Day 100!!!!!

When I started these devotionals I had no idea that I'd end up doing 100 of them! I didn't even think I'd be doing 50... but that's life! Below is a wee video message that I sent out to all the lovely ladies that have been on this adventure with me. 

(Sorry it is in two bits!!!)

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Day 99 - Counting our blessings

Good morning lovely ladies! 

So yesterday I was helping my hubby with something and I found this poster. 

Wow - I know we have talked quite a bit about gratitude and being thankful in all situations, but this really made me think. 

Do we really appreciate how blessed we are. Really... 

Read it again - 

IF YOU HAVE... 

* Food in your fridge 🥘 

* Clothes on your back 👕

* A roof over your head 🏠

* A place to sleep 🛏

You are richer than 75% of the world. 

We all are blessed to have these things - and we take them for granted so much. When you think back to even the whole fuss over TOILET ROLL - it’s shocking. And over this lockdown I must have given away (to the recycling) at least 20 bags of clothes that don’t fit anymore. 

 ———————————

IF YOU HAVE 

* Money in the bank money 💰 

* In your purse

* And spare change 

You are among the TOP 8% of the worlds wealthy. 

I think this is a very definite WOW moment because we are always looking for more money - whether you want to admit it or not. If we just had a wee bit more for x, y and z life would be perfect... but we are so blessed we don’t see it anymore. 

———————————

IF YOU WOKE UP THIS MORNING 

with more health than illness...

You are more blessed than the million people who won’t survive this week.

This is a hard one when it comes to this period of time, because there are still people fighting for their lives, and not just with the corona-virus, but we need to appreciate and be thankful for every single day we wake up. It really is a gift. 

———————————

IF YOU HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED the danger of battle, 

the agony of imprisonment and torture, or the horrible pangs of starvation... 

You are luckier than 500 million people who are alive and suffering. 

We all like to think we are suffering at times - when we are in a self pitying cycle or someone has hurt us - but really? We need a reality check every so often to remind us how blessed we really are. 

———————————

I know that we all know that we are blessed. But how often do we actually take the time to thank God for the fact that we were born in Northern Ireland - or wherever you were born - and that we have been born into a life that a lot of people can only dream of? It’s easy to look around us and see big fancy cars, huge houses, expensive clothes and things, and feel jealous. But when we really consider what most of the world has to live with, we need to be really careful to be thankful in all things. 

Sorry if that’s a bit deep for our penultimate day but I think it’s especially important as we go into a summer that’s very different to what we had planned!! 

"Rejoice always, pray continually, 

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

Day 98 - The hairs on our heads

This is one of my favourite pictures of my hair! I had washed it and worn it up so when it dried (well- half dried!!) it had lovely wavy curls. 

I wish my hair was like this all the time but alas I was not blessed with curls. Instead I was ‘blessed’ with cows licks on each side of my head which mean that it’s harder to wear my hair down without it looking weird!!!! 

But that’s not what this is about! The fact is - when you look at my picture - you see hair. You see some single strands, some clumps, some brown, some blonde, and even some grey. 

But can you count them?

In Matthew 10 Jesus says these words - 

"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:30‬ ‭

The average person has around 100,000 hairs on their head. As we get older we lose some (esp our distinguished gentlemen!) and sometimes we lose them for others reasons, like when we are going through treatment or if we have certain medical conditions. 

But regardless of how much or how little hair we have - God knows exactly what that number is. Exactly. As one falls out, as one grows - He knows it all. 

That is how much He cares for us. I know that it’s hard to understand because I can’t imagine keeping track of that in my own hair never mind any of my boys hair - and trust me when I say I’ve had plenty of experience - from having to be barber during this time to fishing out those lovely ‘guests’ when they were in primary school! 

But I couldn’t begin to count or to know how many hairs they have on their heads. And I love them more than anything else. 

But God loves them more. And He loves me more. And not a single hair will fall or grow without Him knowing. 

God loves you ladies - He truly loves you. And as we come to the end of our adventure - we’re on day 98 and I’m going to finish at 100!! - I want you to know this. 

