19 April 2014

Dying to Live


I love Denzel Wastington in J Q, the movie. The story of a father whose son was diagnose of a terminal illness and whose life dependent on a donor being found.   When his insurance company refused to cover the cost of the operation, Denzel an everyday working father, turned a hostage taker. He held the hospital staffs to ransom and demanded the operation be carried out.  In order for the procedure to go ahead a match was needed and in the time they had no match had been found. This is the part I love, the father decided to be tested and volunteered for his liver to be removed and given to his son. He was a match and was in the process of undergoing the operation when a match was found. 

He was willing to lay down his life for his son, so that his son might have a chance at life. 
Over 2000 years ago, a father actually gave up His son so that humanity can be found. Unlike Denzel, this father gave up his son to die. 
He went through with it, there was no 11th hour rescue mission to stop His son from dying, because His Son had to die so that Humanity can be saved. 

Here's why he did it, simply to free us from the bondage of sin. 
imagine if he didn't go through with it, just imagine for a second. Where would we be? 
Lost, still paying the penalty for every single unkind word said, 
Every glance of wrath and disdain, met with instant punishment
Every unpleasant thought towards another dished out to us,
Every act of evil and wickedness met with instant judgement, 
Just imagine, will you still be standing? 
His death bought our pardon, gave us a right to stand faultless before His father clothed in grace. 

Here's a song I love

But for grace where would I be, 
Helpless and hopeless
Lost without his mercy
But for love, we'll be lost in misery, 
But for your grace O Lord. 

So in dying we lived, no longer yoked under a clock if salvary, Calvary was the passage through which grace traveled in human form to reach us. 

In Dying,  he saved me, took my place.
In living, He gave me life, unmerited but deserved because of His grace. 

Happy Easter. 



5 April 2014

Moving Time

Moving Time

I woke up on Sunday the 30th of March without realising time has move forward by one hour. I realised this when my husband commented on the fact that he'd lost an hour thanks to the clock moving forward. I checked and realised that what I thought was 7.00am was actually 8.00am
I suddenly realised that i didn't have enough time to get the kids up and ready in time for church. Then began the great rush to accomplish this task. I was very impressed as we were in church at 10.00am (new time) exactly. 

Here in the UK we move the clocks forward by one hour to welcome spring and save daylight and move it back again in Autumn to also save daylight. Moving time yesterday announces the arrival of spring. 

This got me thinking, just like that, the old time was accepted as new, just because a country decided to move it forward. Have you ever wished you could turn back time?
I think at some point in our lives, we have wished we could and do things differently, I wish I could just, with the turning of the dial on my watch, go back 10 years, there are a whole bunch of stuff I would do differently. 

Unfortunately or fortunately depending on which angel you look at it from, this is not possible, time spent can never be regained, it is lost, gone forever. 

With this in mind, it is therefore important to consciously live day by day purposefully. Doing what you would have done if you could turn back time. Merely wishing you could do things differently if you can go back in time is not enough, do what you would have done, now, if you can go back 1 or 5 or 10 years. 

For some folks it is too late or they feel they have past their time. If you feel time has gone too far to do anything about your regrets, then there's no need to go back in your mind, accept this and live in your now reality. Forgiving ones self of the mistake of the past is something we should do often. This will help us focus on now and help us live at peace with the present and embrace the future without making the same mistake we made in the past. 

I personally believe the reason we can't go back in time is because if we could, we will not do anything differently. with hindsight we often think we will, but truth is, we wouldn't.

One good thing about growing older is we become wiser and learn from our mistakes. We, hopefully have learnt a few lessons on life's journey, enough to want to make us live consciously doing  the right thing and pursuing the right goal. 

So I urge you today, live today as you would if you could turn back time,
Make no excuses  
Set yourself free from the chains which have held you bound
By refocusing your mind on the dreams  you had yesterday. 
Give them wings to take flight 
And glide on with the tide as you sail into heights previously dreamt of. 

Reality is the stuff dreams are made of, 
Dream, but consciously work to unravel that which is envisioned. 
Set free the chains which holds you bound and let the future be the now you envisioned.  

1 April 2014

Different extremes



Towards the end of last year and at the beginning of this year,.I found myself dreading turning on the news channel, because I did not want to see another town under water. Each day I tune in hoping for better news. But the news stay the same or got worse. 
Over at States side and we saw a different picture, extreme drought in California and severe snow snows in the East Coast. Take about weather extremes. 

This got me thinking. 
What extremes are you dealing with right now. You may look out of the window of your life and see nothing but flood, drought or snow, and with each passing day the news gets worse. It may be your health, your finances, your relationship, your home, your job or some other deep personal stuff. You are having to deal with extreme of some sort and live in hope of a turn in event, for the rain to stop and the river to recede, 

You see, I have come to know that extremes are a necessary part of life, unwanted or unpleasant as it might be, we've all lived through some sort of extremes. Different though it maybe for each of us, they are extremes nonetheless. 
Like the recent flooding, drought or snow, we wait for a return to better weather. 

Straight from my heart is this piece encouraging us to cast our gaze elsewhere, look no longer on the flood that be, though you may tread the dirty muddy waters and storms of life and your reservoir of hope runs out, 
Cast your gaze to days when the storms will cease and the snow gives way to firmer ground. Be not weary O soul,
Look up for there's one who walks on stormy water, who calms the storm and and gives water that never runs dry. 

Some people make it through the storms and some cave in because it's just too much for their soul to handle anymore. Be amongst those who hold on, come out stronger, more resilient as you anchor your soul to the master of the seas. 

Different extremes, but same outcome, a respite from the storm, snow or drought. 

He's your souls succour.