Tripping through life

This weeks devotion touches on a universal quandary - being yourself!

This has been one of my hardest life lessons.  To be your authentic self is hard when the flaws seem so obvious. The silly thing is most people don’t notice yours – they are too busy focussed on their own.

Growing up I had knobbly knees and was as uncoordinated as they come.  I was painfully shy as a child & tried my hardest to fit in at school – but when I started to get publicly bullied by a teacher I lost a lot of confidence.  To this day I despise name calling!

I had (and still have) no sense of direction and often trip over my feet!  I have walked into so many walls (& doors!!) it’s not funny – bumped my head a thousand times, fallen out of a ski lift, fallen down public stairways and given myself concussion at the doctors surgery where I worked (20 years ago – obviously not now!).  I have walked into a plant stand outside Woolies & cut my head open - not to mention setting off alarms in many public places (you know - Aldi, Westfield etc) 

I could go on – but you get the picture – VERY accident prone!

And while battling this “condition” throughout my life I then battled the comparison trap – I would watch someone else who appeared perfect who NEVER did or appeared to say anything embarrassing (certainly never tripping over or walking into doors) and longed to be more like them.

I longed to be more normal – more together & sophisticated… whatever that was.

The pastors wife at a church I used to go to had the most beautiful style and wore stilettos.  I used to gaze at her gliding up the stairs to the church foyer on a Sunday morning wishing I could walk with such ease.  I on the other hand resembled a circus act trying to stay upright wearing anything higher than clogs – the trauma, & the blisters, were just not worth it!

The worst times were when something humiliating happened I would beat myself up for days and vow never to let that to happen again.  I would go to great lengths to avoid a similar situation instead of embracing the moment and accept the fact that this is just a part of life.  The world will still turn & the only person dwelling on that moment was me.

The pursuit of perfection will crush you if you don’t add a huge dose of grace in the mix – and that was something I lacked. I had grace for everyone else except myself – the recipe for internal disaster.

When you trip over you have two choices – stay down in the muck on the ground or get back up, dust off your grazed knees, and take another step forward. 

I remember joking with Rick one day when we were lounge-hunting and we were about to walk through the doors of A Mart.  I was talking about how I was the Uptown Girl because it was one of my favourite songs – and as I said Girl I tripped over my feet & stumbled into the store – definitely not very sophisticated!   He still occasionally calls me his Uptown Girl - & we have a good laugh.

Learning to be uniquely, beautifully you is embracing everything about you (good, bad & ugly) and accepting you for you.  It is laughing at the crazy moments and knowing it is only through Him that we find perfection.  Without His grace we don’t stand a chance.  

Without Him and his unswerving, unwavering grace that overlooks my worst ‘bad & ugly” I wouldn’t be able to get up again, but I know He promises that if I just do what He asks (get up) then He will make the way clear for me to move forward again – and again.

There’s a verse that I love that echo’s this principle of getting up.  It’s pretty self-explanatory.

Even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up.    Prov 24:16

Whatever you do – get back up again.  Don’t forfeit the race of life. 

The most devastating decision anyone can make is to disqualify themselves from the race.  Some are more competitive and race faster, & some have turned their race into a graceful waltz, but whatever beat you dance to just keep moving forward.  If you trip over your feet (and we all do) don’t be the one to decide you have destroyed all your chances.

Life isn’t a game where the dice is rolled and your fate, or your value, is forever determined by another hand. God has the ultimate say when it comes to His creation.  You are His child – a Kings Kid – and that’s how you will forever be seen in your Creators eyes.

Just stay in the race.

And if you’re anything like me – when you trip over, whatever that trip looks like – decide now that you will always get up again, and again and again.

More than seven times.

Not that we are sufficiently qualified in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency and qualifications come from God.     2Cor 3:5

Inexpressible Joy

‘Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not even see Him now, you believe and trust in Him and greatly rejoice and delight with inexpressible and glorious joy’

1 Peter 1:8

My life verse. 

I was sitting on my bed on the night I gave my heart to God as a sensitive, openhearted yet quite mixed up young girl.    Life had already taken a number of unexpected twists & turns by the time I had reached sixteen and I knew without doubt I was headed in the wrong direction.  The only reason I wasn’t taking drugs with my group of friends in the Valley was because I had promised Mum I wouldn’t.  That didn’t stop me doing other things behind my parents back, but I knew if I went down that path I may not ever come back.

A song came out around the same time as I made my decision that night to live for Him: ‘Jesus lover of my Soul’.  It spoke to me in the deepest way because I knew He literally took me from the miry clay and placed me on a rock higher than anywhere I had been before.

