Teeny tiny mega blessings

A little over a month ago, I broke up with my boyfriend of five months (and three days and approximately sixteen hours)

Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal, maybe five months (and three days and approximately sixteen hours) doesn't constitute a long term relationship, and my response to the event has been over dramatic and excessively emotional. There are so many things that I could have experienced which would be so much worse, and indeed I have experienced worse in the past. This all may be true, but as a seventeen year old, I am naturally a little insecure, hormonal, not exactly emotionally sound and relatively new to the world of dating and relationships. As seventeen year old me, even experiencing the most amicable break up of anyone I've ever met, it's a big deal.

My dear friends (and moreover my Twitter followers) have had a lot to deal with. Yes, I have moaned and yes, I have cried. I have craved chocolate and mashed potato and tea at any hour of day or night, and I've leaned heavily on a couple of loyal individuals for emotional support.

Friends have reminded me that God makes beauty from pain and that he's got hold of my situation, and this is so true - and what I love most about it, is how surprising God's been about it. It's not just that I've learnt that my friends are here for me, or that not all break ups have to be icy, or that I've improved my relationship with my mother or that I've been able to reflect upon the good that's come from the relationship. These things are so great. They are definitely things I can testify to have happened in my life, seemingly due to having been through this break up, but the way God really spoke to me was through what I'd like to call teeny tiny mega blessings.

Teeny tiny mega blessings included things like unexpected lovely text messages, a cup of tea with a very important woman and role model in my life, a box of chocolates from two beautiful friends an a Galaxy bar from another, a friendship blossoming with a girl in a similar situation, some lovely hugs, a wonderful Skype call, an out-of-the-blue day of unbreakable happiness, some brilliant feedback on my writing, a new devotionals book and a million tiny happy coincidences.

To have received so many of these blessings, from the biggest down to the barely noticeable, was such sunshine in my life. Through the times where I've really felt down, there's been some windows with light streaming through, and God made it clear in my heart that that was him. So often have I felt like I need to be wrapped up in a duvet and given a big hug, and that's exactly what it's felt like to have such lovely little pieces of love poured out upon me.

I didn't want to use words like "pain" in this article because I don't want to make out like I'm underprivileged or that I've gone through anything unusual or really that bad, but God hasn't judged that at all. God knows the pain in the hearts of so many people who are experiencing things that I couldn't ever imagine, and when I think about that, suddenly I feel guilty for ever feeling sorry for myself. But these thoughts don't cross through the Lord's mind - he feels my own sadness and he's used it for my good and taken an opportunity to bless me so much more than I deserve, never comparing me to those who are hurting more than I am.

He sees me now, and he loves me now.

My prayer is God will use me for teeny tiny mega blessings in the lives of other people as well as "bigger" blessings just like he's used so many other people to be a blessing in my life.

Thank you, little world of mine, and above all, thank you Jesus.

Stress (extension from Call Me Frank)

This post is an extension from a piece I posted on my other blog on Saturday night, so please do check that out.

The idea of posting this extension is to add some advice in a Christian context that I've found helpful over time. I'd like to point out here that the idea of having a separate Christian-focused blog to my "main" blog is not a means of separating my faith from my every day life. I love writing about my faith, and writing to directly encourage Christians in their walk is something I'm passionate about, but by separating that type of content onto this blog, Call Me Frank remains accessible for non-Christians too, which is very important to me. I always try and let God speak through me whether or not I'm writing about Him, and any debate I argue or advice I give will be given according to my Christian values.

So, let's go.

Stress & Guilt
It's sad that in a faith like ours - a faith in which we know we are safe because we have a God who loves us and will never forsake us - stress and guilt go so hand in hand, perhaps more than in secular culture. It's a very Christian habit to try and suppress guilt because if we're stressed we should feel bad because it means we're not trusting God enough, right? Wrong.

Of course, as Christians we are the children of a God who can relieve our stress, and who truly is in control of everything we do, but we are also children of a God who says that we can be free from guilt because of the ultimate sacrifice of his son, Jesus. God understands the pain we are experiencing from our stress and has no desire that we feel guilty. He loves us and wants the best for us - and the best is not getting caught up in a cycle of stress and guilt.

Prayer
Something that I didn't put on the list on the other blog is prayer. Prayer is not only a way of asking God for relief of your stress, but also the opportunity to spend a quiet relaxing time with Him; your sanctuary. I always find that having a quiet time, perhaps with some worship music and reflection on some encouraging verses, is the best relief for stress. During and after my quiet time I experience peace and comfort, which I very much believe God provides in abundance to those who ask for it!

Getting some friends to pray for you or with you is also a great idea. Especially during tough times or exam periods, it's great to get a little prayer unit of friends together who you can get together and pray with from time to time. Spending time with an awesome God and having fellowship with people you love is sure to make you feel better.

