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Well, hello to you all from a beautiful and mildly warm Kruger National Park! A bit quiet, not many of the big five to be seen yet, but we’re happy.

I’ve had so many thoughts bouncing around in my head since we’ve been here, and I thought it best to write it down immediately rather than wait till I’m back. Can you still say “write it down” when you’re typing online? Anyway, that’s the reason I’m doing this right now, lest I forget! So many times I wake up in the middle of the night with all these great ideas for my blog, only to have them vanish by morning.

So I’m setting those thoughts free, right here, right now — before they cause havoc with their bouncing.

Kruger NP is my happy place. It’s where I feel at peace, relaxed, calm and recharged. It’s not only here — I feel the same way in any wildlife setting, but this place is my favourite. We have many, many memories with friends and family, from the times we’ve spent here.

This time though, I appear to be looking at things with different eyes. Everything I see is reminding me of the great God that we serve. And I’d like to share some of those bouncy thoughts here.

Yesterday was a dull day weatherwise — dark clouds hovered, threatening rain. Here and there, the sun disappeared behind the clouds, leaving us in sombre light. This picture was taken just when the brightness was hidden.

I thought about how sometimes the sun is completely obscured by heavy cloud cover, and yet, it hasn’t disappeared — it’s still there even when we can’t see it. Still shining just as brightly. Still doing exactly what it was made to do. Just hidden.

It made me think of those difficult times in our lives, when dark clouds threaten to overwhelm us. Times that we think God has forgotten us. But just like the sun in that picture, He is still there, faithfully keeping watch over us. Never leaving or forsaking us. That’s a promise He gave.

Then I can’t forget to mention the sunrises and sunsets. Such spectacular beauty! We already know that tonight the sun will set, and tomorrow “as sure as the dawn”, it will rise again. That’s something I often take for granted in the busyness of life back home. But if we stop to look, it’ll take our breath away. Like this one.

And the same surety we have, as we lay our heads down for the night, that the sun will rise in the morning, so too we can trust God. He is faithful!

Psalms 36:5 says: “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”

Interspersed with all the greens and browns of the bushveld, you find trees which look as if they have nothing more to offer. Stark silhouettes standing there like sentinels of the past. And yet, they are a favourite landing places for raptors who want a clear view of what’s on the menu below. And even though their time is almost up, their branches are raised to heaven, as if in praise.

For me this is a reminder that even when I think I have nothing more to offer, God still has a purpose for me. And I should look up, keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, and lift my arms to praise Him for His endless blessings.

Recently, a special lady shared a picture with us of how the blood of Jesus covers our sin. When I saw this next tree it made me think of just that. Birds, animals and other creatures could hide in the leafy canopy of this tree and not be seen. We’d drive right past without knowing they were there.

This foliage which covers what is hidden inside, reminds me that the blood of Jesus covers my sin. Because Jesus shed His blood for me, and you, on the cross, God sees us through that lens when we choose to believe. What an exceptional gift!

But there’s so much more here that gives me pause.

Each and every animal, bird, plant or any other creature is different. Size, shape, colour, fur, feathers, leaves or spikes. Each have their own special ability, purpose, and way of doing things. Just like us. Each of us unique.

The skittish impala, always watching, wary of possible danger lurking behind any bush. A good lesson to always be watchful for the wiles of the devil.

1 Peter 5:8 says: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.“

The feisty warthog, who will fiercely defend her piglets against even the toughest opponent. Our God loves us with a fierce and all-consuming love, and is more powerful than all our enemies.

The majestic martial eagle, one of our largest raptors, reminds me that we are safe in the shadow of God’s wings.

Psalms 91:4 says: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

The confident stride of the lion who knows he’s the king of the jungle. Our Lion of Judah, Jesus, is King of kings and Lord of lords.

One fact of life in Kruger is that you have to be in the right place, at the right time, if you want to see something special. Minutes count. Even seconds can be the difference between seeing a cheetah cross the road and disappear into the bush, or not seeing it at all. I’ve been on both sides of this conundrum — having a story to tell the folks in the next vehicle about what they just missed, and often being the one to hear what we just missed. It’s both wonderful and awful.

But God’s gift of salvation is not like that. He doesn’t have little windows of opportunity where you can accept His gift, or miss it by minutes or seconds. The offer is there for you ALL the time you have on this earth; waiting for you to accept it. Only thing is, you don’t know when your time on this earth will end. Think about that. Don’t delay. Choose life. Choose Jesus.

As I sit here, awestruck by the splendour that surrounds me, I am grateful that God chose to give us a world filled with such extravagant beauty. Imagine if our world had no colour, or no wild flowers, or birds and animals, or clouds …….. it’s impossible for me to imagine a world like that.

So today I want to praise Him for His kindness in creating a world rich in beauty, where we are privileged to live. A world that reminds us in so many little ways, of our mighty and gracious God.

There you have it — those thoughts which were causing havoc in my head have been put to paper. A bit of a jumble sale of thoughts, but hopefully there are some little nuggets of truth here that’ll find their way into your heart.

And a little reminder from me — choose Jesus! Every day.

God bless and keep you.

Psalm 19:1 — “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 — “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Can you remember a time when you were faced with a huge project, or a scary assignment that almost paralysed you with fear and trembling? And indecision. I’m sure we’ve all faced those days, or stumbling blocks, no matter how young or old we are. I know I have — in my personal life as well as in the workplace.

I recently decided to build a puzzle that was gifted to me more than a year ago. I hauled it out of the cupboard and took one look and thought — Oh my word, this is going to be so hard. And it was! Very hard. 1500 pieces, two cheetahs, lots of spots, and a dark background made it a very challenging exercise. But step by step, starting with the edges, with lots of help, and not a little patience, I eventually got it done. It took weeks, because every now and then I just couldn’t face the challenge. Then I’d go back, and just do one or two pieces, and get encouraged again. Step by step, one piece at a time. Good puzzle-builders would laugh at the time it took me to finish it, but I felt good when it was done.

Another example I remember vividly was my slow and painful recovery from knee surgery a few years ago. Before I go any further with this, let me assure you it’s not the same for everyone, so don’t let me put you off, if that’s in your future. I know folks who’ve had this surgery and within a week they were up and about, walking around happily. But for me, that first time lifting my leg from the bed to the floor was excruciating. And each day I dreaded the visit from the physio. But once I was home, very slowly, but surely; with lots of help and encouragement from my daughter and husband, I was finally able to lift my leg unaided, and walk again. Short walks at first, until eventually I was back to normal. It took time, but it took one small step at a time.