Anyway back to that night.  After a huge meeting at church (now Citipointe Brisbane) I came home with my head buzzing. I tried to pray but couldn’t.  I stared out my window at a million stars and wondered where God was. I had just promised my heart & soul to what felt like an untouchable stranger. 

I stared at the ceiling of my bedroom and all of a sudden felt hopeless.  I wished I could see Jesus in real life to cement my belief – a tangible confirmation that my decision wasn’t based on an emotional response.   I wondered how I could even begin this journey when I was already questioning the basics, and my prayers seemed like words spinning in the air.

Then I grabbed my Bible and opened it up, with a simple prayer that I meant.

“God – help me know you”

I opened up to 1 Peter and the verse above came alive. I read it over and over, and it dawned on me – this is what faith is!  Believing when you don’t see who you believe in.   Loving the One who loved me first.  Trusting because you know He has the answers.

When you finally see that you are loved beyond measure, created with a purpose and have an eternal destiny, there are a lot of reasons to rejoice & delight. 

One translation of Joy is “an awareness of God’s grace” 

WOW!  It is the awareness that He gave all so we could have all that brings us to our knees and gives us inexpressible joy.  I didn’t deserve His gift of eternity that night – yet every day His grace is there waiting for me just as it is waiting for you.

That night, 30 years ago, He heard all the words I thought had fallen to the floor, & He has heard all of my prayers since then.  He has answered them in ways I could never have imagined & given me above and beyond what I could ever thought possible.

This verse helped cement my belief system, and I went to sleep that night with a peace I hadn’t experienced before.  

I believed.

“Jesus, lover of my soul
Jesus, I will never let You go
You've taken me from the miry clay
You've set my feet upon the rock
And now, I know

I love You, I need You
Though my world may fall
I'll never let You go
My Saviour, my closest friend
I will worship You until the very end”

Better than Diamonds

“The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.

The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.

The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.

The directions of God are plain & easy on the eyes.

God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.

The decisions of God are accurate down to the ninth degree.

God’s Word is better than a diamond … better than a diamond set between emeralds.

You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring … better than red, ripe strawberries.”

Psalm 19:7-10  TMB

This is one of those devotions where I just want to send you the whole Bible.  The above translation is so poetic, so beautiful – that I feel any further words don’t do it justice… 

I looked up my old bible for the same verse and there it is highlighted (in red) with one word scribbled in pen next to it – ‘learn’!  It was written a long time ago – yet the message still stands & applies directly to my life right now – and yes it is a good one to learn!

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the word 'treasure' & what God says about it, & from the small amount of research I’ve done (Bible Gateway, YouVersion etc J)  there’s literally a treasure trove of incredible revelations on this word alone. 

Treasure is very important to God – because it’s connected to our heart.

The name of our women’s conference this year is ‘Diamonds’ so we’re going to be on this theme for a while – a good thing!  

Diamonds are forged from the blackest coal – from the most unlikely, unassuming substances to one of the world’s greatest treasures.  I have one on my finger.  I love it not because it’s a huge rock to show off – but because of the love it represents.  It’s symbolic & a possession of great value & beauty. 

Diamonds relate to royalty, riches and restoration.  They sparkle & they're strong.  Those who possess them take the greatest care because of their immeasurable value.  Yet we read that ‘God’s word is better than a diamond’.  In my old translation – “more to be desired are they than gold”.

And then there’s an amazing verse in 2 Corinthians 4:7 - “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

He is our treasure.  Better than diamonds & gold (and strawberries of course!) is our magnificent Saviour.  We are so rich because we have Him!

How wonderful that each of us are vessels (insufficient, earthen & very human vessels) containing the most powerful treasure in the universe - greater than anything the world has to offer.

It’s hard to fathom.

It’s one of those great mysteries of heaven that boggle the mind.

There’s a DVD I watched years ago called ‘Indescribable’ which was, ironically enough, an attempt to describe the wonders of the solar system and how everything led back to the wonder & revelation of our Creator.  I remember thinking how absurd it seemed to NOT believe in a Creator.

When we have the riches & the power of His truth in our heart - when the blinders of our eyes fall away and we meet our wonderful Saviour - then we will experience riches that last longer than jewels and treasured stones.

We discover Jesus - the jewel of heaven. 

We discover God’s word - life contained in every priceless word.

We discover the Holy Spirit - eternal treasure contained in human vessels.

Eternal riches are just that - indescribable.

Nothing in this world can offer more than eternity does - and when we face Him and decide that we will become whatever He wants us to be the most amazing miracle begins to happen.

We begin to transform into the priceless jewel He created us to be all along.