This morning I went to my third and final Harvest Festival of the year. Once your children get to school, you don't do these things once - oh no... once is for wimps!
The first of these was Joel's. Years one and two in school trek off to the local parish church; sing some songs, and listen to a chat from the vicar there. All good fun. I particularly enjoyed not having a squirming toddler on my knee. In years gone by, I have been the parent chasing a wiggly and noisy toddler about whilst everyone else is trying to hear their pride and joy say their one line in the school production. It was nice to not have to think about taking enough toys / snacks / nappies to get through thirty minutes, plus the always-longer-than-you-think waiting for something to actually happen time. I also particularly enjoyed the kids singing 'Cauliflowers fluffy'; with additional dance moves. Marvellous.
The second Harvest Festival was actually a harvest / thanksgiving / 1st birthday service at our church (how's that for multi-tasking?!) Our congregation have been meeting in the local primary school for a year now. It was a good chance to celebrate all that has happened over the last year; and to thank God for all He has given us individually and corporately. We did this through the medium of huge ice-cream Sundaes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, singing, bacon sandwiches and prayers of thanks chalked on the playground. We have learnt a lot over the past year, and look forward to what God has for us in the years to come. I'm sure God would have us dream big dreams for our future together; after all, as Bill Hybels would say: "The local church is the hope of the world".
My third and final part of my Harvest Festival trilogy was this morning. The Nursery and Reception age children aren't traipsed down to the church - they do their celebrating in the school Hall. They all came in wearing headbands with certain vegetable pictures attached; Nathan was a cabbage... They told us the story of Oliver's Vegetables; where a small boy searches his Grandad's vegetable patch in the hope of finding some potatoes to make some chips; in the process, he finds lots of other vegetables, which of course turn out to be very tasty... My favourite part of the proceedings had to be the rousing rendition of 'Big Red Combine-Harvester'. They were brilliant.
So what have I learnt from my Harvest Trilogy? Well, I've certainly learnt that it's hard to pick songs that are perky tunes, fun for the kids and that actually thank God for the amazing things he gives us. What's your favourite harvest song? My personal favourite is probably 'Blackberries in the Hedges', but no-one around here seems to know that one...
Also, and I know this makes me sound old, but there is always something to be thankful for. I think whether it's the joy on a child's face as he sings, the fact that you don't have to worry about wiggly toddlers, or something bigger like the sun and the rain that help things grow. God has given us so many things, and I think it does our perspective and mental health endless good to be grateful. Life might not always be easy (I know, no surprises there) and I'm not advocating pretending life is all shiny when it isn't; however, I know I'm more likely to be content if I focus on the multiple blessings from my heavenly Father than on the things that bug me, or that I don't have.
Today, try to cultivate (ooh, appropriate gardening term alert... pleasing!) an Attitude of Gratitude. What are you thankful for?
Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
I was made for this
What do Bruce Springsteen, Steppenwolf and Vin Diesel's character xXx have in common?
*Obscure connection alert*
They all know what they were born to do.
They were born to run, be wild, and 'for this ****' (ie jumping off tall buildings whilst shooting at random bad guys etc...) respectively.
I know it's sometimes difficult to know what you were made to do. Sometimes it's difficult to know what to do from one day (or hour) to the next. I know that life with small children can make it very difficult to see beyond the end of your own nose, and that actually - just keeping everybody fed and clean, and not so sleep deprived that they are constantly crying (this applies to both big and small people) is enough to be managing, without thinking about anything more long term.
I know young people (I know this makes me sound like an old bag, but bear with me...) find this whole thing particularly stressful. From early on at secondary school they are expected to be making choices with an eye on their future career path. Just studying History because you like History isn't seen as good motivation... You have to know where you are going with everything. It's easy to feel completely at sea. Like you're drifting aimlessly with no real purpose.
It's at times like this when I cling onto the promises I find in the Bible. Things like:
In his time on earth, Jesus was passionate in his desire to help people become all they were created to be. He claimed:
And yet, sometimes I catch a glimpse - a tantalizing taste - of what life can be like.
I had one of those moments on Sunday evening at church when I was leading the worship. All the elements of the service had come together as if we'd spent hours planning it (which we hadn't!), and we were singing a song that I just knew was going to be right for that moment. The band and the congregation were altogether as one unit, singing about the amazing God who we have come to know and love, because He first loved us - and gave everything for us.
And I just felt like God whispered in my ear... "I made you for this". In that instant, I knew there was nowhere in the world I'd rather be, and nothing I'd rather be doing. I was 100% me, living life to the full, and loving every second.
I felt humbled and yet so joyful that - for that moment in time at least - I was doing exactly what I was created for.