Think about babies. We cheer, we encourage and we teach them — to crawl, to walk, to talk. As they take that first shaky step, tentative, stumbling and often falling down, surely it’s with some trepidation that they get up and try again? And yet, they eventually succeed, starting off with a wobbly gait until, in the blink of an eye, they are running non-stop.

I’m an avid watcher of sports on television. Many different sports, but one that I love watching is competitive diving. Such graceful moves, accurate timing, exquisite execution, minimal splash! Sometimes they do it in pairs; perfectly synchronised. I am in awe of these divers, especially since I think I’ve only dived from a high board once in my life. When I was young and unafraid. I probably can’t even call it a dive, it was probably more of a belly flop. The low board was fine, but that high board was scary. And these competitors dive from heights of up to 10 meters! Respect!!

But I do wonder sometimes what led them to this sport? It would be interesting to know if they started out on the low platforms and graduated to the higher boards. I can’t imagine them starting at 10 meters up. So, once again, step by step. Graduating slowly from easy to difficult.

Mathematics is another example of the importance of a step by step process. You can follow the steps perfectly, but one small miscalculation along the way, and the final result is wrong. Thankfully though, you can still score marks for the method, even if your calculations have not been accurate.

Just about everything we do, starts with one small step. One tiny action. Writing this blog, for example. Sometimes I delay because I think I have nothing to say. And then once I start, the ideas flow more naturally — thank you Jesus!

Building a house, cooking from a recipe, saving money, training for a marathon, painting a picture. It’s all a process of one small step at a time.

There’s a saying attributed to more than one notable person, (according to my friend Google) that asks the question — How do you eat an elephant? And the answer: One bite at a time. That’s how we tackle these difficult tasks. One small step, one small action, one deep breath, at a time.

Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s not. Often it hurts physically. Sometimes we can only see one step ahead, and don’t know what the next step will be. But the bottom line is, if we don’t take that first step, we’ll never do anything. We’ll never eat that elephant.

It takes courage, trust, boldness, discipline, enthusiasm, perseverance. That first action does not need to be big. The time doesn’t have to be perfect. It may be uncomfortable, you may make mistakes along the way. That’s okay. If you’ve done the thinking, the planning, the research, what is holding you back? Just cross the gap between thinking and doing. The first step does not have to be big. Put on the running shoes if you want to run a marathon. Buy the canvas if you want to paint a picture. Save a small amount the first month. But take that step. Like the popular sports brand says — Just do it!

If I think about that famous landing on the moon, where Neil Armstrong said: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”, I am reminded that for him to get to that historic moment, he took many, many small steps along the way. In the end, that first step on the moon was momentous, but it could never have happened without the courage of a lot of people taking that first step. Trusting the process. Having the courage to start.

When I look back on all these examples I’ve given, I see that at the end of each one, there was a reward. Sometimes purely a sense of accomplishment, like my puzzle. Sometimes a big win, like that walk on the moon. But each event started with one tiny step. One bold move. One courageous person.

This week one of my grandchildren took a very big and important step in her life. She got baptised, announcing to the world that she has put her trust in Jesus, and surrendered her life to Him. My heart is full, and I am incredibly grateful that she has made this choice. It’s the first step into a life of following Jesus, of being obedient to His plan for her life, and trusting Him to always know what’s best for her. As a family, we praise God for her decision.

As Christians, we too have taken that step of trusting Jesus. We didn’t wait until we were good enough — we’d wait forever for that. Jesus is good enough! He stands in the gap for us, waiting patiently for us to boldly choose to follow Him.

The Bible tells us in Titus 3 : 4 – 5 — “But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.”

Have you taken that step yet? Or are you waiting for the right moment? Perhaps you’re waiting for your friend, or spouse, or sister, or someone else, to go first, because what will people think? Or it may be that you think it’s going to cause conflict in your relationships. That may well be true, but it is worth it! That’s what I did — I was afraid of rocking the boat of personal relationships and so I wasted precious years before I was bold enough to take the step of faith. That’s all it takes to make the first move of surrendering to Jesus — faith. Trusting that He will watch over you as you choose to follow Him. Trusting that the things which you fear might happen, perhaps never will. And trusting that whatever happens, He will be holding you in His hands.

My prayer for you today, if you are already following Jesus, is that you will know just how great His love for you is.

And for those who are still hesitating about making that first bold move of surrendering to Jesus, my prayer is that you will take that step today. That you will be bold, trusting in God’s promise of eternal life, and in His saving grace and mercy. Just do it!!

God bless you all.

Ephesians 2 : 8 – 9 — “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no-one can boast.”

Romans 10 : 9 — “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

“Congratulations! And celebrations! When I tell everyone that you’re in love with me. Congratulations! And jubilation. I want the world to know I’m happy as can be.”

Words from a song from very long ago. But what a wonderful reason to celebrate — finding someone to love. The singer or songwriter may have written these words to celebrate, but often celebrations take the form of a gathering of people. A party. A wedding. A feast. A simple get-together with family or friends. There are endless ways and reasons to celebrate. And who doesn’t love a good party? I certainly do.

Now I’ll say this upfront — I am not a good cook, and anything to do with food planning is not on my top ten list. I can prepare and serve tasty meals for my family, and have done so for more years than I care to divulge. I can even bake a nice cake. But for me, it’s stressful rather than enjoyable to cater for a celebration. However, I can certainly appreciate the eating part, especially when it’s prepared by someone else.

All those delicious snacks and goodies on display at parties. Paté and crackers, cheese, fruit, nuts, raisins, dainty rolls of ham or salami, rainbow sandwiches, sausage rolls — I’m starting to feel peckish just thinking about it.

Or maybe a nice selection of cakes and pastries — chocolate cake, or even better, some black forest, or caramel cheesecake, milk tart, apple pie with cream. Pecan nut tart. Caramel cones and chocolate brownies. Yummy!!

Get togethers don’t always mean sweet treats — it could be a good old-fashioned South African braai! Crispy pork rashers, lamb chops, steak, ribs, boerewors, all cooked on the coals as only we Saffers know how. Served with a variety of delicious salads.

Mouth-watering delights! I think by now you’ve all gone and made a snack before reading further.

And of course, parties give us the opportunity to play dress-up. Most times it’s casual, sometimes not. Then the smart shoes and ties come out for the men, and for the ladies, fancy heels and bags, frills and lace, if you’re into that, or sequins and all things shiny. A chance to flaunt your feathers!!

But parties are not only about the eats and the outfits. In fact, that’s way less important than the reason for the celebration. Birthdays, engagements, weddings, promotions, business successes, and yes, even celebrations of departed loved ones.
I have been blessed to enjoy many of these celebrations over my lifetime. Some I can recall with fond memories; others bring a little sadness for the people we no longer get to share life with.

