Feeling burdened

At the moment everything seems to be happening at once - the daily issues of having two teenagers in the house, pressure at work, a busy time in the house and the garden, an increasing amount of responsibility in church with our old vicar leaving, and a husband who would like me to spend more time with him.

To cut a long story short, I feel burdened. Too much to do and not enough hours in the day!

After some time of feeling sorry for myself and then reflecting a little about it all, I can't help but feel that this is somehow a blessing. When I feel that I cannot do all these things in my own strength, then probably because that is exactly true. I cannot!

But I can do it with God's help and guidance and with his strength:

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT).

Right now I may not feel like I can handle things, but deep down I know that I will be okay - because I am not alone!

Spring is here!

Spring has arrived!

You might think that after 44 years I am used to that annual event - but NO, every time it blows me away!

The new growth, the sun gaining in strength, the days lengthening, the soil warming, the creatures stirring ...

How can I not feel excited?!

Welcome sun, welcome life, welcome season of growth and development! Please enter and stay for a while.

Install Love

TECH SUPPORT: Yes, how can I help you?

CUSTOMER: Well, after much consideration, I’ve decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

TECH SUPPORT: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

CUSTOMER: Well, I’m not very technical, but I think I’m ready. What do I do first?

TECH SUPPORT: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

CUSTOMER: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

TECH SUPPORT: What programs are running ?

CUSTOMER: Let’s see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

TECH SUPPORT: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However,you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ?

CUSTOMER: I don’t know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

TECH SUPPORT: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

CUSTOMER: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

TECH SUPPORT: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

CUSTOMER: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, “Error – Program not run on external components.” What should I do?

TECH SUPPORT: Don’t worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

CUSTOMER: So, what should I do?

TECH SUPPORT: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

CUSTOMER: Okay, done.

TECH SUPPORT: Now, copy them to the “My Heart” directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

CUSTOMER: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files.Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

TECH SUPPORT: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

CUSTOMER: Thank YOU.

TECH SUPPORT: You’re welcome, anytime.

(Author unknown)

Autumn

 

I love this time of year.

The last chance to enjoy some colour and the last of the sunshine, knowing that the icy winter is close behind.

It seems to sharpen my focus and makes me enjoy every moment to the full!

Climate Justice

David Cameron has said that he wants this government to be the greenest ever – both in terms of action at home and internationally.

We need to remind him of his pledge.

You can sign the Christian Aid letter to the PM here.

The Perfect Church

If you should find the perfect church

Without one fault or smear,

For goodness sake! Don’t join that church:

You’d spoil the atmosphere.


If you should find the perfect church

Where all anxieties cease

Then pass it by lest joining it

You’d mar the masterpiece.

If you should find the perfect church

Then don’t you ever dare,

To tread upon such holy ground;

You’d be a misfit there.

But since no perfect church exists

Made of imperfect men,

Then let’s cease looking for that church

And love the church we’re in.

Of course, it’s not a perfect church,

That’s simple to discern

But you and I and all of us

Could cause the tide to turn.

What fools we are to flee our post

In that unfruitful search

To find at last where problems loom

God proudly builds His church.

So let’s keep working in our church

Until the resurrection.

And then we each will join that church

Without an imperfection.

–Mavis Williams

Let go and let God

I haven't blogged for a while.

Partly, because I spent some time with my mother to support her whilst my stepdad continues to be very ill in intensive care.

The time I spent with my mum made me realise the importance of letting go of things which are outside our control, and to trust that those things - however painful - have a purpose and will work out for the good of those concerned.

Most of us have a natural desire to make a difference, get things done, help and be in control.

Sometimes, however, the best thing to do is to stop fighting and struggling and fretting - and instead just let go.

I found this poem, which really spoke to me:

To "Let Go," does not mean to stop caring,
it means I can't do it for someone else.
To "Let Go," is not to cut myself off,
it's the realization I can't control another.
To "Let Go," is not to enable,
but to allow learning from natural consequences.
To "Let Go," is to admit powerlessness,
which means the outcome is not in my hands - but in God's.
To "Let Go" is not to try to change or blame another,
it's to make the most of myself.
To "Let Go," is not to care for,
but to care about.
To "Let Go," is not to fix,
but to be supportive.
To "Let Go," is not to judge,
but to allow another to be the human being they choose to be.
To "Let Go," is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their own destinies.
To "Let Go," is not to be protective,
it's to permit another to face reality - regardless of how painful it might be.
To "Let Go," is not to deny,
but to accept.
To "Let Go," is not to nag, scold, or argue,
but instead - to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
To "Let Go," is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.
To "Let Go," is not to regret the past,
but grow and live for the future.
To "Let Go," is to fear less and live more.
Let Go and Let God!

(anonymous)