Dizzy!

Sometimes, life can get rather out of focus. It ends in a blur and leaves us feeling dizzy. Maybe that’s you? 

I’m reminded of the song by Tommy Row and Freddy Weller called Dizzy. The lyrics of the chorus are: 

I'm so dizzy my head is spinning 
Like a whirlpool, it never ends 
And it's you, girl, making it spin 
You're making me dizzy

The song is about a girl making someone’s head dizzy. Romantic love can be a bit like that. It’s not always easy. Life can also get us in a spin. It doesn’t take much for us to loose our equilibrium and sense of balance. 

The Bible tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus. Whatever storm you may find yourself in I would encourage you to look to God and keep your eyes on a Jesus. The more grounded we are in our faith, the more our feet are planted on the rock the easier it will be to survive those curve balls of life. 

If you don’t know Jesus I would encourage you to get to know him. How? You will find him in the pages of the New Testament of the Bible. Maybe try reading through one of the gospels? The book of Mark is a good one to start with, but just choose one and give it a read. As you read try speaking to him, pray. Prayer is really just a conversation. If you want to address your prayers to God that’s also fine but it is Jesus who helps to bridge the gap between God and us. That’s his commission, his job if you will. If you start opening yourselves up and asking Jesus or God to make them selves real to you they will. You just have to invite them. 

If you are going through a hard time right now I pray that you may know the peace of God that passes all understanding and that you may know his love to overflowing. 

You can find the full song here: 

https://youtu.be/sbdtQ99yIUo?si=L79yXG1gmO6RLjU4

Reflections on Lent

Today marks the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday to be precise. Many from the Anglican and Catholic traditions, amongst others, will have taken part in an Ashing service today. Ashes from the burning of last year’s Palm crosses are used to make the sign of the cross on a believers forehead. So if you have seen someone walking around with a black smudge on their forehead today you now know why! 

Lent traditionally means a period of 40 days of fasting ending at Easter. Sundays aren’t counted as they are considered feast days however, many people choose not to break their fast. Fasting can be from anything from meat to chocolate to social-media to abstaining from alcohol. It promotes self-control and self-discipline. 

Lent is also a time of reflection, often self-reflection. There is certainly no point in fasting if you don’t reflect and at least think about why you are doing so. 

As well as fasting people can also choose to take things up. It maybe gratitude and being purposely thankful for something everyday, or to do a good deed every day. The list is endless really. 

This year I have decided to abstain from alcohol and to blog more regularly. The aim is to blog every day but I don’t want to be legalistic about it as you never know what curve balls life will throw at you that will need their attention. I’ve done both of these things in the past so nothing knew for me. The reflections however will be different some of which I will blog others perhaps will be more private. 

Well not much hilarity going on in today’s post so far! So, what can I say to make you at least smile? I will leave you with a joke that I was told last week….

How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh? 

Ten. Ten tickles! (tentacels)

So tell me a joke. Squid Pro Quo and all that! 

 

Lost

‘I think we’re lost!’ ‘Well if you’re lost I’m lost to!’ I love to go out walking and finding new footpaths. I like the sense of adventure it gives to just be following a map or a set of directions. As a child I was always out playing in the fields or ridding my bike. I’m happier outside than in if truth be told. I’ve walked more since the pandemic than I ever have as an adult and I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s a chance to stop and stare and feel close to God through creation. It’s become more of a part of my own spirituality than ever before. 

There have been occasions when my husband has looked at me a little worried as to where we are going and more to the point wondering if we are lost. My sense of direction is pretty good, unless I’m in a shopping centre but that’s another matter! Maps and sat. navs. help us to find the way but you still need to know where you are for them to work, or at least the very least you need a grid reference or a satellite signal!  

We can of course all feel lost at times, even when we know where we are. There that feeling of not quite being comfortable in ourselves, or that something is missing, or not quite right. The pandemic has made us all on high alert, to greater or lesser degrees, and our fight or flight response has been switched to overdrive. I’m normally quite a laid back kind of person and good in a crisis but at times I’ve felt  stressed, and anxious and not known what to do with myself.  In that event there has only been one way for me to deal with it and that was/is to get out and walk. Walking helps me feel more grounded, more at peace with myself. Yes, because I’m out in creation, but I feel it to with a walk around the block near to where I live. I feel grounded in main because I give God the chance to break into my thoughts and anxieties and stress. There is something about looking out, rather than at looking in on ourselves and our own problems. Look out at this beautiful land of ours and notice the small things. Notice the incidentals that we have missed when we have been racing around with work or our racing brain has overlooked them. 

The pandemic has given us all a new view of the world and made us take stock of ourselves. Most of us have reprioritised our lives, or at least thought about it. We have realised the importance of family and friends and being there for one another. We have realised who are friends are, and unfortunately taken note of those who haven’t seemed to care, or at least have been too rapped up in their own problems to notice we are struggling. So do you still feel a little lost? Or maybe you feel totally lost? Or like you want to throw in the towel? - please don’t. There is only one person who can fill that void, that lost feeling. There is only one person who can calm our soul. There is only one answer to the muddle and confusion of the pandemic. That person’s name is Jesus. Do you know him? Would you like to know him more? Trust me he is the answer. Try talking to him he will respond if you give him a chance. 

Lent 2014 - 19th April: simple pleasure of Easter

I have blogged over 40 days worth of simple pleasures in which to be thankful for. Some have been a little tongue in cheek, such as cows, others have been much deeper in thought. All have been heart felt and things I enjoy. Maybe I have  missed off a few things. I don't think I mentioned the simple pleasures of gardening or cooking for instance. I'm sure you can think of other things I've missed.It is easy to see the negatives in life and to become negative as a result of focusing on the things that need changing. It is easy to pick holes and less easy to give constructive criticism. It is not always easy to stay upbeat and positive about life especially when the proverbial hits the fan. As a perfectionist I can be quite hard on myself but I have learnt that there is always going to be something I could do better or change. Being at college taught me the art of deadlines and having to put aside perfectionism in order to meet those deadlines. Actually I work much better this way. However, not all of life has deadlines. Maybe that is just as well. There is of course one deadline we all face. Some people know when their days are numbered, others never know and they are here one minute and gone the next. Whilst we are here surely it is better to focus on the beauty and good things of life rather than the bad and the negative.

The Easter message is about the painful death of the Messiah who was hung on a cross, despite his innocence, but the focus is not so much on his brutal death but rather on the resurrection and the concurring of death. Jesus overcame death and paid the price for our negativity and wrong doing. Through faith in him we have been given life, eternal life, to live to the full. The world may bring us all sorts of problems but what matters is how we choose to deal with them. I pray that you may focus on the good things of life, those simple pleasures, and that they may give you joy and the strength to carry on. Life is full of many twists and turns but as every Sunday School child knows the answer is always Jesus. Now what's your question?

I love Easter it is a simple pleasure all in itself. Have a blessed Easter and rejoice in the good things of life that God has given us to enjoy and savour.