Don't put up with it...

For years I lived with chronic pain and popped paracetamol like smarties (not a good idea). I kind of thought the problem might go away or I was just being a big girls blouse and it was all in my head... And the paracetamol took the edge off enough to allow me to carry on as normal. So I put up with this for a number of years till the pain became constant and I was forced to see my doctor. After some surgery I am now pain free completely and wonder why I put up with it for so long!

Do you know we can put up with many different types of spiritual pain in our lives too. Perhaps you are unfulfilled or putting up with a circumstance in your life which you know is not God glorifying. Precious sister I didn't much enjoy the surgery at the time but I feel so much better now that I wish I dealt it sooner.

Is there something holding you back that deep down you know you really need to deal with? Beloved of the Lord...This is your day make a plan and don't be held back any longer

Love Ruth x

Ordinariness the greatest thing that I posess!

Most of the time we walk out this thing called salvation in a very ordinary way. We still have to eat, sleep, love, cry, laugh and yes work through those thorny issues of life within the very ordinary worlds we inhabit. I wonder which is the main frame picture of you world today? Are you a wee mummy up to your eyes in split yogurt and longing for undisturbed sleep, or perhaps you are a student feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work and lack of money. Maybe you are missing someone terribly or feeling trapped in circumstance. Or perhaps you're just plain bored...? Yup..! Life is pretty ordinary most of the time. But I want to encourage you today, Jesus didn't hang out with the 'beautiful people' or the especially gifted. Nope He hung out with people like me and you... very ordinary people. Even when Jesus did miracles they were performed in very ordinary situations.

Perhaps we need to embrace the ordinariness of life to the best of our ability, knowing it is in the middle of ordinary people and circumstance that Our extra ordinary God is most glorified.

love Ruth x

Duvet Days ROCK...!

When was the last time you stayed in your Jammies just for the fun of it? It's good to take a duvet day once in a while and snuggle up in a comfy place. God created snuggling did you know that? He tells us that we can snuggle under His mighty wings and be still and know that He loves us and He is Lord in all circumstances.

God delights in you, He longs to spend time with you, to sing love songs over you and refresh your spirit. Could you do with any of the above?

Perhaps a duvet day might do you a power of good, why not schedule one in as a gift to yourself this month.

Love Ruth x

Spring has sprung...

Winter isn't associated with life much is it?... But we know during winter plants are getting the rest they need and nourishment deep in the unseen area of their roots. Just like nature we can go through winter seasons in this journey called life too...I don't know about you but I like to hibernate when the atmosphere feels cold or the environment hostile - Psalm 57 v 1 says, " Be merciful to me O God have mercy on me, for in you my soul take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the present calamities have passed by". Perhaps you've been in a winter place and aren't seeing much growth... but even when you can't see growth the fact is there is life below the surface.

Today in Norfolk the sun is out, the birds are singing, daffodils are opening and it really feels like spring has sprung! If you've been in a winter season know your fruit will come at the right time, relax and allow God to nourish you in the hidden place so that when the times right you burst forth and give Him glory...

love Ruth x

press through

'Yes again and again and again and again, I'll press through and praise your name'

This is the first line of a song I wrote and I was reminded of it this week. At times praise is quite simply has to be a decision, a choice rather than a feeling. As I write this my precious little sister has cancer and is walking through the shadow of the valley, the last thing I feel like doing is praising God. But here's the thing I have a need to praise Him because He inhabits the praises of His people and I need Him close to me in the pain of suffering.

When we praise God in the midst of awfulness we're reminded of the eternal dynamic of our world. God is good, He is love, He is ALWAYS in control and He is closest to us when we least realize it. If you're struggling to praise, stick on a c.d. or read some words of life (the bible) and know precious child Jesus care very much, He hears you and He is with you...

big hugs Ruth x

Chillax

Flip can't life be busy? I find that life can have periods which are so hectic that I just feel overwhelmed... how about you? When I'm bombarded with an ever increasing to do list (as we all are from time to time) I try and take evasive action... I've set out some things which help me...

1. Get alone - breathe - think -pray
2. Prioritize -it's better to take 10mins thinking things through
3. Plan - what's needs doing today and can it be delegated?
4. List it - get on with it

Have you any helpful strategies for getting on top of life? - please let us know by posting a comment below...

Love Ruth x

Know you're worth

What gives something it's value? If you're house was on fire what would you take? A person, a picture perhaps some family heir loom? The things that we value are unique to us and hold significance to our personal world... What we sacrifice ourselves for is what we value. When we value something we treat it it with respect and perhaps give it a special place in our lives. Are you valuing yourself today? Do you treat yourself with respect? Are you gracious to yourself when you get it wrong? Do you take care of yourself?

Princess you are by far the most precious thing in this world to your Heavenly Dad, He paid the ultimate sacrifice for you, His Son, He values you, He respects you and He has a special place just for you in eternity. Girlfriend you are priceless!

Know you worth today - Jesus does!

Love Ruth
(the above concept is taken from 'shine' @ Hillsongs Australia)

Busy busy busy...!

I must do, I should do, when I finish such and such I'll get round to it... do any of these sound familiar? Life can be so full of 'stuff' that we end up addressing the things which scream the loudest for our attention, yet those things which we really want to do can get left undone. I'm setting myself some goals for this year because I can see there's a very real danger of loosing focus and purpose if I don't take some control. I want to make pro active choices in my life rather than reacting to what it throws up. How about you? What do you need to set down or take up in order to limit the business of life?

Love Ruth x