Day 97 - Stars

I’ve mentioned in a different post about my love of stars - so much so that Ben and I visited the planetarium in the Glasgow Science Centre. I wanted to tell you a little more about my experience there because it blew me away. 

After you go in and sit down, they let your eyes get adjusted to the darkness and then show you the stars above a city - few and far between and with the yellowy orange glow from the streetlights below. 

They then tell you to close your eyes so they can 'transport' you to an area of dark space - where they aren't allowed artificial light of any kind - to get a better view of the stars. 

When we opened our eyes I cried. 

I was blown away by the magnitude of God's goodness and majesty. 

Really and truly - I completely teared up, and as I stared at the multitude of stars and the amazing sights of the night sky I actually had tears falling down my face. I felt so humble and so completely overwhelmed at God's creation, and even just writing this I get emotional. 

So I decided to take a wee look at some of the places where stars are mentioned in the Bible and here's what I found. 

• Obviously God created stars during the creation - the same day He created the sun and the moon. (Genesis 1:16) 

• Stars where used by God to demonstrate how many descendants Abraham was going to have in the covenant with him. In Genesis 15:5 we read -  

"Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!" 

• Stars were also used in the story of Joseph were he dreams about the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowing down to him much to the annoyance of his brothers. (Genesis 37:9)

• Stars are used to show Gods glory and power. We read this in Nehemiah 9:6 - 

"You alone are the LORD. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you." 

• But the verses that really touch me and describe exactly what I felt sitting in that auditorium are these ones. Found in Psalm 8:3-4, it says -   

"When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-- the moon and the stars you set in place-- what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?"

God cares for the stars - He counts them and calls them by name (Psalm 147:4), and brings them out like an army, one after another... (Isaiah 49:26). It all just works together to remind me of how powerful, loving, caring and strong our God is. Not a single star will ever go missing, because God is in control of them. 

And how much more does He love, care for and look after us. It's humbling, makes me emotional and gives me a desire to do something to show Him how much I love Him and how very thankful I am that He is in my life. 

So what can I do? Philippians 2:15 has the answer -

“...SHINE as stars in the sky ...”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:15

It's where I got my inspiration for my blog - because I desperately want to shine for Him. I'm totally useless sometimes, I get it wrong A LOT, and I fail more than I succeed when I try to put my points across, but I do it all for Him. And I'm delighted and honoured to have you along for the ride and pray that something I say might be useful to you at some stage! 

Next time you get a chance to look at the night sky, or visit a planetarium - remember how great our God really is!

Day 96 - Time

It seems like we have been in our houses for years. It seems like we haven’t been able to hug our relatives for years. It feels like we’ve been schooling at home for decades!!! 

But in reality it’s been about 14 weeks. Just over a quarter of 2020. And in terms my life - it’s less than half a percent! 

Time is relative. And in a few years we’ll look back on this as “those weird couple of months”.

The thing is - because we are infinite human beings, time is something we can’t really understand. 

Like when we talk about 5 years down the line - I know I think I’ll be the same age and that it’s not long - but then I think in 5 years my kids will be 23, 21, 18 and 17. How scary is that!!!! 

And when we sing ‘Amazing Grace’ and we sing - 

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.”

it is completely beyond our understanding. How on earth can we even begin to imagine that! 

But that is the truth. Eternity is THAT LONG - and that’s why it is so important that we know where we are spending it. 

I’m not going to preach at you (much!) but I’ve really enjoyed these last 95 days with you all and I really want you all to be with me when I’m singing for those 10,000+ days! 

So where are you going to be? 

You need to seriously give it some though ladies. And you need to make sure that Jesus is the one you are turning to, to be sure of eternity with Him. 

Any questions - you know where I am!! 😘

Day 95 - Love is patient...

As the lockdown ends and everywhere opens up again, it brings a lot of emotions with it. 

* Relief that we’ve made it through a harrowing time and come out the other end in one piece 

* Pride that we survived the years of enforced house arrest - even though it was actually only a few months! 

