Control, to be or not to be that is the question!

photo courtesy of www.stockfreeimages.com

The whole idea of control is an interesting one - we need to feel we're in it yet don't relish the idea of being 'controlled'. It's good to set targets, goals to get things done and for the main that's cool because goals are helpful for time management and our sense of achievement. However as I've taken some time apart recently I've become aware of the danger of being so keen to bear fruit, be on target and productive we can strategize our world to the point of overload. The devil loves us to take ANYTHING to the extreme even good things. Because it's in this place we are certain to fail! The very structures we set up to keep control (e.g. prayer lists, religious formats, being on top of the ironing, or rota's) can become a block for the Holy Spirits agenda. There is a whole philosophical debate solely on the topic of control and if this is real or imagined which opens up way too many questions to deal with here. But let's think about how control relates to us; where are we within the meshing of our free will, our planning, meeting God's Sovereignty?

Flip I really don't make things easy for myself and first thing on a Monday morning too... Well the bible clearly tells us we have free will, (Gen 1:26) we have the power to say yes or no to all sorts of stuff. However God has the overarching authority in what happens anywhere and with anything (Jude1:25). We can choose how we will respond to life and work with God or without Him, it our choice. But our choices can't detract from His Sovereignty. I believe the Lord allows us a healthy sense of agency as we plan and work out our lives in step with Him. Proverbs (16:9) sums it up nicely we walk but the Lord positions our steps.  God is eminently practical; He knows we walk with a wobble and that if left to our own devices we'll go wonky. So He places guidance to help us get the balance between our need to feel in control and His overriding control right. He tells us to Rest (Mathew 11:28) when we're tired, He tells us to work hard after that rest (Col 3:23) He tells us not to worry but to cast our cares on Him (1Peter 5:7). He tells us to take responsibility for our own sin and not to Judge others ( Math 7:3-5) He tells us to forgive (Math 6:14).I guess for me to be in a place of productive peace is what I'm aiming for this year. I love to read your comments so do let me know how you feel about the whole idea of control.

Hugs Ruth x 

Makin ma Plans...

photo courtesy of  - www.stockfreeimages.com

I'm a planner, I love lists! I love setting goals and I love ticking boxes, I love completion. I love the feeling of drawing a line under what I'd hoped to accomplish so that particular 'box' can be set back on the shelf. Do you know it actually causes me stress to leave things unfinished! To me there is no greater joy than seeing, as Hannibal from the A team used to say, 'a plan come together'. For those of us box tickers I think there a sense of productivity or perhaps a need for fine detail in this process? We work well within structure, and are often creative as we work through. For this personality type evaluating how a project went and how it could be improved upon for the future will be totally satisfying. However if we were all like this teams wouldn't work. I have a friend who finds great joy in starting a project, growing a team and handing it over long before it's completed. He has started so many visionary projects which have born great fruit but has rarely been involved in their completion. He works in big broad brush strokes leaving the (for him dull) aspects of fine detail to others. Our Father in His wisdom has designed us to negotiate each other, to experience and work out what it is to do in team as modelled by the Godhead for His glory; to bring each of our gifts, idiosyncrasies, our 'us - ness' to the table for His glory.

This is all well and good but unless we act on our plans big or small they are well, useless... 2 Cor 8:11  Message version - encourages, 'The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. You're heart has been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it'. You see guys; the devil loves to distract us, so that we're big on good intention but small on doing. He will throw fear, doubt, discouragement anything he can, to stop us taking that first step from plan to purpose. But hear this this sweet cheeks, our gracious God takes the pressure off by the caveat found in proverbs ~ 16:9 which tells us 'we make our plans but the Lord positions our steps'. Isn't that fab? All God requires of us is to keep a pure heart get off our butts and He will sculpt His purpose out of the clay of our lives. 

• So what do you need to do to move from plan to purpose?
• When are you gonna do it (date/time)?
• Will you let me know how you get on?

see ya next week thanks for reading 

Hugs Ruth x

AMEN...! But do you agree really?

Photo courtesy of istock images

You probably know the word Amen means 'I heartily agree'. I find as I catch the news, other people's conversations in coffee shops, or read things, I'm evaluating what's been communicated all the time. It sort of happens automatically probably because all these dynamics of communication are quite obvious and in the external realm. But what about the internal... I wonder what are you communicating with yourself? The start of a new year often carries with it a sense of personal audit, goal setting and self reflection. With this in mind I've been very aware of some of the internal agreements I've been making and some aren't so good.

You see many of my close friends are women who've achieved great success in there various careers which is great and I genuinely admire and applaud them. I however do not earn an income for the work I do, blogging, writing, speaking, running self esteem courses. Recently a number of people in conversations have (totally unintentionally I'm sure) kinda dismissed what I do saying 'yes well, you don't work so...' I have to be real with you here guys, over the last few weeks I've been feeling like a failure. I've been working this through with my Jesus and He reminded me I am defined by how God sees me and who He says I am. So what - if the world looks at me and sees and I quote 'just a housewife' (if you're a stay at home Mum or house keeper I salute you)!

People, the power of agreement is well documented in scripture; when we agree with the wrong stuff it can seriously affect our spiritual health. Our enemy is alert, cunning and subtle in the strategies he uses to bring us down. Joyce Meyer says 'we need to agree with Heaven not Hell about who we are'. What have you been saying yes and amen to? Song of songs 2:4 speaks of God's provision and our identity found in His love - 2 Cor 5:17 reminds us we are new creations free from the past and Eph 5:8 tells us we are children of light. Deut 28:13 says we are winners not losers, the head and not the tail. Rom 8:37 tells us we are more than over comers / conquerors in Christ. Perhaps the most important area we evaluate this new year is the one between our ears.  Lets start this year agreeing with what God says - He's always right!

hugs Ruth x


p.s. If you're running an event you'd like me to speak at email me at lovedrops with your details and I'll get in touch love Ruth x