The birthday parties for my children when they were little are a favourite memory, not least because of the joy it brought them and the excitement on their faces as their friends arrived. The fun games in the garden, where I joined in playing hide and seek, musical chairs, or tag. The squeals of delight as the candles were blown out, and the loud singing of the birthday song. Then the cake-cutting. All the hard work baking and building a cake that was their obsession at the time — racing cars and fire engines, a farmyard and even a carousel. All gone in five quick minutes. A treasured recollection of happy celebrations.

Of course, our wedding day is also a highlight — one I look back on now with not a single regret, and with the knowledge that those two innocent young people had no idea what lay in store for them. But a day of joyful celebration as we stepped into our new life together.

I won’t bore you with any more memories of my celebrations. But I do think it’s important to honour the milestones in our lives, and the lives of others, no matter how small they appear. It’s an opportunity to cheer them on, to say well done, to stop and recognise what they have achieved. A time to be thankful too. We recently celebrated a grandson who turned 18, and this month another family member turns 40 — we are indeed grateful for these two special people. And yes, a party is brewing. I’m looking forward to that!

I’m sure each one of you also have beautiful memories of past celebrations. I would love to hear some of your stories, if you’re willing to share.

In the Bible, God’s people often honoured Him for what He had done for them, with feasts, or fasts, or music.

After God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians by splitting the Red Sea so they could safely cross, and then destroying the Egyptians when they tried to follow, Moses sang a song to the Lord, and Miriam and the women danced and sang and played tambourines in gratitude to God. That must have been something to behold! You can read about this in Exodus 15.

In the Old Testament, Song of Songs, written by King Solomon, is a wedding song honouring marriage. He really was quite romantic!

Another example of celebrating with song in the Bible, is found in Luke 1:46 – 55, where Mary sings a song of praise and jubilation to God for the gift of His son, who would bring salvation to the world.

Also in the New Testament, Jesus’s first miracle was at a party — a wedding, to be exact. Jesus was there to celebrate the marriage, and when the wine ran out, He turned the water into the best wine. He took the ordinary, and changed it into something special. After seeing this miracle, His disciples believed and put their faith in Him. You can read about this in Luke 2.

In a few week’s time, we will be celebrating Easter. For most people, it’s simply another feast of chocolate eggs and hot cross buns, and maybe even the annual church visit.

But for believers, it’s a very special celebration; a time for us to remember what Jesus did for each one of us. He gave His life for us — for you and for me. For all people, everywhere. Every. Single. One.

Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again on the third day. The greatest love ever, the greatest gift ever, the greatest sacrifice ever. Because He took the punishment for our sin by dying for us, He opened the way for us to have a personal relationship with God, and eternal life.

You can have this gift of salvation too. All you need to do is believe that Jesus died for your sin, that He rose again, and invite Him into your life. You can do that right now, just ask Him to forgive you for your sin, and surrender your life to Him.

What does the Easter celebration mean to you? Is it only another chance to get a few days off work? Another feast; another meaningless celebration? Or do you believe Christ died for you? Have you surrendered your life to Him, honouring Him and accepting His gift of salvation?

I pray that this Easter, your heart will be softened and stirred when you remember Jesus’s great sacrifice, and that you will be brave enough to take those first few steps — believe, confess, turn to Him and be saved. And all of heaven will celebrate!

Until next time — God bless.

John 14 : 6 — Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 10:9-10 — That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

So, the start of the new year has come and gone, and we’ve already taken a big step into 2026. I wonder what this year has in store for each of us?

As I pondered what to write this time, I was reminded that at the start of each new year, we get enthusiastic about “new year’s resolutions”. We may not have a specific list of things we want to do differently, but we often resolve mentally to change things, or implement completely new activities in our lives. Like:

• Go to the gym regularly. This is a favourite evidenced from the packed gyms in January and February
• Eat healthily
• Declutter the home, or perhaps just the cupboards
• Learn a new language, or other skill
• Quit smoking, or coffee, or any other bad habit. Not that I regard coffee as a bad habit; and for those who smoke, I’ve been there!

The list of things we resolve as a new year comes around, is endless.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of new year’s resolutions. I’ve failed miserably at most of the things I’ve resolved to do and let’s face it, if we want to change things in our lives, we don’t need to wait for a new year to do it.

But one thing I’ve done fairly regularly as the old year makes way for the new, is to choose a word that I feel is appropriate for me for the coming year. A word that God drops in my heart, as I ask Him for wisdom and guidance for the new year. A word to keep in mind as the days and months go by. In the past, I’ve recalled the word I chose, to remind me, encourage me, chastise me, grow me, or even as a warning.

For those who know me well, words are my thing! I absolutely love word games, crossword puzzles, reading — anything to do with words makes my brain tick. The words I use are simple — big, fancy words are just a waste of time in my opinion. Who wants to read a book, or an article, and have to refer to a dictionary every few minutes? Where’s the fun in that? I recall reading a book some years ago, about the cosmos, and having to look up the meaning for a lot of those big, unfamiliar words, writing notes on the pages for what each unknown word meant. Granted, a lot of the terms used in the book were scientific, but still, it was exhausting.

Why use nebulous, when you can say hazy, or vague? Or loquacious, when it just means talkative! In fact, loquacious sounds like someone has eaten too many loquats and now they’re feeling loquacious! Ephemeral is simply another way of saying fleeting, and pernicious in plain English means harmful.

Anyway, this isn’t meant to be an English lesson, I was merely trying to state my case, and for the record, I had to use my friend Google for those examples. As I said, my vocabulary is simple.

But I have drifted way off point here. The word I chose at the start of 2025 was COURAGE. And looking back, oh boy, did I need courage last year. A year where too many people I loved were taken home, and a year where I struggled physically. I’ll probably need courage this year too, but my word for 2026 is JOY.

JOY as a word has always been a favourite, not least because of my name. I was born on my mother’s birthday, and I like to think that’s why she named me JOYce. Maybe I’m wrong — I mean, ladies, we know all too well what we go through before we hold that precious infant in our arms. It’s too late now to ask my mom, but I’ve decided that is the reason for my name.

JOY is a word that encompasses positive emotions. Feelings of elation, triumph, delight, bliss.

JOY is different to happiness. The two don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand. Happiness is often related to external events, like receiving a nice gift, or visiting a favourite place. JOY is a deeper emotion; a sense of inner contentment and peace that can exist despite our circumstances.

But I don’t think that JOY is something that can be plucked out of the air when we need it. We can’t go to Temu or Amazon and order it for urgent delivery. It’s not a learned behaviour, or a character trait gifted to some and not others. No, JOY is an emotion rooted in the One who is the source of all JOY. Jesus!

Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:11 — “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” He was reminding them that if they stayed close to Him, rooted in Him, loving Him and others, then His JOY would fill their hearts and souls. That’s where we find JOY, friends. In Jesus. In building a relationship with Him through prayer, obedience, love, faithfulness, trust. Not through our circumstances; not through things we own or positions we hold; or the power we wield. Only in Jesus! It’s not a decision we make — “Today I will be joyful no matter what!” — No, that’s not how it works. It is a fruit produced in our souls by the Holy Spirit.

You may be asking: How do we find this JOY then? Well, it comes through faith in God, and the first step is to believe in Jesus, the source of all JOY. If you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, you can do so right now by saying this simple prayer:

Lord Jesus, I believe you died on the cross and rose again. For me. I’m sorry for my sins. Please forgive me and come and live in my heart today. Forever. Amen.

For all who know and love Jesus, building a relationship with Him through prayer, and reading His word, following in His footsteps, and asking the Holy Spirit to give us this JOY, is the way to experience it. Even through trials, we can find JOY through trusting in God. Knowing that He is in control, and that whatever we are going through, He is holding our hand. Following Jesus doesn’t mean we are immune to hardship, but it does mean that God will be there, giving us strength and courage for what we face, filling our hearts with His JOY and contentment.

This is what I will be reminding myself throughout 2026 — to claim the JOY of Jesus, no matter what I face. To not allow the devil to steal my JOY, as he is wont to do. I’m not pretending that this will be easy; often it will be hard — but I’ve chosen this word and I’ll try and recall it through good times and bad. Remembering to ask the Holy Spirit to fill me with JOY. And I’m sharing it with you, to hold me accountable.

Would you like to choose a word for 2026? Perhaps you already have. Maybe God has dropped something in your heart that seems relevant to 2026. Why don’t you share it with someone?

As we face 2026, there is so much to be thankful for, and JOYful about. We have been spared for another year with friends and families, while a lot of people didn’t make it. There is JOY in knowing that Jesus loves us. There is JOY and thankfulness in the beauty of creation that surrounds us. And these are just a few of many things we can rejoice in.

I pray that as you face this coming year, and all that lies ahead for you, that you will be abundantly blessed, and that the JOY of Jesus will abound in your heart and in your life.

Till next time.

Nehemiah 8:10 — “Do not grieve, for the JOY of the Lord is your strength.”

Romans 15:13 — “May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Well can you believe it? It’s December already and Christmas is just around the corner.
Time to get the tree and all those lovely decorations out of storage and set it up. If you haven’t already done it of course. I know one or two folks who would set their tree up in October if they could. And don’t forget the Christmas carols — get those playlists up and out there. It’s sing-along time!

Christmas is such an exciting time of year for me.  Stores and malls are filled with shiny ornaments, twinkling lights and so many people bustling around. Some of my favourite things are browsing Christmas markets, planning for the family meal, buying gifts, wrapping them, but most of all seeing the joy on the children’s faces as they open their gifts and we sit in a room filled with squeals of delight and mounds of discarded wrapping paper.

In the midst of all the excitement we remember loved ones who are no longer with us; those who don’t have the privilege of big meals with family; and those where finances exclude the joy of buying gifts. Let’s not forget them at this special time. We can all do something for someone we know in a situation like this.

Christmas is celebrated in most parts of the world — but mostly as just another day of feasting. I remember being in Taiwan one year towards the end of November, visiting my daughter. It’s mainly a Buddhist country, but the Christmas lights and decorations on display were amazing! Every store, every street, joined in the festive spirit. Needless to say I came home with a few new decorations for my tree. But that’s all it was — just another show without the true meaning of Christmas being celebrated.

As Christians, we know the reason for the season, to coin a phrase. It’s the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Saviour. And that is definitely reason enough for the joyfulness and festivity.

The birth of Jesus is the fulfilment of a promise given by God as far back as the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had disobeyed God’s command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and their perfect relationship with God was broken. But right there God’s plan for redemption was promised.

Genesis 3:15 says: God said to the serpent (Satan), “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel.” 

The very first promise of a Saviour mentioned in the Bible, and the first great act of God’s grace after that very first sin. A lot of firsts there!

We have the luxury of looking back, and seeing this promise fulfilled in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. And this is despite Satan’s attempts to thwart God’s plan.

There are many more references to the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament, and many more promises given by God. Think of Abraham, who was quite old when God promised he would have a son. Another promise fulfilled when Isaac was born.

Have you ever made a promise you couldn’t keep? I know I have. Sometimes it’s for reasons beyond our control. That’s understandable. Or perhaps you told a friend you’d pop in for coffee and when the time arrived you just didn’t feel like it, and you cancelled. Or you promised your love you wouldn’t be late again, and then got held up in traffic. Whatever the reason, I think we’ve all broken a promise at least once in our lives. If you haven’t, just know that I’m in awe!

But God NEVER EVER breaks His word. Read that again — God NEVER breaks His promise. Every promise He has made has been fulfilled, or will still come to pass.

Joshua 21:45 says: “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

In the Bible, there are MANY promises made by God to Israel. As Christians, through our union with Christ, we are heirs to those promises. I’d like to highlight a few that are special to me.

John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” God loves every one of us — even me — so much, He was willing to sacrifice His only Son so that we can spend eternity in His presence. I can’t wait!

John 11:25 — “Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus was speaking to Martha, just before He raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Martha answered YES even before her brother walked out of the tomb! If Jesus was speaking those same words to you today, what would you say?

Joshua 1:9 — “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” What a comforting verse this is. God will never leave us nor forsake us. He is with us always, even when we think He’s forgotten about us.

Isaiah 41:10 — “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I remember this promise from God. When we are weak, He is strong. He carries us and holds us firmly in His grasp.

2 Chronicles 7:14 — “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” As Christians, we are God’s people, called by His name. This promise can be for each of us as individuals, or collectively as His church. God promises that if we (1) humble ourselves by repenting, (2) pray for forgiveness, (3) seek God earnestly, and (4) turn away from sin, then He will hear and forgive.

Matthew 11:28 — “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Sometimes we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders. These words, spoken by Jesus, invite us to surrender the load to Him and rest, knowing He is in control.

Philippians 4:6-7 — “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” A similar promise to the previous one. When we surrender our worries to Him, He promises to give us peace. Don’t forget the thanksgiving part! And it’s not a promise to give us a life free of trials, rather, it’s a promise of peace through the trial.

There are so many more promises that I could quote here, but I’ll stop right there and ask: What are your favourite promises from the Bible?

That very first promise of a Saviour was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. He came to conquer sin and Satan, so that we could be part of God’s family. Reconciled to Him, through faith and belief in Jesus.