* Worry that people will go crazy and we’ll end up back at square one again

* Fear that someone who still has the virus but doesn’t know, will give it to you or a loved one 

* Anxiety as the world starts to return to ‘normal’ and life starts to get very busy again

No matter how you are feeling, you feelings have worth. Everyone will be in different places emotionally as this all starts to end - and we need to make sure we aren’t belittling or getting annoyed the way anyone else is coming out of it. The world wants to be back to ‘normal’ but that will look very different for everyone. 

So as we move into the next stage...  

Be patient - with yourself and with others. 

Be kind - to yourself and to others. 

Don’t be jealous if other people are able to do than you. 

Don’t be boastful or proud of all that you’ve achieved during lockdown - some people may have found it very difficult and their achievement was to make it through in one piece. 

Done be rude or expect everyone to do things the way you do them. Everyone is different and will begin to rejoin the world as they see fit. And if others start to come out before or after you - that doesn’t make them wrong. 

Don’t be irritable when people do things a different way. 

And don’t be holding grudges over things that have happened or not happened. This is a new start for us all. 

Never give up. We made it through a weird few months - but we made it! 

Never lose faith. God has a plan. He always does. 

Be hopeful - you never know how things will have changed - and we may have something truly beautiful coming just around the corner! 

1 Corinthians 13:7 says - 

“Love ... endures through every circumstance.”

That’s what we have done. So embrace your feelings, embrace the new situations and trust that God still has us. 

Love you girls! 

Day 94 - This is how I fight my battles!

Following on from yesterday’s story I thought I’d share a song with that you! 

This is one of those songs I sing at the top of my voice (usually in the shower or in the car on my own!!) when I am feeling low or under pressure. It is an amazing way to really focus on God and not our problems. Enjoy! 

Surrounded - by Michael W Smith

The word says "For the spirit of heaviness 

Put on the garment of praise"

That's how we fight our battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

It may look like I'm surrounded but I'm surrounded by You

It may look like I'm surrounded but I'm surrounded by You

It may look like I'm surrounded but I'm surrounded by You

It may look like I'm surrounded but I'm surrounded by You

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

Day 93 - Chariots of fire

So we are now reading 2 Kings and the other day we came across this story. 

“So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.”

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭6:14-17‬ 

Wow! Just wow! 

Not only is it amazing that Elisha had the confidence in the face of such a great army that God would protect him, but when the servant was able to see, he actually SAW HORSES AND CHARIOTS OF FIRE! 

Can you imagine his expression as he looked up and saw that there were way more on his side than the enemy’s! I would love to have been there. 

But guess what - that same God who protected Elisha and surrounded him with chariots of fire, is the exact same God who loves us and protects us and cares for us. 

Think about that! I’m not suggesting that you are surrounded by invisible chariots, but I can’t tell you you aren’t! 

The main thing is this - God is way bigger than anything you will come up against - no matter what type of thing it is.  

Just look at this picture. This is how I imagine it. Like in the Gruffalo when everyone runs away from Mouse because the Gruffalo is right behind him. 

We are told in 1 John 4 - 

“But you belong to God, my dear children. 

You have already won a victory over those people, 

because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than 

the spirit who lives in the world.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭

He is greater. So we have nothing to fear. Absolutely nothing.

Sending you virtual hugs as a new week arrives. I’m away to work! 🎉

Day 92 - Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day! 

So today is Father’s Day and I thought I’d better mention fathers so here are my ramblings for this morning! Sorry it’s so long - you may wanna get your cuppa now!! 

Fathers come in all shapes and sizes. They also come with different attitudes regarding reliability, providing and loving their kids. 

You all have a father. Whether he has been an absent father, a loving father, a father you have lost or a father whose name you don’t even know... we all have a father. It’s one of those biological things that is a necessity! 

But how you grew up really will have an impact on how you view the meaning of the word Father. 

I am extremely lucky. I have a dad who loves me and has supported me through everything - including those interesting teen years! I also have a father who I am slowly but surely getting to know a little better every time I meet up with him. And then I have a father-in-law who is wonderful and my boys have a father who is absolutely amazing with them. 

So I am lucky - and I know I am. 

