Taming Turtles

If you've been around here for a while, you might remember this photo, taken about half an hour from our home.

This little turtle was in the middle of a dirt road, with his head stuck right out. He wasnt very happy at all when we stopped to help him off the road and was looking like he might bite me if I picked him up.

So I took this photo as a momento and we drove around him, hoping that not too many other cars would come along the dirt road before he decided to move off.

But I've always wondered what would have happened if I had have picked him up. What did I miss out on because of my fear? It would have required a lot of courage, as he looked pretty scary, but what exhiliration and accomplishment to master the evil turtle. Ok it might not have been that amazing, but I always wondered. And I made a little pact with my son. Next time we see a turtle, I'm picking it up.

What's the worst that could happen - it would be a great story in the ER as I got my stitches ;) I want to be ready.

In Paul's letter to Titus he encourages him to "Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God's people should be bighearted and courteous." I want to be ready to do good. I want to be big-hearted, prepared to go out of my way to help others (not just turtles).

Occasionally in the car Josh will remember the turtle and we will chat about it. And I always say - next time we see a turtle, I'm going to pick it up! We need to be having chats about those other things in the car too - respecting the government, obeying the law, helping others, not insulting or fighting, and being ready to help others. Then when those opportunities come up, we are ready in mind and body to take up that opportunity and make a difference in the world.

Last week, I had one of those opportunities. I grabbed the turtle by the shell and changed his little world.

My kids were amazed when I stopped on the busy road, ran out and picked this little fellow up. We drove him to a nearby waterway and watched as he scooted off into the water. It felt so good to finally make up for not being big-hearted that first time.

I hope to have more of those conversations from now on. And with those things in the back of our minds, I pray that next time an opportunity pops up to do good, that my kids will jump at the chance.

We made the world of difference to this turtle, and God might have some world-changing assignments in store for you soon. If you have missed some of those in the past, dont let it discourage you, be even more determined to take up the next opportunity.

This turtle sure appreciated it, and I think this time he really is smiling for the camera!

The Fob Off

(this post was written a couple of years ago and has been hiding in my drafts folder
so it is safe to assume that I am not talking about you,
or if I was, we are friends now so its all good ;)

I walked out to my car after having a nice chat to a friend of a friend.

You know how there are some people you meet and you think "Wow, they are really lovely!". I have met a lot of those ladies, and most of you I have managed to snavel as friends. But one lady recently has declined my kind offers of cappucino and cake. She is a very busy lady so I can understand it being hard to schedule in coffee with a new friend. Sort of. I'm sure she has tonnes of friends so probably isnt really needing another social engagement in her week. But... well... ooh I wish she would! :)

I had been second guessing myself because I was thinking "Surely you can't be THAT busy".

Until today.

I'm so sorry.
It totally wasn't intentional.
I really was flat out and had lots on my to-do-list.

Today I realised that last week... I fobbed someone off. They asked me to have coffee with them, and I declined, saying I had too much on at the moment.

The Collins English dictionary describes to 'fob off' as "to appease or trick (a person) with lies or excuses". That sounds a bit nasty - I'd like to say, it wasnt intentional, I was feeling overwhelmed with all that I have to fit into my weeks now that I am studying full time and working just a bit and keeping the house and health of my family in order. But, I'm sorry.

I ran into the said fobbee today (If that were a word it might be defined as "the person who is appeased or tricked with lies or excuses"). I had a lovely time chatting and she gave me a warm hug at the end. I said goodbye and walked to my car and right at that moment it dawned on me. I had fobbed someone off after being fobbed off myself!

It is definitely OK to say No when you have other things on. It is even OK to say No just so you can have margin in your life, or if something is not the right timing. But if Im honest, I was saying No because I didnt want to invest the energy into it. And if I'm really honest, I was showing favouritism.

If a good friend had have come and asked me to have coffee, would I have fitted it in? If someone important invited me to a meeting would I have accepted?

Like Christians through the centuries, we need to heed the words of James in the New Testament;

"My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won't treat some people better than others. Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. That is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge."

James 2:1-4 (CEV)

Its not about saying yes or no to invitations to catch up. It was about my heart. Its always about our heart!

So next time you do the fob-off just remember the verse (and maybe even the story). You could be missing out on coffee with me!

