I'll be happy when...

We live in a time where true happiness is always around the corner, or so we think. True happiness will come when I win the Lotto jackpot, when I finally give birth to a girl - I have 5 boys but I want a girl, when my mum buys me some Jimmy Choo shoes and so on. We are so focused on the vague possibilities in the future bringing us happiness when we ought to be looking at the present and finding happiness there, because believe me it IS there. Sadly too few of us choose to see it and we focus on the sadness and negatives of our present life. I urge you to try, just for one day to begin with to look for the positives in your day. The moments that bring a smile to your face, a flutter in your heart, a laugh or a feeling of contentment. Don't wait for the supposed tomorrow to bring you happiness. BE HAPPY NOW!!! Come on, what's stopping you? Really, what is stopping you?? Your attitude belongs to you and you can have a positive one if you want to.

God loves you unconditionally, everlastingly, and he wants an intimate, personal relationship with you, he has good plans for your life. If you have a bad attitude you cannot have a good relationship with God.

James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.

The farmer puts his seed in the ground and waits. He keeps up his patient vigil. He doesn't become disheartened and impatient. We need to keep a vigil on our dreams. Plant our own seed and wait. The devil cannot stop us from getting from god wants us to have.

Enjoy where you're at on the way to where you are going and don't wait to be happy - be happy now!

Persecuted for his cross

Persecuted for his Cross.. yes, a 64 year old Christian faces being sacked from Wakefield District Housing. His sin? Placing a palm crucifix on the dashboard of his work van! Mr Atkinson is facing disciplinary action for GROSS MISCONDUCT as he refuses to remove his cross from the van. However he remains true to his faith and says he will choose being faithful to Christ over his job. It's a matter of principle, faith and Christian integrity.

The company, WDH claims to be "inclusive" and boasts how it allows employees to wear religious symbols in the workplace and have religious paraphernalia on desks in the office. They went as far in their statement to the press to make a point of mentioning that they provided stalls at gay pride events, held 'diversity days' for travelers and hosted a gender reassignment event entitled A World That Includes Transpeople.

It seems to me that WDH only want to be inclusive on their terms. Religious symbols within the offices are fine but dare to show one out on the street in a vehicle branded with the WDH logo then it's a total no-go. But why is that? WDH state that they do not want their organisation being associated with any faith whether that is Christianity, Islam or Buddhism. Perhaps it would do them well to remember that we are in fact a Christian country. Failing that, everyone has the right to express their faith in a non-malicious, non-threatening way and to be quite frank I do not see a 6 inch cross being threatening. Many of the taxis I catch have religious regalia hanging from the rear view mirror. Do I have a problem with that? No, I respect that person's faith and what is more I feel that a vehicle is a totally appropriate place to have a faith item given that many accidents happen whilst on the road and I know that I would feel more comforted if I had a religious item in my car, something that would focus me in times of distress and allow me to gain strength in order to get through a possible road traffic accident.

I wear a bangle, one of those 1cm wide stretchy plastic ones. It's bright green and says on it "Jesus saves you". I wear it most of the time, absolutely always when I leave the house. The only time I really take it off is when I bathe as I do not want the writing to wear off. I wear it to work. The bright green colour totally clashes with the colours in my wardrobe thus making it very visible. It's actually started quite a few conversations about Christianity that have proven to be very fruitful.

I've asked myself the question what would I do if my employer asked me to remove it at work and I concur that I would do exactly the same as Mr Atkinson and refuse to remove it. It is my right as a follower of Christ, as a British citizen, as a human being to both express my faith and to bring me a source of comfort and security.

Stand by your beliefs Mr Atkinson. Christians nationwide are proud to call you a brother.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377684/Electrician-Colin-Atkinson-faces-sack-Christian-cross-van-dashboard.html

The renewal of life

Ephesians 4:22

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

With God's mercy it is 100% possible to recover from any trauma. Nancy Alcorn regular witnesses healing of the girls in her houses at the hands of God. It is possible to recover from years of abuse knowing that God will extend mercy and grace to you. Some sexual abuse survivors recover so far that they begin to see themselves as a virgin in God's eyes. This is amazing and I would love one day to hear such a testimony.

If we confess our sins God will cleanse us without exception. A prostitute can confess and be made pure again by the blood of Jesus. A murderer may confess his sins and become pure and whole again by the virtue of Jesus. God's love and forgiveness surmounts all.

I am on a journey of healing myself, healing from childhood sexual abuse and the closer I grow to God the deeper and more rewarding the journey becomes. I have witnessed many changes and I now know that one day I will be perfectly renewed, cleansed and restored. A day which will be celebrated!

Getting your mind off the road behind you

1 Corinthians 2:9

"What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him"

Are you one of life's grumblers? Stop and think. Do you complain more than you appreciate and accept? God is not going to bless anyone who grumbles and moans all the time. He will bless those who are thoughtful and thankful for what they do have. This is also how people are divined with a miracle. Miracles are amazing, a true gift of God's awesomeness, however miracles will not keep you happy long term. Taking god as your bread, your food, your life, your everything will. Many people pray hard and dream for a miracle to take them out of a situation fully expecting to live happily ever after. Not so. The miracle is just the beginning. Life changes have to be made in order to fully prosper from the miracle. If you are not prepared to move forward with the miracle then the miracle was sadly of little use to you. Praise the miracle and look forward. Don't just look at what you don't have, make an inventory of what you do have.

Don't let the past determine your future.

Isaiah 43:18-19

"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

God wants us to move forward. He wants us to lead fulfilled lives, lives with purpose. Too much time is spent dwelling on the past whether the past is filled with trauma or not. Exclamations such as "if only" and "what if" enter our minds. We need to banish them for they serve no purpose in our future. We need to accept that the past has happened but that it doesn't have to shape our future - God will do that. Hear him, listen to him, he will lead the way to The Promised Land.

Like a seedling

Like a seedling in the garden reliant and ever responsive to the elements my roots are firmly planted in the soil and I too respond to my own elements: Faith, Hope, Love, Mercy and Grace.

Each day I grow a little more into what I aspire to be but knowing that I will strive all this lifetime and not reach the goal I have set myself, that many Christians set themselves. That will only be achieved at Jesus' feet in eternity and what a place to aim for!

New shoots sprout, my Faith becomes multi-faceted. I revel in the excitement of each new day that God blesses me with. I seek to grow. My leaves and buds lean towards the sunshine trying to absorb as much of the elements as possible. I do this too. I draw towards my own sunshine: my Lord. I know that in order to grow in the best way that I can in order to reach my potential that the most important element is sunshine and I seek it wherever I go. There are times when rain is necessary but it is the sunshine that changes my being, gets into my soul and makes me proud of what I am becoming.

Never Alone

Many years ago I felt alone, truly, truly alone. I was a child and my life was not what I wanted it to be. Despite there being people around me there was no one there. Time passed. I survived .. on my own. I had a vague belief in God but without the right nurturing this belief was never given the opportunity to grow into anything more.

As a young adult I pursued this vague belief and began to learn. However at the same time I had a strong belief of that God can't exist else I would have felt his presence. I spent the next ten or fifteen years dipping in and out of Christianity, learning more and more as time went by.

This past year I have witnessed a big change. My faith is growing stronger day by day. I lead a more Christian lifestyle which isn't easy when one is betrothed to an ardent athiest however I continue to strive to be what God wants me to be.

The reason for this blog entry is that increasingly and especially this past four months when I have been riddled with both mental and physical health problems I have realised that there is one constant presence in my life: God

God is always with me.

I am never alone.

Do you ever find yourself feeling alone?

Maybe it's time for you to reach out to God?