Do you believe in Jesus? Have you accepted Him as your Saviour? Are you celebrating this Christmas knowing that one day you are going to see Jesus face to face? I can tell you, Christmas is so much more meaningful to me since I surrendered to Jesus. It’s filled with a joy and a peace that surpasses all else.

If you would like to know more about Jesus, or if you want to invite Him into your heart, why don’t you drop me a message. Or even in the quiet of your own home, ask Him to forgive you and invite Him in. If you do, Christmas will never be the same again!

I’ll close by wishing each of you a happy, peaceful, blessed Christmas.

God bless

Isaiah 9:6 — “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Wouldn’t it be great if we got a second chance for everything we failed at first time round?
Think about it! The netball shot that didn’t drop through the hoop to win the match. How nice if we heard the words: It’s ok, try again. And we do. And it’s in. And we win!! If only!

Or we’re a trader on the stock exchange, and we buy a dud and lose LOTS of money! Sorry folks, this one didn’t work as planned, you can take it back and we’ll try something else. Nope, not going to happen. It doesn’t work that way!

And the golf shot that landed in the water instead of on the green — can I try it again without the penalty shot? Definitely not!

I know a very, very nice gentleman who was once caught driving way above the speed limit, and was pulled over to the side by a traffic officer. During the conversation that ensued, he asked the officer if he could go back and drive through the speed trap again at a more acceptable pace. Needless to say, there were a few chuckles, and the answer was an emphatic NO. Nice try buddy! He was lucky though, the officer was kind and generously let him off with a warning. A second chance!

And what about those people who’ve been given a second chance at life! With a heart transplant, or a kidney transplant. A chance to spend more time with loved ones. Priceless!

There are countless examples of times we were given a chance to do things over. Do them better.

There are also those times where we wish we had the chance to do it all over again. Mistakes we’ve made, or decisions we’ve taken that with hindsight, were not that wise. Sometimes we can, often we can’t.

Can you think of something in your own life that you really wish you’d had the opportunity to do all over again? But differently the second time around? I certainly can.

This is not about looking back with regret and longing and weeping for what could have been. Hopefully those mistakes, or bad choices we’ve made in the past, have made us wiser. I like to think that it’s prepared me to think more carefully about my choices in future.

I was at a ladies’ conference recently and I was so encouraged to hear the stories of some of the speakers. They were given second chances in life.
One had been a highly paid escort and drug addict, and her life was drastically changed. A second chance.

Hearing their stories made me stop and think — even I had been given a second chance and I’d like to briefly share my testimony here.

When my husband and I were in our 20’s, we surrendered our lives to Jesus. We were baptised, and it was a genuine decision — our hearts were committed. A few months after that, we moved to a different city and started floundering.
Within 5 years God had been placed on a shelf, like a useless ornament, gathering dust. All but forgotten, except for little glimpses every now and then.

For about 30 years God stayed right there on the shelf. I didn’t have the heart to throw Him out, like I did with other ornaments. I’d glance at Him every now and then, feeling guilty, but mostly He just sat there, waiting patiently for me to take Him down.

Then one day, God decided He’d waited long enough, and He was going to climb down from that shelf and give me a second chance. Like a fisherman, He was going to reel me in until I flopped down on the shore at His feet.

What happened next is a series of crises that made me realise how desperately I needed Him. These events forced me to turn to God in prayer, even though I had still not taken Him off that shelf.

First was the discovery that one of my children was a drug addict. As a parent, this was one of the hardest things I had to face. I was terrified that this child would end up in prison, or cause harm to someone else or himself. I started praying, asking God to do this, or that. I was asking God to fix this my way. A very innocent request, but still not surrendering the situation to him. Eventually, after years of worry, I was able to say: Okay God, my way is not working, and I have no more suggestions left. I’m giving you this problem. Please sort it out. And that’s when I found peace. I was able to stop the crippling anxiety that had held me in its grip. That child worked very hard to change his life and today he is a qualified lawyer and is currently doing his master’s degree. Second chances!!

Next was an awful situation at work. My husband and I worked together and there were accusations of wrongdoing which were completely untrue. Thankfully, the inquiry revealed the truth, but it was a very stressful time.

Then came a motorcycle accident. A different son this time, was seriously injured and the first 24 hours after the accident were critical. I recall begging God to save him, and He did. I praise God for His mercy! Another chance for me to recognise I needed Him.

But still, I kept putting Him back on that shelf!

It took one last crisis to bring God off that shelf, and for me to surrender fully to Him.

My husband was involved in a motorcycle accident which resulted in the amputation of his leg. Another traumatic event that made me turn to God in prayer, begging Him for help. Suddenly this was my wake-up call. My second chance!

And so God came down from that shelf, and into my heart. He had given me more than just a second chance — many chances in fact.

God is so patient with us. He is not willing that any of us should perish — He wants us to spend eternity with Him. He wants us to follow Him and do His will. He is a merciful and forgiving God, patiently waiting for us to realise just how much we need Him.

2 Peter 3:9 says: — “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

I want to encourage you today to invite God into your heart. Don’t put Him on the shelf for years, like I did, wasting precious time. You need Him now! Don’t wait for the second chance to become part of His family. Take your opportunity now, because tomorrow may be too late.

God loves you with an all-consuming love; He is gracious and merciful, and He sacrificed His son Jesus, who died for our salvation.

I pray that you will turn to Him today. Take Him off that shelf and into your heart.

God bless you.

Psalm 86:5-6 — “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.”

Psalm 86:15 — “But you Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.“

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!” A famous line spoken by Mark Antony in the Shakespeare play, Julius Caesar. And basically, it’s a call to attention. He’s saying, stop and listen.

Hearing is one of our five senses, and like each of the others, it is a gift. Imagine if you couldn’t hear, or see, or smell, taste, feel. There are many people who don’t have all five senses, and according to my reliable friend, Google, the senses most commonly reported as lacking in the general population are taste and smell. I was convinced Google would tell me otherwise — that sight and hearing were most common. But there you have it — straight from the mouth of Google, whatever that may mean!

I was quite young — early forties — when a doctor told me I needed hearing aids. And my reaction was to ignore the problem and hope the doctor didn’t know what he was talking about. I thought he was ridiculous. He wasn’t. He was quite right. But it was only about 7 or 8 years later, when my family were pulling their hair out with the volume of the television, and all the repeating that took place, that I finally admitted I couldn’t hear well anymore.

So off I went for the tests and eventually I got my hearing aids.

That first week I was like a kid with a new toy! I hadn’t realised what I’d been missing. What I was no longer hearing. The birds in the morning; the crickets at night; the joyful sounds of children playing in neighbouring gardens; television on normal volume; conversations with no repeats needed; and so much more. It was such a change for the better, and I was so glad to have these gadgets that improved my ability to hear.