You may not be so lucky. I understand that. And for that I am so so sorry. I wish you had a good experience. I really do. 

But God... 

There are those words again! You see God is our Father and that can be hard to understand if your thoughts on what a father is, are skewed. So let’s see what the Bible says - 

* He cares for us - we are reminded at the start of Deuteronomy about what God did for the Children of Israel - 

“The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. 

And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you travelled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’”

‭‭Deuteronomy ‭1:30-31‬

* He looks after the people society often forgets - Psalm 68 reminds us that He is -

“Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— 

this is God, whose dwelling is holy.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭68:5‬ 

* He is a provider - I love these verses in Luke where we are reminded that God loves us even more than our earthly fathers ever could! 

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 

Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more 

will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:11-13‬ 

* He will discipline us when we need it - He wants the best for us so will make sure we know what we are doing right and wrong - what we need to change or do. 

“For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. 

But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:10‬ ‭

* He will comfort us - He is always with us so is there in the midst of all our pain too. 

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. 

When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the 

same comfort God has given us.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭

* He loves us - always and forever! 

“For his unfailing love for us is powerful; 

the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭117:2‬ ‭

And how do we make sure that He is our Heavenly Father? 

“But to ALL who believed Him and accepted Him, 

He gave the right to become children of God...”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:12

🎵🎵

Just believe and receive

S-A-L-V-A-T-I-O-N 

😃😃

Day 91 - Choosing life

It seems like such an easy choice - choosing between life and death - between prosperity and disaster. I mean who would choose to live in disaster or choose death? Yet I know I do when I choose to be lazy and watch tv instead of clean - or get crappy food in instead of cooking healthy meals for the family. They aren't good decisions to make and yet I do it too often and everyone suffers. 

Even just having clean clothes IN their wardrobes brings life to my house yet I haven’t done it. This period of time has really opened my eyes to how easy it is to bring life to my house rather than drag it down. Simple laundry - yet there is a peace having it all down! Who’d have thought!! 

I want this to be somewhere my boys flourish and grow and love being - where they want to crash with their friends and know they are always welcome. 

Learning to take PLEASURE in the simple chores I need to do and learning that ultimately I'm doing it for God and not for myself is definitely helping me rise above to start thriving. 

And if I get lazy and think ‘nah’ - here’s a simple thought - 

It’s not that complicated to wash the sink out or rinse off the shower...

It’s not that complicated to stick the dishes straight into the dishwasher...

It’s not that complicated to stick the washing in the machine - after all it’s not like I’m having to go down to the river to do it... 

So many examples - and such an easy thing to say! 

The difference between bringing life and joy to our homes instead of death and darkness starts with us! 

Loving this!!! 

Day 90 - Jigsaw

I read this on Instagram yesterday and thought wow! 

I have only ever done one big jigsaw in my life - it was a 1000 piece one called ‘Celebration’ and was of Noah’s Ark. We did it when we lived in our last house - so at least 18 years ago. 

But I still remember the sense of achievement and satisfaction when we put that last piece into place and we were able to stand back and enjoy the big picture. 

Sometimes we forget that life is like that. We forget that as we live out day to day, God is working away behind the scenes, putting the right things into our lives at the right time. 

And every single thing that happens is to help the big picture. 

For example - I know that things I haven’t done in my life - like the second trip to Malta or going to Stranmillis - hurt at the time and I really didn’t understand, yet later, as I began to see what I was building (jigsaw wise) I got it! There were good reasons why neither of those things happened. Good reasons I had to wait to find out. Good reasons that God knew but I had to trust. 

And there are no extra pieces - He doesn’t add things to our lives for no reason either. That thing that you know how to do but have no reason why - will come into play one of these days. That person you’ve just met will become a vital part of these next years. 

Like going to a SW meeting years ago with a girl from church, only to end up with her as my bestie. Or going to work in a school classroom, only to find another best friend. 

God is good. All the time. 

And we can always, always trust that He is in control of what comes in and goes out of our lives. 

And so ladies, that’s one reason I am extremely thankful that you all are in my life! 💌

Day 89 - Making a difference

Do you ever sit down at the end of a day and wonder if you have made a difference, or if anything you’ve done is worth it? 