Priorities
As Christians, maybe our priority list seems a bit more complicated. We've thrown quiet times and Bible reading and church and the duty to serve into the mix, so it's hard to decipher what should come first when we have a million other things to do.

Those who know me or have read my devotionals know that I have preached many a time about putting quiet times before revision. God will always make time for you to make time for him. Like I was just saying, prayer, quiet times and the fellowship and teaching we receive from church are wonderful relievers of stress. Equally, though, I do want to remind you all that the days that life just seems totally shaken up, we don't need to feel bad if we fall asleep before we manage to pray or can't concentrate on our Bible notes: it's ok. God is gracious and he understands. There's no space for guilt in this equation!

A few verses:
 James 5:16
Philippians 4:6-7
Psalm 55:22
Matthew 6:34
2 Corinthians 4:8-11

Love to all,
Lizzie
xxx

P.S. You can find a devotional written as part of the Anointed April devotional series [here]! (Coming soon)

Today is the first of September, and the social networking world is buzzing with a sense of anticipation and new beginnings. It's days like today I like to leave my Twitter window open and watch the virtual world go by.

For many, this Sunday morning is the day before many of us head back to school and college. I am one of those. Although this year I have a rather stressful day due to having left a lot of important work until the last minute, I often rather enjoy this very last day of my holiday. It's a day of getting everything sorted for a new academic year. The day for the sharpening of pencils and the lining up of new textbooks and files, of the choosing of the best outfit or the shining of the shoes.

For me, today is a new beginning because it's the day I begin my attempt to read the Soul Survivor Bible In One Year, which is a big task. The combination of journalling, reading, reflecting and praying will take a good 45 minute chunk out of my day, every day, and while I'm not confident I'll be able to manage it, I'm excited. The last few months have taught me to recognise that the word of the Bible is the divine truth, the absolute truth and the only truth that matters. If there's nothing and no one else I can trust on this earth, the Bible is always trustworthy. If nothing else in the world adds up, the Bible's way is my way.

Through this recognition, I've developed a thirst inside me for his word, and my prayer is that the more I learn about God and his world through Scripture, the more I will be thirsty for him and his will.

I hope to be sharing on this blog more about what I've been learning, and to link up with other Bible In One Year readers, so please hit me up if you're on this journey with me, and remember there should be an online commentary on the Soul Survivor website soon!

(If anyone wants to do Bible In One Year but hasn't got a book at the moment, I'm happy to put up the Scriptures for each day!)

Miniature Musings: Humans holding His hand.

By calling myself a Christian, I am not claiming that I'm a good person. I'm not claiming that my actions, my motivations or my desires are any better than anyone else's.

To consider myself a believer is not to consider myself above any other person; whether Christian, atheist, spiritualist or of any other faith.

I'm muddling along and I'm making a ton of mistakes. I'm learning things all the time but I'm getting hurt along the way, I'm hurting others too. I'm figuring out my path and making and breaking my own moral codes. Being a Christian just means I'm muddling along with Jesus. It doesn't necessarily mean I'll be muddling any better, or any worse, but right now I'm doing OK.

Baby Steps Are the Biggest

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the irreducible basic beliefs of the Christian faith?

1) There is one almighty creator God, and he is good

2) We are loved by God

3) His son, Jesus, was crucified for the sake of humanity

We receive such great teaching on relevant topics which can transform aspects of our lives, refresh us, even bring healing or inspiration, but is there any truth or teaching we can receive as great as this? Is there anything better than knowing that the one true God loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us?

When everything else is falling apart, these three truths will always hold strong. These three truths can never be undone.

Although we can all recite these basic beliefs of our faith, we can probably fish out some memory verses to back them up (John 3:16 anyone?) but how often do you stop to truly reflect on them?

I encourage you to strengthen that rock which your faith is built upon by immersing yourself in these truths. These are the things that you discovered, perhaps felt overwhelmed by, when you first became a Christian, a baby in your faith. Learn from that time when God was doing amazing things in your life because you were so open to him and his love. Baby steps are the biggest steps.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast"

Ephesians 2:8-9

Revolutionary You

 

My writer's block always comes from an endless search for something exciting to say. Something new and different which has some kind of shock factor and the ability to give someone a whole new perspective on something. Sadly, the result of this quest is often a half-finished, outlandish yet clichéed piece which I soon discard - and every time this happens, I lose a little bit of confidence in myself as a writer.

It's taken me this long in my writing life to realise that this failing is down to my continuous desire to be revolutionary. I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that actually, I don't have to be. By constantly trying to be something extraordinary, I'm rejecting what I've been given, in exchange for what I think other people will like. I'm trying to glorify myself, when God's given me so much I can glorify him with.

