me and limit, in a very real sense, the work I was doing to advance God's Kingdom.
I'm sure I wasn't the only team member under attack that week. I am, in fact, 100% certain we were all attacked through our weak points.
It is, after all, what Satan does.
He knows he's lost the war, now he's just trying to minimize his loses (and by that, I mean he's trying not to lose too many of his follower's to God). He is trying to prevent people from accepting God's grace.
And what was the team on beach mission for?
To reveal God's grace to the hurting, to extend it to the broken, and to invite the thirsty to drink from it. To drink from it deeply and be eternally content as a child of God.
Natural, Satan, our mortal enemy, was not impressed, and was doing everything he could to minimize our effectiveness.
I don't know how he chose to attack the other members of the team. Each person's pain is there own. But I know he was attacking me through my deep seated sense of worthlessness and fear that I have nothing to offer.
The discouraging thing for me is that, on a personal level, I know the Enemy definitely succeeded in the work I did. I look back on the week of beach mission and am frustrated by those conversations I could have had but didn't, whether it was with a camper or a team member.
But, the encouragement, the mind-boggling, grace-filled encouragement, is this: ultimately, on that beach mission, Satan failed.
In fact, I would say that he failed miserably.
Because each and every single day we saw God's power and grace take the campsite by storm.
I don't know that we saw anyone be saved, but I do know we saw fires being relit for God (both in team members and campers), we saw a child who had never really connected with other people bond with some of our team. We saw people encounter the truth of God's grace for the very first time.
I also know, because people have told me this, and because I know how God works, that my pathetic attempts at living by grace were used by God to His Glory.
I know, though I don't know how or it what way, exactly, that something I did and something I said, was used by God to touch a broken and hurting person, and reach into a life.
And that is enormous encouragement. Because it shows me something very clearly: I cannot. But neither can the Devil. Only God can.
But anyway, that's enough from me for today. Tune it tomorrow for the third part!
Heavenly Father, I Cannot, but You Can (part 1 of 4)
Heavenly Father, I Cannot, but You Can (part 3 of 4)
Heavenly Father, I Cannot, but You Can (part 4 of 4)
Another factor that a friend of mine suggested was at play that week is related to my blindness to my contributions. To put it bluntly, I believe there was an element of Satan attack me, trying to blind me to what I could do and what I was doing. The purpose being to discourage me and limit, in a very real sense, the work I was doing to advance God's Kingdom.
I'm sure I wasn't the only team member under attack that week. I am, in fact, 100% certain we were all attacked through our weak points.
It is, after all, what Satan does.
He knows he's lost the war, now he's just trying to minimize his loses (and by that, I mean he's trying not to lose too many of his follower's to God). He is trying to prevent people from accepting God's grace.
And what was the team on beach mission for?
To reveal God's grace to the hurting, to extend it to the broken, and to invite the thirsty to drink from it. To drink from it deeply and be eternally content as a child of God.
Natural, Satan, our mortal enemy, was not impressed, and was doing everything he could to minimize our effectiveness.
I don't know how he chose to attack the other members of the team. Each person's pain is there own. But I know he was attacking me through my deep seated sense of worthlessness and fear that I have nothing to offer.
The discouraging thing for me is that, on a personal level, I know the Enemy definitely succeeded in the work I did. I look back on the week of beach mission and am frustrated by those conversations I could have had but didn't, whether it was with a camper or a team member.
But, the encouragement, the mind-boggling, grace-filled encouragement, is this: ultimately, on that beach mission, Satan failed.
In fact, I would say that he failed miserably.
Because each and every single day we saw God's power and grace take the campsite by storm.
I don't know that we saw anyone be saved, but I do know we saw fires being relit for God (both in team members and campers), we saw a child who had never really connected with other people bond with some of our team. We saw people encounter the truth of God's grace for the very first time.
I also know, because people have told me this, and because I know how God works, that my pathetic attempts at living by grace were used by God to His Glory.