I have to admit that there have been far too many days when I’ve thought that. 

- Did I make a difference in my kids lives today? 

- Did they even notice that I did everything for them again?

- Does anything I do really matter? 

- Would they be just as happy with a housekeeper and a chef? 

That last one makes me laugh because I know I’d love to have one of each!!! It was made even clearer these last few months, because as a mum of 4 strapping teenage boys, I cannot keep food in my house and all I seem to do is cook, bake, clean up, cook, clean up, cook, bake, clean up... you get the picture! 

Anyway - sometimes when we feel like we aren’t making a difference we have to stop and realise that we may not ever know. 

That sounds weird. Let me explain. 

Having all their clothes clean and in their wardrobes not only gives me the freedom from the constant ‘mum where are my...’ talks - but it allows my kids the freedom to pick what they want to wear and the confidence to know it’s all clean. 

Knowing that mum will be there to make the place clean and tidy allows the boys to invite people to their house without fear of embarrassment (in normal life!). 

The ways we give to the people in our lives - those we live with, those we work with, those we love - we may never know how something we say or do touches them or gives them the confidence they need, or the nudge they need, or the smile they need, but we know that when we don’t do it, it’s noticeable. 

I noticed that yesterday with the number of wee chats etc we all had when I wasn’t at full speed and doing things as usual. 

So keep doing what you do ladies - because somewhere out there someone sees a rainbow just because of you.

Day 87 - Proverbs 31...

Everyone has heard about the infamous Proverbs 31 woman - the woman nobody on earth could ever live up to! 

Well - the author of the most famous chapter of the book of Proverbs is (some say - I am not a scholar of these things!!) the mother of King Solomon - David’s son who reigned after David died. Solomon ended up with 700 wives and 300 concubines - yes you read that right! 1000 women! And our poor hubbies find it hard dealing with one! 

So either she wrote this and he was trying to find the right woman... hmmmm - could he have been wrong that many times?! Or she wrote it after seeing him get all these wives and still not find one that was worthy of her son. 

Either way she wrote a chapter of the Bible which women love to hate. We think it reads as a list of things we should be, but I like to look at it as an idea of what we can be. I don’t think any one of us could possibly do it all - but we can do some of it, and maybe it is more about the women of God as a whole, and what we can achieve together. 

Well, today I have been looking at the first of the verses and thinking about what a virtuous woman looks like. 

I like the way the Amplified Bible helps to explain it - 

“An excellent woman [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], 

who is he who can find her? Her value is more precious than 

jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31:10‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Spiritual, capable, intelligent, virtuous. 

That’s a list we can actually consider. 

* Spiritual - such a big part of our lives - we need to put God first, or look into who He is if we don’t know Him yet. 

* Capable - we are all capable women. I don’t know of one person on my list (who gets this every morning) who cannot do what they need to do, or who sits on their bum and does nothing for their family. Nope - you are ALL very capable women. 

* Intelligent - again you are all very smart ladies. You all have working brains - whether you use them for the wonders of doing P6 maths or figuring out someone’s taxes - not one of you is lacking when it comes to this category.

* Virtuous - this just means having high moral standards and again I am certain that each one of you fit this description as well. You may have had a crazy youth, or you might be thinking of a crazy mid-life crisis coming up, but being serious, I know you all, and you are ALL virtuous women that I am proud to call my friends. 

So we’re off to a good start! I really hope we can get some encouragement and challenges out of these verses, rather than a fear of failure. 

Go girls!!  

Day 86 - God’s overflowing love

Last night, when I couldn’t sleep I got up and read Psalm 42. This verse just popped out at me - no matter what is happening in the world, God’s love is unfailing and constant and worthy of our thanks and praise. 

An illustration of His love, forgiveness, mercy and grace is this - 

Take a jug of water and a glass to the sink - or use the tap -as you pour the water into the glass, watch as it overflows. That is the way God’s love overflows in us.

How great is it to sing praise and pray to the God who gives us more than we need every single day - just because He loves us!