 

The irony at the root of it all is this: by just being plain, silly old me, I'm much more likely to say something which has real meaning. When I stop trying to be something I'm not, I open a gateway to something much better. In being truthful to myself, not only am I much more likely to write something which rings true in someone's heart, but I give God the opportunity to speak through me.

 

This doesn't apply solely to my writing, but to many aspects in my life: the things I say, the way I act, the way I dress, the things I do, the way I organise my life and, perhaps most importantly, my walk with God. The desire to be something big and exciting in serving has become rather a bad habit (as unfortunately they're not few and far between) of modern Christianity. It's been deemed the "new legalism": the idea that serving as a missionary in South Africa is so much more important than serving by doing meet and greet at church, or by saying hello to the new kid at school.

 

Serving is amazing, and you will be of the best service if you serve as yourself. Serving while trying to be someone you aren't isn't true serving. Working at the kids' group at church when you've never been good with children will obviously not be the best way for you to serve. Going out to do missionary work when you've been called to stay and serve in your town is equally as wrong as staying and serving in your town when you've been called to go out and do missionary work.

 

Isn't it true that the best days are the days that you're with people who you know love you no matter what? Isn't it true that letting go and doing something silly because it's what you really want to do is the best feeling? Isn't it true that pretending to be someone you aren't is generally a horrible experience?

 

God called you to be you. God has blessed you so richly with things that you won't see until you accept your calling to simply be yourself. In a world where everyone is trying to be the revolution, the most revolutionary thing for you to be is exactly who you are right now - because no one else is fit for the job.

In with the new

One day my days of starting new blogs and webpages will be over, I always think. One day I will settle down to one single blog, write it regularly, and be done with this process of uphauling myself from one little space on the Internet to another.

But this is probably silly.

I'm young and I keep changing. I'm growing, my beliefs are changing, my outlook on life is swinging every day. My eagerness to write varies depending on my mood and my mood is certainly not something which stays steady over hours - let alone weeks, months or years. And I'm finally okay with that.

This last month, I've been working on a project with my best friend. We called it Anointed April*: a series of devotionals, prayers and challenges; one for every day throughout the month. Most of these we wrote, some we took from devotional books and Bible studies. We used the wonderful social networking platform that is Facebook to broadcast them to sixteen fantastic sisters in Christ, who we've come to feel so close to in the past weeks, despite little two way communication between us.

Anointed April Day Two was a devotional called Create a Pure Heart In Me (cowritten by the two of us leading the project), in which we discussed the realisation that starting again - and again, and again, and again - is not a bad thing. On the contrary, God calls us to renew our spirit in him day after day. There is no shame in saying "I want to come back to you, Lord". There is no shame in admitting you've wandered off the path and desire to come back. There's no need to feel guilty about the amount of times we might have returned to God, no need to have our tail between our legs as we turn to him and ask to accept him into our hearts again.

Wandering off track could mean marathons in the wrong direction or centimetres off course, but in either situation, God rejoices in our repentance, just as in the parable of the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-32).

There have been times in my life I've had to return to God having indeed been marathons in the wrong direction. I've taken actions which God has told me clearly and directly not to take, and made decisions which I've known contradict God's best plan for me. And I've suffered the consequences for my decisions.

My faith tells me that my God is not one who punishes. However, situations like these one are times I've really experienced God as a father in terms of discipline. A speaker came to our Christian Union not long ago who spoke on the topic of discipline gave us the example of his relationship with his young son. He does not hurt his son, yell at him for no reason or punish him, but if his child were to be playing with a sharp knife, he would take the knife away from him. His son might not like having the knife taken from him. In this moment, his son may be enjoying playing with the knife, but as a father, the speaker knows that, sooner or later, his son will hurt himself.

Just like this young son, we are naive. There are so many things we don't understand - most of which we don't even know we don't know, but God knows. God knows the situations which will help us and which will hurt us, and he will discipline us in order to help us grow.

Small children tend to know when they have done something wrong from a very young age. Even at two years old, a toddler will display guilty behaviours when they've done something they've done something they know their parent would not like. Often they go very quiet. Dogs can be the same - if you haven't seen Denver the Guilty Dog, do YouTube it. It's very funny.

As children of God we have a tendency to do the same: when we're living in a way we know is not pleasing to our Father, we reject him. Just as it's hard to look in the eye of the person to whom we're lying, it's hard to look into God's face when we're not living his way. By rejecting God's love like this, most of our discipline is self-inflicted. We experience more pain. We're pushed farther yet from God. It's a vicious cycle.

However, it's a breakable one. Because it's always okay to turn back to him, where he is waiting with his arms wide open. And he's so excited to have you back.

[Anointed April: Hopefully will have all of Anointed April up online for all to browse before too long! Updates to come.]