Driving lesson

I remember my first driving lesson, years ago.
I sat behind the wheel and held it nervously. My instructor asked, "How do you steer?"
"I don't know - I guess I just do it." I answered.
"That's right," he said. "Don't think about steering. Just steer. Look ahead to the furthest point in the road you can, and steer. Your hands will follow your eyes."

Isn't this good advice for living the Christian life? I've been chatting with people about difficulties and distractions from following God, and we usually end up with 'focus on Christ, and live! The other stuff will sort itself out.'

If we look to the side when driving, we'll end up crashing into a fence or tree. If we take our focus off the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the cross, we will be consumed by things less important, and we will crash.

Our hands will follow our eyes.
Our lives will follow our focus.

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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV

Lights on

You, Lord, are my lamp;
the Lord turns my darkness into light.
- 2 Samuel 22:29 (NIV)

What an incredible joy is in this verse! We think often of light representing goodness, godliness - we read and sing of being lights of the world, being radiant for God, letting our lights shine. But this verse makes that truth even deeper for me.

Look at the hope this little verse holds:

Firstly, the LORD is our lamp. We are not shining our lights, but His. All the light is His. It is God's glory that we want to radiate, not our own.
We can not shine anything of eternal value in our own strength. So let's not try. And let's not worry ourselves because we think WE can't shine for Him. Because that's true. You, Lord, are my lamp.

And secondly, what really excites me about this verse...
Everyone has regrets. We all have periods of darkness in our lives. We talk about how when God forgives, He forgets the sin and we can move on. But I think that's only a part of it. God doesn't just forget the sin - He is able to use the effects of our sin for His glory. No matter what we have experienced or done 'in the dark', God is able to redeem it.

Have you ever been encouraged and drawn closer to God because of the testimony of someone who has been transformed by Him, or someone who has been faithful in hard times? Do you know people who are able to relate and minister to hurts in others because they have also 'been there'? God is able to use our dark times to create beauty in our lives and in the lives of others.

What an incredible God we love and serve. Not only does He give us light to live by, but He transforms our darkness, no matter how dark, into light, so that as we shine for Him, we are satisfied and He is glorified.

Lord, shine in us!

Just so you know...

I've kept this blog going for a few years now, mainly to process my own thoughts about what I'm learning about God, but I've been encouraged by those of you whom I've never met before who have been in touch about different posts. Thank you!

I've just moved on from working in discipleship training with young people in New Zealand to something else, and have started a video and diary blog that you're welcome to follow if you want to: shirleyontheship.blogspot.com
I will continue with this one as well - already brewing a couple of ideas for future posts. :)

Faithful God

I want to share how in awe I am of how faithful God is to Himself - His ways, His timing, His means are perfect, and to think that He loves and extends His faithfulness to us is incredible.

For me personally, this has hit home in the last month, as I've ended about a year of waiting for future direction to having Him show me clearly one day last month, resulting in my packing up my life in New Zealand within three weeks and getting involved in a ministry that I'm passionate about.

So am I raving that He is faithful just because great things are happening in my life at the moment? No. Granted, it is easier to remember and praise Him when we like what He is doing, but as I look back at the struggle, impatience and frustration of the last year, knowing He had something in store, but having to be patient at His timing, I see so many ways that He used that time to teach me to depend more on Him. And trust His faithfulness.

I took this photo a few days ago of a falcon I was privileged to get to hold. It's become one of my favourite photos already. Seeing the beauty, creativity, power and care God has displayed in this bird causes me to praise Him.

But I love how when I zoom in to the eye, there is my reflection. A small blip when looking at the picture for the first time, but detail that is there.

We may not see God's faithfulness. But zoom in and know that He sees us. And He loves us.

Your eye is on the sparrow

And Your hand, it comforts me

From the ends of the Earth

to the depth of my heart

Let Your mercy and strength be seen

You call me to Your purpose

As angels understand

For Your glory, may You draw all men

As Your love and grace demand

And I will run to You

To Your words of truth

Not by might, not by power

But by the spirit of God

Yes I will run the race

'Till I see Your face

Oh let me live in the glory of Your grace

- Hillsong

rules, rules, rules

A quick thought...

How easily we can get caught up in the 'rules' of Christianity - do this, don't do that, serve this way, be this way... and basically live a life of following rules.

What's the most important rule God gives us?

LOVE Him!

Isn't that a weird rule?

Almost like He knows how we feel the need to do, do, do all the time. Instead, He not just invites, but stresses the importance so makes it into a rule - to love Him!

And that's the most important thing.

Let's never forget that.

New Zealand

Please watch this short video I made about my country, New Zealand. Many reading this blog have never been here and images of a natural, peaceful paradise spring to mind. It is beautiful, and I love living here, but there's more than meets the eye.



Please pray for my country. Thank you.

Invisible footprints

Your path led through the sea,

Your way through the mighty waters,

Though Your footprints were not seen.

- Psalm 77:19 (NIV)

This morning was the first time I really noticed this verse. Isn't it beautiful? Of course the psalmist is remembering how God led the Israelites across the Red Sea when escaping the Egyptians, but when this verse stood out to me this morning, it meant so much more.

God is there. His plans for us may bring us face to face with an insurmountable 'ocean', or many. He may not always lead us around the sea, but through the mighty waters. They are mighty, but He is the Almighty God!

We may not know how He is leading. His footprints may be invisible to us, yet He causes us to follow. And perhaps, only in hindsight, will we look back on the situations he brought us through instead of around, and say, 'You went ahead, You led me, though I didn't see it at the time.'

What a joy, what a privilege to know and follow our great God! Praise Him for His trail-blazing, mighty presence, even when we don't recognise it at the time.