Finally I See

The ‘unknown’ by its very nature is not something that’s within the range of an individual’s knowledge. It is actually an unfamiliar, strange place; it can often be uncomfortable. Liken it to something that is NEW or can be NEW to us. How often do we find ourselves in the place of the unknown? Situations and circumstances that are new to us or require us to respond in a different way than that of which we usually would, in order to get a more effective result. We have all had our fair share of being in the ‘unknown.’ When something is new or unexplored, it can be quite scary. Sometimes we don’t always respond well to something new… to CHANGE. We react rather than respond. Sometimes emotions exceed their limit and things happen, even at times, our decisions might not always be the best. However, we must be able to MANOEUVRE in the unknown. Think about water. When we are in waters that we are familiar with; where we can touch the floor with our feet, maintain it at a leve...

The word ‘season’ is defined as “each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth's changing position with regard to the sun.” Take away the weather connotations from this definition and focus on the words PATTERNS, HOURS and CHANGING POSITIONS. Just like the weather, we humans have seasons too. We change physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually throughout our lives. We can liken our seasons to life- situations and circumstances. Some seasons are easy, others can be hard (really hard), and never the less they’re unavoidable. They can; and do, shape and affect us in different ways. An individual’s situations and circumstances are different. Moving in and transitioning from season to season can be tricky. Not only do we need to be aware of which season we are in (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11) as this part of the Bible shows us there are times for everything, but we must ...

I guess there really is truth in the saying,  “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.” (Film: Bambi 1942) Sometimes we can trap ourselves in our own worlds, living in a cave that we have perfectly carved out of miserable words, with an overlying thickness of shadow covered by an ever-dimming light because of what we say. What we say is linked to what we think, what we believe and many times become our actions. What we believe about ourselves, others, our lives, our situations and circumstances; ultimately the world we live in. Often times when things don’t go or appear to be what we think they should be, we can tend to become, shall I say, a little loose with our mouths – the tongue is no longer bridled. The build-up of these unexpressed emotions and thoughts can potentially over-boil and explode into some quite toxic ­– our lives become a hollow shell and far from that which they were created for – fullness and life ! We are very familiar w...

Life and experience can sometimes make us forget what God says about us. It’s really important that we not only remember but also  KNOW  what He  says about us. Here are a few : Accepted  John 1:12 – God’s Child. Ephesians 1:3-8 – Chosen by God and adopted as His child. Colossians   1:13-14 – Redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. Colossians 2:9-10 – Complete in Christ. Secure Romans 8:1-2 – Free from condemnation. Romans 8:31-39 –  Free from any condemnation brought against me and  CANNOT  be separated from the love of God. Colossians 3:1-4  – Hidden with Christ in God . Philippians 1:6 –  Confident that God will complete the good work He started in me. Significant 1Corinthians   3:16 – God’s temple.   Ephesians 2:6  – Seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.  Ephesians 3:12  – Approach God  with freedom and confidence.  Philippians 4:13 – Can do all things...

Shout out the first 5 words that come to your mind, without pausing, if someone asked you, “What do you think about yourself?” . . . . . How did you find it? Were they all nice, or did you have some bad ones in there too? One of the hardest things in life can be to face your own reflection. To be free enough to say what you really think about yourself. Sometimes it is soo much easier to continue to wear the masks (the false identities worn from the lies we have accepted and become over time), than it is to look in the mirror and see our true reflection… who we really are (Genesis 1:26-27). Michael Jackson sang a famous chorus. Sing it with me; “I’m starting with the man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways And no message could have been any clearer If you want to make the world a better place Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.” – Man in the Mirror It takes courage (the quality to face difficulty, danger, etc) ...

Writer’s are capable of writing anything, whether they know a topic or not. With a little research, a good draft and continual re-drafts, what they could potentially produce can be quite wonderful. For me, in order to write about something I must first connect with it. There must be a resignation and resolve with it in my heart and mind.  Pondering this, this is very much the same for hope. No matter how much we define hope in terms of a theoretical definition (expectations towards someone/thing, desire, believe, trust – Dictionary.com), it must move from being a simple black and white word on paper, to becoming an absolute assurance in our thoughts and hearts, in order to become a physical manifestation in our lives. We must connect with hope on different levels, internally and externally. Beautiful Faces (BFM) has seen in the whole of 2016 with this theme of hope. We have had sessions that have included definitions, discussions and shared experiences about hope in...

Life, at times, can be a complicated game of chess. You can sometimes feel like a pawn being darted to and throw amongst intricate pathways on a board, each box representing a situation or circumstance. Looking at the game chess we can see is a strategic game. Anyone who plays it must think before they act. Strategically they must consider where to move each piece on the board in order to win the game. They must plan, each stage. Every move they make is a step closer to winning or losing. Like a chess player, we also need to take this above approach in life. This doesn’t mean that we need to have a rigid routine of which no free flow or change can be made, but we must think ahead and out of the box before making a move or decision. The Oxford Dictionary defines a decision as; ‘ a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.’ When we come to a conclusion it means that we have come to an end of something, that something has been determined; set. This suggests t...

There are many times in life when we go through things. Some of these times feel worse off than others. We cry & at times let anger build up due to the disappointments, delays & defeats. But I truly believe that the time for overcoming, rejoicing, smiling again will be knocking at our doors very soon, if not today. Having the RIGHT attitude to endure, with the strength of God & the power to overcome makes everything you go through feel a little bit worth it. I do believe that everything happens for a reason, the explainable and unexplainable, especially when at times some reasons seem clouded. 'Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy' . Psalm 126:5 The verse above kept coming in remembrance to me a couple of times throughout November 2014. I felt it was God trying to reassure me that despite what we go through He is ever so present to be our Strength to carry on, our Defender when accused & our Helper when in need. To reass...