Hearing, together with all the other senses, is much more appreciated after it is lost and then restored. I’m sure there are many of you — myself included — who wear glasses to see better, so you know exactly what I mean.

I have often wondered if people who are in a coma, or a situation where they are unable to communicate, can hear us when we speak. Recently, I had the sad situation where my sister-in-law, my best friend, was no longer responsive, as she lay dying from cancer. Not knowing if she was able to hear me, I assumed she could and I chatted away; prayed with her; I even sang to her, and if she could have, I’m sure she would have asked me to stop as singing is not my best attribute!

Being able to hear, or even to read lips or sign language as our deaf friends do, is an essential part of communication. Hearing what is being said, allows us to formulate a response, and a line of communication is established. Of course, this assumes that the person is actually LISTENING! Hearing doesn’t automatically equal listening, and not everyone has great listening skills.

For communication to be effective, it’s important to listen to what the other person is saying. Listening carefully, not with half an ear while we think about how we’re going to respond. I know I’m certainly guilty of this sometimes. It’s a real art to be a good listener.

In early biblical times, God often spoke audibly to His prophets. He spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; to Moses from the burning bush; God audibly called Samuel in the temple; He spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus. He also spoke to other prophets audibly, like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Elijah. He spoke to Job from a powerful and overwhelming storm, emphasising His power and majesty, when Job questioned Him. Can you imagine how awesome and terrifying it must have been to hear the voice of God directly? It wouldn’t have mattered if these people were hard of hearing or even stone deaf — when God speaks, anyone can hear.

In fact, the Israelites were so afraid when they heard God’s voice, and the manifestation of His presence on Mt Sinai, they asked Moses to rather speak to God on their behalf!

I do not know anyone personally who has heard the audible voice of God in modern times, but that does not negate the fact that it is still possible. Anything is possible with God.

What I do know, is that God definitely still speaks to us today, in various ways. For example:

• Through the Holy Spirit, and that still small voice that we often ignore
• Through His word, the Bible. He can only speak to us here if we actually open it and read
• Through other people
• Through dreams and visions

Are we good listeners though? Prayer is, simply put, conversations with God, but often our prayers consist of our voice only. Our requests to God. Our thanks and our praise too. But still, we’re doing all the talking.

Do we sometimes stop and say, like Samuel: Speak Lord, your servant is listening.

Do we listen for God’s voice? Are we patiently waiting for the Holy Spirit to drop something in our hearts. Are we reading the Bible to allow God to speak to us through His word? Are we afraid of what God may say to us?

Maybe we are waiting and listening. But it could very well be that we’re waiting and listening for God to give us this BIG task to complete. We’ve already prepared ourselves for what we think He’s going to say. We’re waiting for a word from God to give us a task that will make people sit up and take notice. Something that will make us feel good and important. A mission like Moses had, or Paul, or perhaps even something like Jonah was told to do.

While we’re waiting for this BIG something, we’re probably missing out on the little things God is whispering to us. Like maybe He just wants us to say something kind to a stranger or encourage a friend. Or perhaps He’s telling us to be content, to count our blessings instead of lamenting our trials. He may even be showing us where we need to change, and those messages are very hard to hear.

It’s time for us to stop and listen. To pay attention to God’s voice. Here are some ways to do that:

Be still in His presence. As you communicate with God through prayer, ask Him to speak to you. Then be still and listen. Psalm 37:7 says: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

Listen carefully. Try not to think of the clever way to respond, instead of listening to what is being said. Proverbs 18:13 says: “He who answers before listening — that is his folly and his shame.”

Be in community with fellow Christians. God’s voice speaks to us through others who love and follow Him. Through preaches at church, or bible studies, fellowship with other believers, we hear God speak. John 10:27 says: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Dreams and visions. God still speaks to us in this way. It helps to write down a dream first thing in the morning to remember them. Visions can be simple pictures in our minds of something God wants us to know, or to tell someone to encourage them. Test it against scripture. God is not telling us to insult someone, or to judge them. In Acts 2:17, Luke quotes these words from the book of Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

Read the Bible. God left us with the Holy Spirit, and with His word, written and recorded by His faithful followers, and by those who were with Jesus while here on earth. Reading and meditating on Scripture can bring insights into our life of what God is saying to us. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you as you delve into His word. Romans 10:17 says: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

As I wrote this message, I was encouraged and excited to put into practice the ways to hear God’s voice.

God longs to engage in conversation with us. Conversations where we speak, but also where we stop and listen.

May God bless you abundantly, as you listen for His word.

Mark 9:7 –– “Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!'”

I hope you’ll forgive me for a bit of sports writing here. I know many of you are not really interested in sport, but if you’ll bear with me, perhaps you’ll find something here that tickles your fancy.

A few weeks back, we had the pleasure of watching tennis for 2 weeks as the best of the best vied for top honours at Roland Garros in Paris. I watched as many of the matches as I could — mostly the men’s tennis — simply because I find it much more entertaining than the women’s matches. There you are — my prejudice is showing.

I just can’t imagine anyone watching the men’s final this year and not saying WOW WOW WOW! What. A. Match.

It was the longest men’s final in history at this tournament, but that wasn’t the most amazing thing about it. What was simply incredible, and what stood out for me, was the relentless focus of these two top sportsmen. Each of them determined to take home the prize. Chasing every ball; slipping and sliding their way to the net; reaching the most impossible balls; returning them with even better shots only to find the ball coming right back at them again. It was exhilarating!

Sadly, there can only ever be one winner, despite the quality and determination of each player. And I’m very happy to report that the one I favoured, won in the end.

But what we view on our television screens is just the tip of the iceberg. To perform at this level, these players have been striving, practising, failing, succeeding, weeping, smiling, and so much more, where the public don’t get to see them. In the background. Hours and hours of hitting the ball — against a wall; to a dedicated partner; a coach; or perhaps even smacking balls that are pounded to them from a machine. To achieve this level of success, they have sacrificed much. Normal childhood for these top athletes is very, very different to what mine was. Or yours too I imagine. They have one focus — tennis. All decisions are made with tennis in mind. Tennis comes first, above all else.

Let me add, that not everyone who makes all these sacrifices finishes as champions. There is a lot of competition, and only one or two make it to the very top. Even knowing that, they pursue their dream of being that one top player. The one who kisses the trophy at the end of a tournament.

The Comrades’ Marathon is another example, an annual event held in KZN that draws thousands of participants from all over the globe. Again, those feet pounding the road on race day, have run many, many kilometres in preparation for this big day. Intense training; single-minded commitment; eyes on the prize. For some, the goal will be trying their best to win the race, but for others perhaps, the focus is more on completing the race before the allotted cut-off, or maybe even improving on their previous best time.