I know, though I don't know how or it what way, exactly, that something I did and something I said, was used by God to touch a broken and hurting person, and reach into a life.
And that is enormous encouragement. Because it shows me something very clearly: I cannot. But neither can the Devil. Only God can.
But anyway, that's enough from me for today. Tune it tomorrow for the third part!
Heavenly Father, I Cannot, but You Can (part 1 of 4)
Heavenly Father, I Cannot, but You Can (part 3 of 4)
Heavenly Father, I Cannot, but You Can (part 4 of 4)
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
To all Those Who Have Wished They Were Someone Else
Hey you!
Yeah, you. You're the one I'm talking to.
So glad you could stop and chat with me for a bit.
I just wanted to say, you're looking great today.
And I mean that.
Don't grin and roll your eyes at me.
You really do look great. I wonder if you realize just how many people that smile of yours has touched today, even if it was only a brief smile?
Yeah, yeah. I know. I know every response that brain of yours is coming up with. Believe me, I've used them all.
But trust me, your friends, and even some people you don't really know, drew some energy and joy from that smile you gave them. Such a beautiful smile. Unique to you.
And you know what? You're amazing.
Let me repeat that, because you probably don't get told it enough, and you certainly don't realize it enough.
You. Are. Amazing.
Absolutely breathtaking.
Course, you most likely don't believe that. Trust me, I know that too. I certainly have a very hard time believing it when I hear it.
After all, what's so amazing about me? Or, more pertinent to this little chat of ours, what's so amazing about you?
Well, where do I start.
Let's start here:
1) You are a wonderfully unique human being. I mean it.
I like biology. Theoretical genetics is one of my favourite topics. And you know what my understanding of theoretical genetics tells me? You are absolutely, 100% your own person. You have a genetic code that nobody else on this planet has.
I could through all those technical terms about random this and random that and crossing over at you, but all they mean is that no-one else has your genetic code. No-one else has had your genetic code.
No-one else will have your genetic code.
Unless of course, your an identical twin, in which case, you and your twin share 100% of you DNA.
But you know what, you two are still totally unique. Because who we are is so much deeper than just our genetic code.
No-one else has the same mixture of tastes you do. Nobody else listens to the same mixture of music genres or enjoys the same mixture of flavours or flowers or movies or shows or anything like that.
And your personality. Your personality is so your own. Sure you will meet people with very similar personality types, but you have a set of personality quirks which is uniquely yours.
You are so amazingly unique.
2) And do you know what being unique makes you?
It makes you precious. So very precious.
Do you know what the world's governments have said the highest they'll pay in ransom for a single person is? $2 000 000. At least, that's the figure I heard. Doesn't seem like much, huh? But it means you are most likely the most expensive thing you own.
Money aside, tell me, how does the valuing system of this world work? Let me clarify, how do we decide the value of something?
Here's how: we look at how rare or how common that item is. The rarer it is, the more valuable. The more common it is, the less valuable. That's why flawless diamonds are so expensive. They are extremely difficult to come by.
This means that you, singular, unique you, are extremely, extremely valuable. Because you don't get too much rarer than unique and singular. And you are even for difficult to come by than a flawless diamond. Heck, this planet has had to wait for as long as it's been in existence for you to come by, now it's only got you for a short time and there is absolutely no one to synthesis you the way we can with diamonds.
You are so, so precious.
3) You've got a story no-one else has. You have a life behind you, happening around you and lying in front of you such as nobody else will ever experience.
You walk a road nobody else walks and nobody else will walk. And that road is crossing and intersecting with other roads. The roads of other people and opportunities. That means that alone will be able to touch the lives of every single other person you meet. You alone will be able to affect people at that point and in that way. That's a pretty sacred and wondrous thing, don't you think?
And sure, it looks big and daunting, and the fear of what-if-I-screw-up may be very, very really, but that doesn't make you and your life any less wondrous.
4) This one is one of the most important things ever. This is the one that has stood from the beginning of Creation.
You are made in the image of God.
The image of God.
