I can Only Imagine.

I was not sure what to expect when I attended sports day at my daughter's school recently. it was her first so it was important that we went. We attended to cheer her up and to ensure that she was not going to be the only one whose mum or dad was not present.

The day began in earnest as all the kids threw themselves in. I had instructed my daughter to run really fast on the way to school. During the race, she not only ran fast she took off like a bolt, and left everyone behind to win, her very first. I was one proud mum… Afterwards when I asked her how she did it, she said,  mum you told me to run fast and that's what I did

This got me thinking, the Olympics are currently under way and thousands of people are competing to win, they have trained for this event and are ready to compete. They all want to win.

We as Christians are also in a race, earth is our training ground and we have been instructed to run to win, that we may obtain a price.

But how?

By training our minds on all that is true, good, honest, pure, and of a good report. Only by disciplining our bodies and subjecting it to the will of God can we expect to  win.

As I watched the Olympics I was amazed by the commitment these athletes have towards their sport, some have trained for hours and months on ends sacrificing time with loved ones. They were ready in season and out of season. 2 Tim 4:2. They stayed ready.

We cannot win if we are distracted by the pressures of life, the cares of this world and the pleasures we enjoy.

How to Win:

To win in life we have to have a ready mind and a ready attitude, we need to build our muscles of faith to withstand the harsh circumstances which may come our way. We have to look to him who has called us… we need to keep our eyes on the prize, just like these contestants.

Seeing my daughter win was a great delight. Imagine, what it will be like when we are welcome to receive the prize for winning here on earth and making it to hear these words “well done” good and faithful servant”. I can only imagine.

So let us Run to win, that we may obtain a good reward.

Fall? Which Fall?

A few days ago I was staring out of my bedroom window and observed my neighbour and her little girl of 2. The mom was walking to her car packed a few yards from their house, she got in and shortly afterwards I noticed her little girl running down the road to the car, the mum came out and shouted for her to stop running. (It has just stopped raining). The little girl kept on running. The mum got back in the car, her little girl was almost near the car when she fell. The mum jumped out of the car, picked her up and tried to sooth her. She kept walking up and down saying, its ok, I told you not to run, but you won’t listen, its ok. I smiled as I watched.

This got me thinking.
We sometimes ignore our God’s warning to stop running without him or not to run at all. Running could be anything, we may ignore his warning about taking that job, moving house, making that decision on our own or waiting a little bit longer before taking that next step, but because we fret and think we have a better grasp of the situation and can make a reasonably “wise” decision we continue with our plans, all the while ignoring the fathers warning not to run.

We soon make a mistake and fall.
But just like that mom picked up her little girl, he’ll pick you up, with the mud, the grass and the filth which comes as a result of the fall, he’ll pick you up with the dirt and soothe you, he won’t wait for you to be clean and repentant, he’ll come running to you just before you fall.

So have you fallen due to running? And are you berating yourself for failing to heed the father’s voice? Stop! Just let him soothe you as only he can.Lean on him and let him wipe the dirt away.

The little girl continued crying for a while before she calmed down. Some of us never forgive ourselves, we continue crying each time we remember the fall and repent all over again, and all the time the father is saying, but I picked you up, I wiped you clean, I don’t know what you are talking about, fall? Which fall?
No wonder Jesus says except we are like little children……
Little ones don’t remember. No sooner had she calm down than she started playing again.

So Straight from my heart is this piece to encourage you to get up from the place where you’ve fallen, get over your fall, you’ve been wiped clean! Hear the father saying, fall? Which fall? I picked you up.

Running towards the goal,
Pressing to achieve
I make no haste to attain
The quest my heart desires.

Running towards the mark,
Heedless of humps and bumps
I’ve prayed, my guide the Lord will be,
I run, and make no tarrying to wait.

Running as I climb, I saw the finish line
But lurking along my path, lay thorns unknown to me,
Soon I stumble and fall, unable to finish the race

Swiftly, he picked me up,
Shook me clean,
Place me on his shoulder
And ran to complete the race,
I embarked without him

On his shoulder I soar,
I did not sway or loose my grip,
He’s steps propelled me to heights never dreamt before,
Because he ran the race he has chosen for me.

Who's cheering for you?

I am an avid sports fan. I love football, Tennis, athletics, basketball you name it. I may not understand them fully but I like the buzz around games, the excitement before, during and after a game. I like listening to the analysis by professionals and amateurs, the bickering by fans, the seemingly fanaticism of sports never fails to amaze me.

I get in on the act too, when supporting my football team, my favourite tennis play or other sports stars, all these from the comfort of my couch. I have been opportune to attend a few live sporting events. Imagine what it’s like in a football field, you can’t be still in those matches, which is second only to a Holy Ghost filled atmosphere.

One thing is certain, the cheers of fans steer teams on. I have witness countless turn around in games. Where it was almost certain that a team or an individual is going to lose only for them to make a remarkable turnaround and win. When asked after a Tennis Match against Roger Federal, Del Petrol attributed his turnaround to the chants of the Argentina’s fans amongst the crowd. He said anytime he felt like he couldn’t carry on, their chants spurred him on.

This got me thinking: everyone of us has someone cheering for us, rooting for us to succeed in every area of our lives.
Who’s cheering for you? Who will be disappointed if you give up?

There is one cheer that dwarfs the cheers of sports fanatics, “The cheers of the saints who have gone before” the urging of the Holy Spirit to try one more time at whatever it is we’ve been tempted to give up on. It may be the urge to give up trying for that promotion at work, to give up working at a difficult relationship, the urge to give up on a desire or a dream, the urge to give up the wait for a spouse or the urge to give up on that difficult child.

Straight from my heart is this piece to encourage you, as we approach the end of another year to:

Tune your earring aid,
lengthen its cord,
stretch it wide to the frequency of the chants of those who have gone before.

Imagine them standing on the sidelines,
urging you to take one more step,
to continue on in the hope of achieving that dream.

Their cheers will give strength to your wings,
enabling you to stay in the race.

Envision yourself in the realm of the desired for many a soul has won, who sort to draw strength from the cheers of those on the side lines.

And when you are tempted to give up trying,
remember that you may be giving up on the chance to stand on the side lines,
to cheer on those who will come after you.

For you see,
only a winning attitude guarantees entrance to be a spectator on the stands,
to take your place with those who amidst the odds,
continued and obtained the price.

So stay in the race, because someone is cheering for you.

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