There are many other sports where this same undivided determination to succeed means the resolve of the competitor compels him, or her, to focus on the end goal; the prize; the trophy; the race; the championship; or the recognition. In this pursuit of glory, some things get pushed down the priority list. Perhaps it’s movie time with the family, or an extra hour of sleep in the morning. Whatever it is, something is sacrificed, because their particular sport has been given top spot above all else.

Of course, this could apply to many things, not only sport. What about becoming an astronaut, or the president of a country. It could also be something a lot less complicated. Like aiming for that managerial position. or painting a picture, or building a cabinet. Most activities call for focus, dedication, perseverance. The difference is probably in the time spent on these activities, and whether it consumes your life to the exclusion of everything else. Top sportsmen most likely dedicate their entire youth to achieve their pinnacle, while painting a picture or building a cabinet can be completed in a few weeks.

When I stop and think about my own focus, I’m quite appalled. What do I spend my time on, and what, or whom, do I place first in my life. It’s a sobering thought, because I’m quite sure I spend far too much time reading, or playing games, or watching television. My intentions are good — I want to do the right thing; I want to put the important things first, but I’m so easily distracted.

What about you? What do you put first, or who is top of the pops in your life? Do you have an activity, or a goal, that takes first place; one that causes you to neglect more important things?

I’m not here to tell you what your priorities should be; or what, or who should take first place in your life. What I would like to do, is tell you about another man. One who had a focus like no other. Not even a single one of the top sportsmen or women come close to His dedication or His commitment. His name is Jesus.

Jesus came to earth with the main mission of saving us; redeeming us; making a way for us to be reconciled to God. You and me, and everyone else. He never wavered from this goal. Along the way, He fulfilled many other tasks and prophecies, but His focus was always on ensuring our eternal salvation, no matter the cost. And the price He paid was high. It cost Him His life. That’s what He sacrificed so that you and I could spend eternity with Him in heaven. Jesus put us first, above all else, even His life. What a precious gift of love, of mercy, and of grace!

During His time on earth, Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was, and His answer was quite clear.

In Matthew 22:37-38 He said — “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.“

in other words: PUT JESUS FIRST. Not tennis, not running, not painting, or reading. Not earning the big bucks, or being the boss. Not being famous or funny or whatever it is that consumes your time and focus. Jesus first. God first.

As I mentioned earlier in this message, it’s not as easy as it sounds. We are so easily distracted, and that is exactly what Satan wants to do. He wants to put obstacles in our way to prevent us from building a relationship with God. He wants to knock God right off that top spot in our life. And he is very subtle and sly in how he does that. We get up in the morning and get going with other things, instead of FIRST communing with God. Or we skip our community groups, or we ignore that still small voice that seeks to correct us.

We are in the race of our lives — one much more important than the Comrades’ Marathon, or a tennis tournament, no matter how big the trophy.

For those of us who love Jesus, and who have surrendered our lives to him, what awaits us is a crown of glory at the end, and eternal life. Not just for one of us, like in earthly races, but ALL of us will win the prize. We all finish as champions! Isn’t that amazing? To get there, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and put Him first every single day. Making every decision with Jesus as our guide.

For those of you who don’t know this Jesus, I would like to encourage you to get to know Him. In a simple prayer, ask Him to forgive you, and to come and live in your heart. Speak to someone who can help you or contact me directly. I would love to share His love, His grace, His mercy with you so that you too can get a crown of glory and eternal life. You can finish your race of life as a champion, or not. It’s your choice.

May God bless you all abundantly as you run your race with purpose, fixing your eyes on Him who sacrificed His life for you.

Hebrews 12 : 1-2 — “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I have a confession to make. I am an obsessive planner and organiser. And a maker of lists. There, I’ve said it. If you know me at all, you already know this. You’ve probably heard that funny story about adding a completed task to a list if it wasn’t there at the beginning. Well, that’s me. I’m the guilty party. I admit having done this before but managed to laugh at myself while doing it. At least there’s that! But come on — do you want to tell me you haven’t done this too? Surely I’m not the only OCD one among us?

Anyway, those lists. There are lists for shopping — of course. And they’re very useful if you don’t forget them at home. Password lists — in this very high-tech age I still have to resort to a non-electronic place to store passwords. It’s just impossible to remember them all, and too risky to have them all the same.

Then there’s my personal favourite – the TO DO lists. One for the day, for the week, the month. For myself mostly, but without question there’s also one for my husband, much to his indignation. Naturally, his list is stuck to the fridge with a magnet, so that it’s clearly visible. And yet, it is totally ignored! Still, I can always rely on him to complete his tasks, in his own time, without paying any attention to the list, and then I can cross it off once it’s done.

Okay, enough about lists. I was trying to paint a picture of my planning, painful though it is.

Here’s the thing about planning. It assumes that everything is going to work out just as we had planned, but it seldom does. Often, items intended for “today” are transferred to my “tomorrow” list because life happened. I had a visitor, or I needed to check out the bird in the garden — yes, this activity often delays me — or there was some other crisis I needed to pay attention to. Not everything always goes according to plan.

“The best-laid schemes of Mice and Men go oft awry” is a famous line from a Robert Burns poem, called “To a Mouse”. The wording is of course, the modern English version – let’s not try the original! This poor mouse had planned his future, secure in his little home, happily existing on small ears of corn from the field where he’d chosen to live, and the ploughing had ruined everything.

Isn’t that just so typical of our own future plans sometimes.

We plan a holiday, and then the car breaks down! Yes, I remember that time in Botswana when we had to forfeit two days of game viewing for a car repair. And the same happened again, with a different car when we went to Kruger National Park one year.

Weather patterns can affect our plans, wars break out, workers go on strike, and I think we ALL remember how COVID changed everyone’s plans, going as far as changing the way the world does business now.

When our carefully arranged plans are thwarted, we adjust, if we’re wise. We rethink and reorganise and change what we need to. Sometimes we experience irritation — I know I do. Often there’s a financial implication. Always it can be inconvenient.

Going back a few years now — okay, okay — going back more than a few decades ago, when I was at school, I wanted to be a mathematics teacher. Needless to say, that never happened, for a lot of different reasons. The thing is, I wonder, if I had been allowed to follow that path, would I have had this husband, this family, this life. Probably not, and I can honestly say I am so happy with the way it turned out.

Sometimes, what we originally saw as our future, just never materialises, and our lives follow a completely different path to what we imagined it would be. It’s probably more the exception to the rule if your life turned out like you thought it would.

Look at these three people from the Bible — David, Esther and Paul.