Well, sure, you say. What does that mean, you say.
What are you looking at me for? I'm only young, I don't know the whole answer. But here it is in a small, small part. A very tiny, poorly formed part.
It means you have a deep, deep capacity for compassion and love. Seriously, we're so special in that way. I've never seen an animal that is capable of the same kind of compassion and love that we are. That you are capable of. That is absolutely wonderful. And sure people may knock compassion and love as weakness, but no society can survive without it. And you have it. You have that capacity of compassion and love that, when used, keeps this world turning. Wow. Just, wow.
It also means that you have authority on this planet. You have the God-given responsibility and ability to rule this world. And I'm not talking Hitler or Stalin style domination. Heck no, that's just warped. No, I'm talking the kind of rule that cares for the welfare of this world, the authority that means you can direct the way society goes. The authority that means you can make a difference. Sure, you may not think you can, but oh, my word, you have that ability within you. And the difference you can make? My mind is just blown away by the sheer wonder of all the possibilities.
You are made in the image of God, and that is an absolutely wondrous thing.
5) This is the most important.
This is the big one.
This is the one you will need to carve into your heart, write on your hand, remember until it becomes knowledge as ingrained as breathing.
This reason leaves all the others in the dark.
Because you know how broken and incomplete you feel? How worthless and imperfect you think you are?
Well, for all that you were designed with the wondrousness and uniqueness I've been outlining, something did go wrong.
Something did break you. It made you incomplete, it made you imperfect. It had the potential to make you worthless.
That thing... well, we call it sin.
It's the human stubbornness that we know best. The mule-headed stupidity that has us saying we can run things. It's that thing inside us all that says that the One who Created this UNIVERSE is an idiot and shouldn't be allowed to, well, own what He has created. When, you know what, we really can't. And He really isn't. And He really, really should.
And you're looking at me as if I'm crazy and asking how is this supposed to show how amazing I am? Well, here it is ladies and gentlemen, here's the reason you're amazing and I'm amazing, and no matter how horrid we feel that is a truth that can never change:
You have been Chosen by this same Creator.
That's right. You heard me right.
The Creator who you have told to get stuffed has chosen you.
He. Has. Chosen. You.
Not because you deserve it.
Man, you deserve the torture chamber, all the crap you've done to Him. I do to. More than you, probably.
But He still Chose you.
He has looked at you and seen everything you have become. He knows exactly how far you are from the amazing, unique, precious and wondrous person He created you to be.
Don't think for one second you have Him fooled about that.
But He has still Chosen you.
He has still said, I want you to be My Child. I want you to call Me Abba. I want to build you a home, not on earth where everything perishes and has no lasting value, but up here, with me, where everything is eternal. Gold and diamonds? They've got no value compared to what I want to give you. Forget about them. I want to give you Eternal Life. I want to give you Joy. I want to give you Peace. I want to give you Love. I want to give you a Royal inheritance. That new prince of England? Forget about his kingdom. The Kingdom I want you to be a part of makes his look like a spec of dust.
And you know what you have to do in order to receive this wonderful incredible gift? Become this incredible, unique, wondrous person? Nothing. Nothing at all.
Just accept it. Just accept Him. Realise that He is, in fact, Creator, and that makes Him King.
Then you become everything you are meant to be: you are unique. You are precious. You are made in God's image with a depth of compassion and love and a wonderful ability to make a difference. And you are His child.
Do you believe me now when I say you're amazing?
You really are.
You are so wonderfully amazing. It blows my mind.
And you're amazing not because of who YOU are, or what YOU have done, but because of who HE is, and what HE has GIVEN to you.
Do you understand that?
Probably not. At least, not entirely. I know I don't. And I've been trying to understand it my whole life. Not that that has been very long.
It's a mystery to me. I guess I'm just going to have to learn to accept it.
Accept the Amazing Grace that has made me Amazing. Same as you are. Because you are amazing.
Please don't let anyone take that away from you.
Don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't worth it, whether it is through what they do to you or through how much you envy them.
