January Blues

I just want to say Yay! Well done! We have made it to the end of January!

January is such a long hard month after all the build-up and busyness of December. For us here in the North it is still dark and grey and as we say in Scotland, “Dreich”. Really, really dreich!

But before we rush on into February with it’s promise of better, longer, brighter days, lets pause a minute in January. There may not be much going on, it may have been a ‘flat’ month, but at the same time, there has been the chance to pause, to think, to reflect not so much on the past year, but on this year, on it’s possibilities, a chance to make plans, to prepare. A chance to start off with good Bible Reading practices, to start new reading plans, try different methods, a chance to draw alongside the Lord and ask, ‘What now Lord?” and to wait for the whisper of His reply.

I have however also realised that during these grey, dark months in particular that it is important to feed your soul with beauty, goodness and love. So it was particularly uplifting to be privileged to be able to go to see the ‘Nutcracker’ Ballet this weekend, the stunning scenery and costumes, the beautiful music and exquisite dance filled and restored my soul.

February is coming and whilst my heart is lifted at that prospect, at the same time, I want to sit in the peace of January, the quiet, the solitude of the month, and even sit with the feelings of sadness and heaviness, to allow myself to feel so that I can heal and be restored and strengthened.

So yes, I am happy to say goodbye to January, but I won’t rush headlong into February, but rather one day at a time find myself in that new month and hold all the ups and downs, hopes and fears before the Lord, and walk with Him, hand in His, eyes open to all He gives, looking and feeding off the beauty, goodness and love of His creation as it reveals itself in whatever format.

Where can find and incorporate beauty, goodness and love into your life right now?

Possibility

I work in a Library and it goes without saying that I absolutely love books, particularly fiction, I love how it transports you to a different place, time, setting. You open a new book and the possibilities are endless as to where the story may go.

I find that a bit with writing, I sit here at my PC or with an open page on my journal and my thoughts, imagination, inspiration, writing could take me down so many different paths, there are lots of possibilities.

There is even the possibility that one day I would consider myself to be a writer, a proper writer! One who is recognized to be a writer! However, more than that recognition is the desire to write as God would give direction and that my words would be used for His glory and for the benefit and help of others, that they would bring healing, help and encouragement, that my words would be that of ‘a ready writer, overflowing with a goodly theme”

My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

Psalm 45:1

Possibility is the Word-Prompt in today’s #Five Minute Friday group.

Important

This is the first word prompt of 2022 from the #Five Minute Friday Group of writers, and my first time back in a while.

Important is a good word to kick us off this year. What is important? Mmmh if I think about it there are lots of things which I think are important and which I give priority to. However, I have started reading the Book of Deuteronomy and in it Moses is outlining to the people of Israel what is important to take with them into the promised land and the most important thing which he underlines again and again is to remember!

Remember the Lord your God.

Remember His deliverance,

Remember His provision,

Remember His guidance,

Remember His holiness,

Remember His commands,

Remember Him!

If they didn’t remember, give heed to, draw alongside the Lord their God, then they would think that they had achieved everything themselves, that it was their own effort, their own goodness which had gotten them through the wilderness and into this promised land. But it wasn’t! Not by a long shot!

You must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not – you are a stubborn people

Deuteronomy 9:6 (NLT)

When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. But that is the time to be careful. Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey His commands, regulations and decrees that I am giving you this day.

Deuteronomy 8:10,11

So too us we have to remember the Lord our God. Remember His deliverance from the sin that entrapped us; remember His goodness even in taking us through our own wildernesses which tightened out bonds to Him, remember the times we tried to do it in our own strength and failed; remember His goodness and redeeming love in picking us up again.

So the most important thing for me this year is to REMEMBER the Lord my God, tying myself in dependence upon Him, relying on Him and giving Him the glory due to Him, acknowledging that anything I have is all by grace.

First Word – Endure

The Word I have felt impressed upon me for this New Year of 2022 is the Word Endure!

The dictionary meaning of Endurance = the ability to continue with an unpleasant or difficult situation, experience or activity over a long period of time.

So endurance is the keeping on going, the getting to the finishing line, no matter the hardships or obstacles along the way!

Now I am no endurance athlete and infact would rather have a soft, easy, cushy life, but the Christian life is not an easy life, we are called into the battle of the war for our souls and we are called to endure, to keep on till the end.

This is the aspect of this word Endure which is impressed upon me, it is not the enduring of our physical, daily hardships, the ups and downs and trials of life, but rather the spiritual hardship, being faithful spiritually, keeping on trusting even when our situations are screaming out for us to question God and His plans.

This passage in Matthew’s gospel shows us that in the last days we will be required to keep on holding on, to endure:

Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers ^.  And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.  And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:9-14

Our faith is going to be called into question, our trust is going to be tested, we will be called to stand up, be different, and keep on believing, keep on trusting, keep on holding on, keep on being faithful, keep on praying, keep on reading, keep on keeping on – Endure.

When life seems full of hard knocks, unexpected challenges and sorrows of the heart there is so often then a battle in our hearts and minds to keep on believing that God is good and that He is good to us. So easy to give up and give in to the questions and doubts of our minds, but as we endure and press on through those questions and doubts we can come to a place of trust, a place of surrender and be given the strength and grace to keep on going and endure.

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Hebrews 12:2

So will you join me as we endure through to the end in the battle for our faith, as we endure in the battle of facts over feelings, truth over lies, as we endure in the battle over giving into weariness, as we endure through the battle for our hearts & minds to be set on Jesus, as we endure through in the battle for our souls?

Will you join me in championing each other, encouraging each other towards the finish line, enduring to the end?

I pray for each one of us this year, dear friends, that we will endure, that we will not give up, that we will not give in, but rather press on, press through, keeping our eyes on Jesus.