You Can't Judge An Umbrella By It's Cover

A friend of mine received an umbrella from her husband for her birthday. She had asked him for a nice girly umbrella and so while she very much appreciated that the present was just as she asked, she was slightly disappointed when she opened the wrapping to see this black umbrella as her treasured gift. He earned serious husband points however, when she opened it to find this...


We all know people who seem to be carrying big black umbrellas. Bad things happen to good people, and our heart aches for the grief they have to go through. But how amazing is it, when we get a glimpse under their umbrellas to see THIS! Blue Skies!

What do you see when you look at what you have in life? Are you consumed by blackness or can you see the blue sky placed there just for you? How do people still have a smile on their faces and joy in their hearts when they are in the midst of dark clouds?

A little snippet from the Old Testament gives me a glimpse...

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Lamentations 3:21-25

Even in the midst of trouble, God is there. And if you ask anyone who knows Him, they will tell you that He has been there for them, ESPECIALLY in the midst of trouble.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

So if you feel like you are surrounded by darkness, reach out to Him. He has great things in store for you, and if you look up, you might see He has already provided a glimmer of hope, or better yet, blue skies on the horizon.

For Granted

I had been super busy with lots on my plate. I was loving studying for my bookkeeping qualification, almost managing to keep a tidy house most of the time, had been cooking a few good meals each week (as opposed to the kids eating breakfast cereal for dinner), enjoying work as a bookkeeper for a few hours a week, and getting the kids to school on time, amongst other things. {that may have been the only week I could actually write all those things!}

I had also had quite a few opportunities to help people. Nothing life changing and no super accomplishments, and they hadn't even taken much of my time or effort. A friend was concerned that I might be doing too much and said "Make sure you don't get taken for granted".

I am grateful for the concern, but I think I might dare to ponder the question of whether we are in fact MEANT to be taken for granted?

One definition says to take for granted means that you fail to appreciate the value of a person. A literal translation might be, 'to be used for free, without receiving anything in return.'

But the Bible says "If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have?" (Matthew 5:45) and The Message Bible puts it this way:

"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you dont make a performance out of it. It might be good theatre, but the God who made you wont be applauding. When you do something for someone else, dont call attention to yourself...When you help someone out, dont think about how it looks. Just do it - quiety and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out." Matthew 6:1-3

And Jesus experienced the epitome of being taken for granted - he came to die for the sins of people and they ridiculed and killed him with thieves and murderers.

I have heard it said "God wouldn't want me to feel like I'm taken forgranted". I beg to differ.

God doesn't want you to feel resentment for the things you are doing,
but he may want you to keep doing them!
He doesn't want you to stress out,
but He may still ask you to give that last bit of time to help someone else,
that last bit of money you had put aside, or that last bit of effort in a relationship.

He will give you everything you need when you are serving Him. If you are doing it for Him, you have His appreciation, encouragement and praise.
I know it wears you out being taken forgranted. But be encouraged - "for it is God who works IN you to will and to act according to His good purpose." (Phil 4:8) Did you catch that... he gives you the desire and the ability to do what He has called you to do. And He wont be taking your service for Him for granted.

Having said that, if you see someone faithfully serving, thank them for their service for God. God might send his appreciation, encouragement or praise through you!

Perspective

I'm trying to work out the science of making excercise not seem so hard. One of my problems, apart from procrastination, is the hills. They just seem to take so long to overcome.

I had worked out that if I look straight ahead, the hill seems longer because I am always focusing on how far I have to go. So I had been keeping my head down, just looking a couple of meters in front at a time, hoping to suprise myself by ending up at the top of the hill before I knew it. But I found out two things this week which helped me nail my hill.

Yesterday I went walking with a friend, and I didnt even notice my hill cause we were chatting! (except we had to slow the chatting down in order to breathe)

And today I noticed that if I look UP, it also seems to take way less effort, and is much more pleasant scenery to look at than the concrete slabs I see when looking down.

I think I'm going to try the same tactics in life. Walking through life with a friend makes life seem less hard, and looking up to a Friend definitely lightens the step and makes the scenery much more enjoyable.

Jesus came to earth, lived, died and rose again so that the One you look up to, could also be the One who walks beside you. Ill be chatting a bit more to Him next time I go for a walk. We'll tackle the hills together.

Put It Down

We all sat smiling around the table as we watched the toddler precariously balancing the 6 toy trains in his arms. He sat down in the middle of the kitchen and played with them for quite some time. We continued our conversation until we heard his cry and his mum went over to see what was wrong.