David was a lowly shepherd boy, tending his father’s sheep. He was the youngest in the family, and I imagine his dreams never, ever included becoming king. He was anointed when he was 15 years old, but was on the run from his enemies for years before he was eventually crowned. In that time he sometimes doubted that God’s plan for him would come to pass. But God’s plans never fail.

Esther too, could not have imagined that one day she would be married to the king of Persia, and through her intervention, the nation of Israel would be saved.

And how can we even describe what happened to Saul of Tarsus, on the road to Damascus. He was on his way to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for imprisonment, and probably execution, when his dramatic encounter with Jesus changed his life, his mission and less importantly, his name to Paul.

God’s plans for these three extraordinary examples were very different from their own. But one thing stands out about all three — they surrendered their will to the will of God, and they trusted God with their future.

How do we react when our dreams, our desires, our future, fail to work out as we imagined? Sometimes it’s just the little things that come to nothing, like a cancelled holiday, or savings that have to be routed elsewhere for an emergency. These may cause annoyance initially, but they’re quite easy to accept and move on. Sometimes our dreams differ drastically from reality — we weren’t able to have that child, or we didn’t get the promotion, I’m not a mathematics teacher. Those are much harder to accept graciously and it’s so easy to become disgruntled and bitter.

We can let bitterness grow and shape us when our life doesn’t work out as we imagined it would, or we can let the love of God grow in our hearts. We can let the hard times build our faith, or we can let it break us. It’s the hard times that refine us, teach us, help us grow, and give us experience to fall back on when we provide love and support to others going through tough times.

David, Esther and Paul all needed courage to walk in God’s plan for their lives. They got that courage by submitting to His will and trusting Him completely. Once David became king, he desperately wanted to build a temple to honour God and house the Ark of the Covenant. Sometimes though, God says NO to our plans, no matter how noble they may be. He told David he would not be the one to build the temple. David listened. He could have gone ahead and built it anyway, ignoring God’s command. But he had faith in God’s plan, and surrendered to His will and obeyed. God uses difficult situations to prepare us for His plan for us. The plan He had for our lives before we were even born.

Psalm 139 : 17 says — “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Are you still harbouring bitterness towards a future you never envisaged for yourself? Or are you trusting God and submitting to His plan for your life, allowing Him to mould you and prepare you for what He has in store for you? I’d really like you to join me today, in submitting your whole future into God’s hands, trusting that His plan is the very best one for your life. He knows what lies in your future, and you can be at peace knowing that He will prepare you well, and He’ll be with you every step of the way.

What a mighty God we serve!

And if you don’t know this awesome God I’m talking about, why don’t you invite Him into your life right now, and surrender your future to Him. He longs for you to turn to Him, to trust Him. It’s never too late, and He’s waiting with open arms.

God bless you all today.

Isaiah 55 : 8 — ” ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.”

Proverbs 19 : 21 — “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Seeing is believing — a well-known idiom from our lovely English language. And in its simplest form, the meaning is quite plain — you will believe something is true once you have seen it. Easy-peasy, you think. I’m not so sure. Let me give you some examples.

In ancient times, mirrors were made of stone or metal that was buffed till it shone. The oldest known mirrors were made from obsidian, a volcanic glass. This snippet of trivia comes to you compliments of my good friend Google, so take it from whence it comes. But more to the point, the reflection from these ancient mirrors was imperfect, and I wonder what people actually thought they looked like back then. I can imagine a loving husband encouraging his wife as she laments her looks from that imperfect mirror. He sees her true beauty. She sees a distorted picture. So seeing is believing is not necessarily true in all cases.

Have you ever been at a fairground where they have those mirrors that reflect a warped image? Standing in front of them you can look tall, with long arms and legs, and even a long face. Or some make you look short and square; mostly, they make you look weird. You look at that strange reflection and you know it’s not a true image, because we have the luxury of modern mirrors and cameras. That being said, I sometimes look in a normal mirror or at a photograph of myself and wonder who is staring back at me. Surely not me? My mental image of how I look differs a little, well, probably a lot, from what I see reflected back at me.

Another example is how two people can look at the same thing but see it differently. My husband and I are just like that. Take the other day, for example. We’re driving along this road that has trees on either side, forming a canopy that, for me, was just beautiful. I couldn’t help but marvel at the splendour. It was so pretty. My husband didn’t agree at all. The previous day had been windy and wet, and the road and sidewalks were covered in leaves and sticks that had been blown down. He thought it was messy. Two different perspectives of the same view – neither one right or wrong. Both were true.

And just because we don’t see something, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Think of the sun on a cloudy day, or the stars in a brightly-lit city, or Halley’s comet, which is visible from earth approximately once every 80 years, and I was so excited in 1986 to view this amazing event, only to have full cloud cover preventing me from seeing anything at all.

How we see things, and what we believe about them, is really all about perspective. But it’s also about faith. I believe the sun is there, even on a cloudy day when I can’t see it. I believe the stars are still shining brightly, even when I’m in the middle of city lights which obscure my view. And as for Halley’s comet, yes, I believe it showed itself to us mere earthlings, I just wish I could have seen it.

As Christians, we should be reflecting God’s nature to the watching world. Yes, we are imperfect, like the image those ancient mirrors gave; and yes, our reflection is sometimes distorted; like the carnival mirrors. Each person who looks at us sees something different. But what do they see? Like the sun on a cloudy day, can they believe that there really is a God who loves them by seeing Him through us?

Do they see the love of Jesus shining in our hearts? Or the mercy He so graciously gives us everyday?

Can they trust us to be forgiving when we are wronged? Do we pass judgement on others who don’t look or behave like us?

Do we treat others with respect and dignity? Are we careful with our words, not wanting to hurt others, but rather encouraging them?

Are we filled with pride, anger, resentment, envy?

Do we fall apart, or turn away from God in anger and despair when we face hardships, or do we continue to trust in Him?

There are so many questions I can ask myself here.

We have a huge responsibility to ensure that we do not drive people away from God. Every little action, the way we live our lives, the words that come from our mouths — all of it will be viewed and interpreted by others, both Christians and non-Christians alike. We can’t control their interpretation of what they see, but God can. Our duty is to reflect His glory, His righteousness, His attributes, as best we can.

Galations 5 : 22-23 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.“

We will always be imperfect — we can never be exactly like God. But we should keep in mind how others see us and ask the Holy Spirit to help us reflect God’s true nature to those around us. It’s impossible for us to do this in our own strength — that’s why we need the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. Jesus knew this, and He promised to send someone to help us and be with us.

John 14 : 16 — “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.”

God bless you as you submit to the Holy Spirit, and produce fruits that draw others to Him.

John 20 : 29 — “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

1 Corinthians 13 : 12 — “For now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully; even as I am fully known.”