Speak up

 

Don't wait - tell them now.

How often do we watch films and see someone saying something meaningful with their last breath, something they have been keeping to themselves for so long? Why did they wait?! If it's worth saying, say it now. 

In our house whenever someone is leaving the house, we meet at the door, hug, kiss, and tell them that we love them, because who knows if they're coming home? You may think that's a morbid thought, but there's no misunderstanding in our house - we all know we are loved! And it means that, if something awful happens, we know that our last interaction with them was good.

So say it now. Don't wait.

Seasons

 

Embrace your season.

Whether you're in spring, summer, autumn, or winter. 

Whether it's a hard season or an easy one for you right now. 

Each season has its own lessons. 

It may be a steep learning curve that leaves you breathless.

It may be a case of learning how to rest - and that isn't always easy.

Whatever season you are in, embrace it, learn from it, grow in grace.

Bowing

 

This swirl of black that was going to be in the background layers really spoke to me, so I've left this page as is. I see a figure that seems to be bowing down, but in prayer and worship, or under a burden? They are two very different situations. 

When we look at someone's life, we may not be seeing what we think we see. One attitude may mirror another and we can read it wrongly, so don't assume.

Oh, and I bought new boots. Half price. Bargain!

The trick

 

The trick is to be content and patient in the waiting.

When you plant a seed you don't expect to harvest a crop the next day. So why do we expect to get good at something immediately, or to recover from an injury without convalescence? Waiting is hard, but if we push or pull against it, it doesn't help. Being content, being patient in the waiting helps us to learn as much as we can, to equip ourselves, and to be as ready as we can be. It helps us to extract as much as we can from the experience. 

Idling engine

 

When the engine is idling you may not be going anywhere, but you are waiting in readiness.

Don't be discouraged if you feel like you're not getting anywhere. If you are ready and open for opportunities, you're like an idling car with the engine running - as soon as you need to get moving, you're ready to go.

Controlling growth

 

Controlling growth. 

Growth is usually seen as a good thing. However, after our particularly wet winter here in South Australia, the growth of weeds in the smallest patch of dirt has surprised us all. There is so much green where usually there is brown. And this could be a problem come the hot temperatures of the summer. It means there is a large fire load, so this growth needs to be controlled. 

We can grow uncontrolled just as a garden can. If we grow too quickly, we can find that our roots are not strong enough and we are easily blown over. Pruning and weeding are necessary to shape our growth and redirect our energy to where it can be best used for fruitfulness. 

Chopping off branches and digging up things that are not wanted can seem like wasted energy, but just as our garden waste can be composted, our life growth can be used to feed further useful growth in a more directed way. 

Paths

 

Paths. We all follow them in different arenas of life. 

Sometimes we run parallel with others for a while, sharing life, maybe for a few months, maybe many years. 

Sometimes we follow a straight path, sometimes a meandering one. 

Sometimes we branch off from the main path and explore 'the path less travelled'. 

We cross the paths of others every day. 

We may feel that we are travelling a particular path alone at times, but we are not. Look around, and you'll find others walking with you, crossing your path, and all too ready to provide encouragement and support.