You are amazing.
I'm so glad we've had this talk. I hope I've helped you see just how incredible you are.
Thanks for listening to me rambling at you this whole time. I just thought this was important to say.
Because, you know, we never remind each other of this enough.
God bless you,
my amazing friend,
Laura Ruth
Yeah, you. You're the one I'm talking to.
So glad you could stop and chat with me for a bit.
I just wanted to say, you're looking great today.
And I mean that.
Don't grin and roll your eyes at me.
You really do look great. I wonder if you realize just how many people that smile of yours has touched today, even if it was only a brief smile?
Yeah, yeah. I know. I know every response that brain of yours is coming up with. Believe me, I've used them all.
But trust me, your friends, and even some people you don't really know, drew some energy and joy from that smile you gave them. Such a beautiful smile. Unique to you.
And you know what? You're amazing.
Let me repeat that, because you probably don't get told it enough, and you certainly don't realize it enough.
You. Are. Amazing.
Absolutely breathtaking.
Course, you most likely don't believe that. Trust me, I know that too. I certainly have a very hard time believing it when I hear it.
After all, what's so amazing about me? Or, more pertinent to this little chat of ours, what's so amazing about you?
Well, where do I start.
Let's start here:
1) You are a wonderfully unique human being. I mean it.
I like biology. Theoretical genetics is one of my favourite topics. And you know what my understanding of theoretical genetics tells me? You are absolutely, 100% your own person. You have a genetic code that nobody else on this planet has.
I could through all those technical terms about random this and random that and crossing over at you, but all they mean is that no-one else has your genetic code. No-one else has had your genetic code.
No-one else will have your genetic code.
Unless of course, your an identical twin, in which case, you and your twin share 100% of you DNA.
But you know what, you two are still totally unique. Because who we are is so much deeper than just our genetic code.
No-one else has the same mixture of tastes you do. Nobody else listens to the same mixture of music genres or enjoys the same mixture of flavours or flowers or movies or shows or anything like that.
And your personality. Your personality is so your own. Sure you will meet people with very similar personality types, but you have a set of personality quirks which is uniquely yours.
You are so amazingly unique.
2) And do you know what being unique makes you?
It makes you precious. So very precious.
Do you know what the world's governments have said the highest they'll pay in ransom for a single person is? $2 000 000. At least, that's the figure I heard. Doesn't seem like much, huh? But it means you are most likely the most expensive thing you own.
Money aside, tell me, how does the valuing system of this world work? Let me clarify, how do we decide the value of something?
Here's how: we look at how rare or how common that item is. The rarer it is, the more valuable. The more common it is, the less valuable. That's why flawless diamonds are so expensive. They are extremely difficult to come by.
This means that you, singular, unique you, are extremely, extremely valuable. Because you don't get too much rarer than unique and singular. And you are even for difficult to come by than a flawless diamond. Heck, this planet has had to wait for as long as it's been in existence for you to come by, now it's only got you for a short time and there is absolutely no one to synthesis you the way we can with diamonds.
You are so, so precious.
3) You've got a story no-one else has. You have a life behind you, happening around you and lying in front of you such as nobody else will ever experience.
You walk a road nobody else walks and nobody else will walk. And that road is crossing and intersecting with other roads. The roads of other people and opportunities. That means that alone will be able to touch the lives of every single other person you meet. You alone will be able to affect people at that point and in that way. That's a pretty sacred and wondrous thing, don't you think?
And sure, it looks big and daunting, and the fear of what-if-I-screw-up may be very, very really, but that doesn't make you and your life any less wondrous.
4) This one is one of the most important things ever. This is the one that has stood from the beginning of Creation.
You are made in the image of God.
The image of God.
Well, sure, you say. What does that mean, you say.
What are you looking at me for? I'm only young, I don't know the whole answer. But here it is in a small, small part. A very tiny, poorly formed part.