His little arms were having trouble holding all the trains as he tried to get up, and as he bent over to pick up each one that fell, another would topple to the ground. I heard his mum say some familiar words, “Put it down, that’s too much to carry”. Though he tried with all his might, he just ended up frustrated and crying. His mum held him in her arms, reassured him and helped him carry the trains to where he wanted to go.

You might not think those words are particularly familiar, but I hear them all the time when I try to hold on to too much in life. I load up my life with activities, responsibilities, worries, distractions… and very soon I end up frustrated and despairing that I can’t possibly carry them all.

Sometimes I look to my heavenly father when I feel my arms getting full, but most often I don’t run to him until my pile of cares are toppling or in a heap on the floor. But each time I go to Him, he holds me in His arms, reassures me that He is there, and reminds me I don’t have to carry all that by myself.

The little boy was so sad that He couldn’t carry his load of trains, but he never had to do it on his own. His mum gladly gave him the most special train and carried the rest herself.

God didn’t intend for us, nor does he expect us to carry our burdens alone. Sometimes he just wants us to sit at his feet, sometimes he carries the load for us, and sometimes uses a friend nearby to help. But I always find Him sympathetically drawing alongside His little child in despair and whispering these words, “Put them down, that is too much to carry.”

It might be that God wants you to put some things down and rest in His arms, but it may be that God wants you to put something down in order to carry something for Him.

On the same night I asked my son to bring the box of toys he was playing with upstairs so the other children could join him. “I can’t do that with one hand” he replied as he tightly clutched his favourite car in the other. In order to help others, he needed to let go of that one thing he considered so important so that he could share the rest of what he had with others. Often God asks us to give up that which we cling to in order to bless others. And of course in the process we are also blessed.

What things are you holding on to at the moment that God might be asking you to put down?

Are you making yourself frustrated, sad or despairing because you are trying to carry too much?

Are you saying “No” to the particular task God has for you because it will mean letting go of something important to you?

Trust Him. He sees what you are going through and wants the best for you.

It’s time to lay it down and take His hand.

Caught Short

We have taken a bit of a break from completing the renovation of our house, but have recently set aside a little more time and dollars to do a few things that need doing. We have very much appreciated cupboards in the kids' rooms, but doors on the cupboards are going to finish them off and make them much more usable ;).

The other night I was organising dates for tradesmen to come for quotes and was trying to get my iPhone calendar to sync with my computer's calendar. I could get my laptop's entries to go across to my iPhone, but not the other way around. In the end I spent a few hours, while also fiddling around with other things, and finally got the reminder I set on my phone to also remind me on my computer. 'Cause, you know, I wouldnt want to forget he was coming.

I woke up in the morning, walked into one room to get the kids ready for school, and stopped in my tracks when I realised the rooms werent actually ready for the tradesmen to come and measure up. I had spent hours thinking about it and organising the appointment, but didnt actually make sure I was ready for the event. I quickly scurried around picking up clothes and moving furniture but my time the night before would have been much better spent preparing properly.

There is a much more important event coming up that I hope you are ready for. Jesus is coming back - and it could be first thing in the morning! Some of us, however, will be caught short when He does come. Its not that we aren't expecting Him, its just that we aren't prepared.

If you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow, what would you do tonight?

Is there a prayer you would pray? A conversation you would have? An apology to make? A gift to give? Some amends to be made? Some tidying up of your life you would do?

For Christians, there is no need to be scared about that day. He is coming to take us to be with Him. The renovation He started on our life will be complete in an instant. We dont have to worry about the mess we were in or where we have fallen short. When we accept Jesus as God's Son and choose to follow Him, when it comes time for the Inspection, God sees Jesus' work, not ours.

So all we have to do inwardly is make sure we know Him who is coming. We dont have to have everything perfect, but we do have to be ready. Part of that is getting things ready outwardly too. Not because we have to, but because we want to please Him.

The handymen who came to our house have given us some tasks to do before they return to complete the job. And when Jesus returns He will be checking our work too. I pray that He will find us busily doing what He has set out for us to do, focused on His work and his mission, and eagerly awaiting his arrival. And I pray that He will find that we have done work that will last, and not just wasted time on our iPhones.

Ill see you in the morning ;)