Walk as Jesus walked

Today has been one of those days. Battling with a toddler who refuses to listen, asking God 'please give me wisdom' because I simply do not know how to teach him to listen! He is not always like it, his behaviour has been delightful recently, but today I wanted to tear my hair out! This on top of Isaac teething and being miserable and clingy, and me still recovering from us all being ill with a sickness bug over the last week, has just left me exhausted. When our children are ill we give them so much of our energy and attention to help them through that period of time, but then when we fall ill too, we STILL have to give them all of our attention in the everyday stuff, when all we want to do is get into bed and sleep! At least it is over now and hopefully an early night and Pete being off work for the next 4 days might help me feel a bit brighter and more motivated.

It has been snowing today and although it is so pretty and refreshing and 'wintery' my thoughts go out to those who are homeless in Birmingham, trying to find warm shelter to sleep for the night. I pray for them that they may be kept safe and warm and that through myself or somebody else they might see God reaching out to them showing them the love of Jesus. I pray for Jesus to return soon to put to right these hardships. It has been such an encouraging new outreach to be able to get involved in feeding the homeless in Birmingham once a month and really helps me to realise what it means to 'walk as Jesus walked' . This is what we are called to do. This is how we can show the Love of Christ.

'...if not us then who will go, and walk as Jesus walked?'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6MebAcPCbg&feature=related

By Our Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifQpZgtGHlk

Monday Morning

I have really been spoilt this year for my Birthday. Flowers delivered to my door, gifts in the post, an afternoon out in Stratford with hubby - no kids! Shopping, more gifts, more flowers, lovely food, family time, cake...and to top it off, a SURPRISE meal with all my dear friends. Thank you so much to everyone who were a part of my day. Thank you so much Pete for being so thoughtful and knowing what would really touch my heart.

My friends mean everything to me. They ARE everything to me. They are from God and I praise him for that blessing in my life, because without them I would be nothing. They have brought me through the ups and downs of my life. They have listened, they have rebuked, they have cried with me, laughed with me. They have taught me life lessons and showed me the love of God through their friendships.

And now here we are back to Monday morning, with birthday cake for breakfast and the usual to catch up on after the weekend - washing, cleaning, sorting. Another huge bag has been put out for charity because I have a policy that if I get some new clothes, I have to find something to give away that I perhaps don't wear much anymore, or if I haven't worn something for over a year, that automatically goes in a charity bag! So sorting has been done, birthday gifts put away, Asher is at playgroup and Isaac is asleep so I actually have some quiet time to do something edifying!

What will I do with this precious time? Will I use it for God's will, or my own? That is the question...

Birthday Love and Fun

Me and my lovely family

Us girls

Me and my wonderful boys!

For everything there is a season...

...and a time for every matter under heaven

a time to be born - Chole Rose and Thomas Burke

and a time to die - my dear Great Auntie Eileen

a time to plant - my dear children

and a time to pluck up - the weeds in my garden

a time to kill - spiders in the bathroom

and a time to heal - a grazed knee

a time to break down - the walls around me

and a time to build up - Spiritually

a time to weep - with those who are weeping

and a time to laugh - at Pete's jokes

a time to mourn - for the poverty/inequality and injustice in this world

and a time to dance - with my boys in the living room

a time to cast away stones - my past

and a time to gather stones together - new memories

a time to embrace - my loved ones

and a time to refrain from embracing - people who don't see it coming!

a time to seek - the truth

and a time to lose - my keys!

a time to keep - my treasured possessions

and a time to cast away - the clutter in my house

a time to tear - my hair out!

and a time to sew - a hole in a sock

a time to keep silence - in loyalty to a friend

and a time to speak - in honesty

a time to love - my neighbour

and a time to hate - myself

a time for war - against my flesh

and a time for peace - with my heart

I can hear again!

The house is quiet, all I can hear is Asher snoring beside me. What? I can hear snoring? I can HEAR snoring? I can HEAR? Yes, that's right, I CAN HEAR!!! Yesterday I spent my morning at the hearing centre getting new hearing aids fitted, and boy is it about time! I had my first pair over 2 years ago now and since then my hearing has deteriorated even more, and so have been given some more powerful ones. I just cannot believe I have been coping for so long with my old ones, straining to hear any sound, not hearing the front door knock, the kids, the beeper on the oven, prayers at church! But now I can hear again, a whole world of sound that I had forgotten existed. I can hear sirens, the noise of the wind in the trees, cars, people talking, footsteps, stuff that I just couldn't pick up before. Now I don't have to strain and feel the terrible frustration that goes along with hearing loss! I am eternally grateful and very thankful for modern technology that allows these amazing devices to be made.

Now there has to be some spiritual lesson in that somewhere...

Psa 115:1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Psa 115:2 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"

Psa 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Psa 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

Psa 115:5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.

Psa 115:6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.

Psa 115:7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.

We all have ears, but do we hear? We all have ears, but do we LISTEN? What is God trying to tell you? Is is trying to speak to you, but you cannot hear. Are you deaf? Is he SHOUTING to you, but you are non the wiser? OPEN your ears, OPEN your eyes, OPEN your heart! He is all around you. He is there in the everyday miracles of your life, in the stuff that could have happened but didn't, in the blessed end result. You don't HAVE to be deaf, your ears work just fine, so use them to listen, and listen carefully.