It means you have a deep, deep capacity for compassion and love. Seriously, we're so special in that way. I've never seen an animal that is capable of the same kind of compassion and love that we are. That you are capable of. That is absolutely wonderful. And sure people may knock compassion and love as weakness, but no society can survive without it. And you have it. You have that capacity of compassion and love that, when used, keeps this world turning. Wow. Just, wow.
It also means that you have authority on this planet. You have the God-given responsibility and ability to rule this world. And I'm not talking Hitler or Stalin style domination. Heck no, that's just warped. No, I'm talking the kind of rule that cares for the welfare of this world, the authority that means you can direct the way society goes. The authority that means you can make a difference. Sure, you may not think you can, but oh, my word, you have that ability within you. And the difference you can make? My mind is just blown away by the sheer wonder of all the possibilities.
You are made in the image of God, and that is an absolutely wondrous thing.
5) This is the most important.
This is the big one.
This is the one you will need to carve into your heart, write on your hand, remember until it becomes knowledge as ingrained as breathing.
This reason leaves all the others in the dark.
Because you know how broken and incomplete you feel? How worthless and imperfect you think you are?
Well, for all that you were designed with the wondrousness and uniqueness I've been outlining, something did go wrong.
Something did break you. It made you incomplete, it made you imperfect. It had the potential to make you worthless.
That thing... well, we call it sin.
It's the human stubbornness that we know best. The mule-headed stupidity that has us saying we can run things. It's that thing inside us all that says that the One who Created this UNIVERSE is an idiot and shouldn't be allowed to, well, own what He has created. When, you know what, we really can't. And He really isn't. And He really, really should.
And you're looking at me as if I'm crazy and asking how is this supposed to show how amazing I am? Well, here it is ladies and gentlemen, here's the reason you're amazing and I'm amazing, and no matter how horrid we feel that is a truth that can never change:
You have been Chosen by this same Creator.
That's right. You heard me right.
The Creator who you have told to get stuffed has chosen you.
He. Has. Chosen. You.
Not because you deserve it.
Man, you deserve the torture chamber, all the crap you've done to Him. I do to. More than you, probably.
But He still Chose you.
He has looked at you and seen everything you have become. He knows exactly how far you are from the amazing, unique, precious and wondrous person He created you to be.
Don't think for one second you have Him fooled about that.
But He has still Chosen you.
He has still said, I want you to be My Child. I want you to call Me Abba. I want to build you a home, not on earth where everything perishes and has no lasting value, but up here, with me, where everything is eternal. Gold and diamonds? They've got no value compared to what I want to give you. Forget about them. I want to give you Eternal Life. I want to give you Joy. I want to give you Peace. I want to give you Love. I want to give you a Royal inheritance. That new prince of England? Forget about his kingdom. The Kingdom I want you to be a part of makes his look like a spec of dust.
And you know what you have to do in order to receive this wonderful incredible gift? Become this incredible, unique, wondrous person? Nothing. Nothing at all.
Just accept it. Just accept Him. Realise that He is, in fact, Creator, and that makes Him King.
Then you become everything you are meant to be: you are unique. You are precious. You are made in God's image with a depth of compassion and love and a wonderful ability to make a difference. And you are His child.
Do you believe me now when I say you're amazing?
You really are.
You are so wonderfully amazing. It blows my mind.
And you're amazing not because of who YOU are, or what YOU have done, but because of who HE is, and what HE has GIVEN to you.
Do you understand that?
Probably not. At least, not entirely. I know I don't. And I've been trying to understand it my whole life. Not that that has been very long.
It's a mystery to me. I guess I'm just going to have to learn to accept it.
Accept the Amazing Grace that has made me Amazing. Same as you are. Because you are amazing.
Please don't let anyone take that away from you.
Don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't worth it, whether it is through what they do to you or through how much you envy them.
You are amazing.
I'm so glad we've had this talk. I hope I've helped you see just how incredible you are.
Thanks for listening to me rambling at you this whole time. I just thought this was important to say.
Because, you know, we never remind each other of this enough.
God bless you,
my amazing friend,
Laura Ruth
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