Worth the Fight

Life is tough...it's not what you had thought it would be. You are angry, you are frustrated, you are unhappy in some part or maybe all of your life. Ask yourself why? What changed?? It wasn't always this hard. There had been years of easy times, not perfect, just easier. Remember back to when you had a smile to share and laughter filled your soul. When the pressures and challenges were manageable and less often. Those days are still there you just can't see them at the moment.

As we grow older, the challenges appear to be more frequent and stronger. We look back to years of youth thinking how wonderful they were and wishing that life was that simple once again. However, we can't live in the past what we have to deal with is the now. The now may be hard, it may hurt but you have the power to rise to the challenge and fight for what you want in this life. Perhaps a relationship is breaking down, perhaps the job is coming to an end, perhaps the kids are screaming and you wonder how on earth you ever ended up in this mess. These times just seem to happen and can come from what appears to be nowhere. It could be a sudden, unexpected change or it could be a series of little niggles that has turned into a festering, ugly situation where there appears to be no hope.

You are worth the fight. Your relationship is worth the fight. Your children are worth the fight. Stand up and claim the goodness that God has for you. The happiness that awaits you once again. Grab hold of what brings joy to your heart or a smile to your face. One moment, every day - remember it, claim it. Fight.

Fight against the mindset that we are fed continually or that negativity that has crept in over the years. No more will you let heartache, anger, sorrow, worry or frustration rule your life. Perhaps you and your attitude needs to change to find that peace again. Our mind can control our hearts and we have to ensure that we are being reasonable in our expectations, accept that we are not always right, we are human, we have faults and that it takes compromise and compassion.

No matter what you are facing today, there is hope. God has the power and the strength to see this one through, even when you don't. God doesn't want you to live a miserable life - he wants only the best for you however it is up to us to accept this, embrace it and run with that belief in our hearts.

Year of Favour

I awoke early this morning and the brain kicked in as soon as the eyes opened. There is a stirring in my soul to rise, a small voice that says get up and share a cuppa with me. So, I grabbed my bible, a cuppa and sat in the stillness of the morning. As I opened my bible, the pages fell to Isaiah 61 and the words ring true to me as the morning sun rises to at the start of a new day.

This is the year. After three years of waiting, I feel that there is going to be something different this year. That gift that Jesus has promised - perhaps it is finally time to open it!

Isaiah tells me the it is the Year of the Lord's Favour. What a blessing to read this! I have felt that my journey is to motivate and inspire and have spent the last three years at times feeling like I am wandering around in the wilderness. Perhaps it wasn't the wilderness but more of a training ground. When I stop and think about what this means, I also hear the words "who are you to do this?"
I don't know the how, the where or the when but that doesn't matter. For what I do know is that if my God has said it, I believe it and it will be.

Are you heading into a year of favour? Are you listening to that small voice that talks softly, leading you and loving you. Take the time to spend a quiet cuppa with God and see what he reveals to you. Once the seed is planted, he will nourish it and prepare you for what he is calling you to do. Have patience and a year of favour will be upon you!

Brand New Day

I am not perfect, never was and never will be. However, no matter what happened yesterday, the day before, two years ago, twenty years ago, it doesn't matter today. Today is a brand new day! Every sin, worry, anxiety, upset no longer comes into play as I open my eyes to greet a new morning. I am making a conscious decision not to worry or be anxious about what could be. From this point forward I am working on what is and not the what if.

How? I am forgiven. Not by just anyone, but by God. The only one who can forgive me for all past hurts and my faults (of which there are many). Today, I am feeling blessed that I can face a new year with vigor and excitement as my future is full of endless opportunities. It will be another full year as I wave goodbye to my eldest son as he leaves the nest, watch another son graduate from Year 10, pursue some dreams, support my husband, celebrate my parents 40th Anniversary and share precious moments with family and friends.

So celebrate the arrival of 2012 with me where dreams can come true, wrongs are forgotten and an abundance of love is shared all round!