I guess that's maybe how it works. We don't always see the big picture, or where it is we're heading. All we can do is try to offer up each moment to the God who has the plans, and do our best to walk where He's leading.
*Obscure connection alert*
They all know what they were born to do.
They were born to run, be wild, and 'for this ****' (ie jumping off tall buildings whilst shooting at random bad guys etc...) respectively.
I know it's sometimes difficult to know what you were made to do. Sometimes it's difficult to know what to do from one day (or hour) to the next. I know that life with small children can make it very difficult to see beyond the end of your own nose, and that actually - just keeping everybody fed and clean, and not so sleep deprived that they are constantly crying (this applies to both big and small people) is enough to be managing, without thinking about anything more long term.
I know young people (I know this makes me sound like an old bag, but bear with me...) find this whole thing particularly stressful. From early on at secondary school they are expected to be making choices with an eye on their future career path. Just studying History because you like History isn't seen as good motivation... You have to know where you are going with everything. It's easy to feel completely at sea. Like you're drifting aimlessly with no real purpose.
It's at times like this when I cling onto the promises I find in the Bible. Things like:
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:11-12I find it amazing that God has even given me a single thought. After all, He does have quite a lot to be getting on with. But there it is in black and white; He doesn't just think about me - He has plans and purposes for me and my little life. Amazing.
In his time on earth, Jesus was passionate in his desire to help people become all they were created to be. He claimed:
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10It's reasonable to state that this is still what Jesus longs to do for every person. I'm sure that it is. However, sometimes I wonder if I would recognise 'life to the full' if it jumped up and bit me... I can be so preoccupied with other things. So easily distracted.
And yet, sometimes I catch a glimpse - a tantalizing taste - of what life can be like.
I had one of those moments on Sunday evening at church when I was leading the worship. All the elements of the service had come together as if we'd spent hours planning it (which we hadn't!), and we were singing a song that I just knew was going to be right for that moment. The band and the congregation were altogether as one unit, singing about the amazing God who we have come to know and love, because He first loved us - and gave everything for us.
And I just felt like God whispered in my ear... "I made you for this". In that instant, I knew there was nowhere in the world I'd rather be, and nothing I'd rather be doing. I was 100% me, living life to the full, and loving every second.
I felt humbled and yet so joyful that - for that moment in time at least - I was doing exactly what I was created for.
I guess that's maybe how it works. We don't always see the big picture, or where it is we're heading. All we can do is try to offer up each moment to the God who has the plans, and do our best to walk where He's leading.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Always look on the bright side of life?
This morning, my children got up - and having had a brief cuddle in bed with us - went downstairs to find something more interesting to do. Halfway down the stairs, they paused, and looked out of the window. This is the interchange I heard...:
Nathan: "Look Joel, it's a lovely day."
Joel: "But there's grey clouds, and it's been raining."
Nathan: "Look, it's a lovely day; it's not snowing!"
Joel: "Ahh. It doesn't look lovely to me; but you're right - it's not snowing..."
I love it when you get to overhear a bit of what goes on in your children's heads. Especially when they don't know you're listening...
As I lay in bed, I mused about their differing perspectives on the same view.
Nathan does seem to be a die-hard optimist. I guess this is partially just down to being three, but not entirely. His outlook on life does tend to be sunny. He has a gift of being able to see the positive in things, as evidenced by the above conversation. He's also very encouraging; last week at church, I was playing the guitar and leading the worship; we sang one of Nathan's favourite songs. In the brief pause at the end, Nathan exclaimed (at classic 3 year-old volume - ie loud): "That was great Mummy, Well done!"
There's something great about receiving encouragement from someone too young to have learnt how to be economical with the truth... You know it must be genuine.
I think Nathan has probably got his positive and optimistic outlook on life from me. All that celebrating small victories has rubbed off on him I guess. I know I've said this many times before, but when you're parenting small children, you never know when the next big victory is going to come - it might be ages; so celebrating the little ones is vital for the mental health I think... "You put your socks on yourself!...HIGH FIVE!"
Joel is very much a realist. He lives in the real world at all times; and at five - going on thirty-five - you can already trust his assessment of a situation to be reliable. Joel lives in a very black and white world, and not just because he's colour blind... He doesn't like uncertainty, or maybe, or possibly, or in a bit... He likes empirical, yes/no, and today we'll be leaving at 16:38 which means we'll be staying here for another 98 minutes.
This doesn't mean that he can't be encouraging; it just means that he'll do it in his own way - and entirely in line with his view of the world. No exaggeration allowed... This does mean that any positive comment from him carries even more weight. On the day when I score 9.3 out of 10 for the evening meal that I cooked (you see - empirical!) like I did yesterday, I know that I really did do well...
I think there's a balance to be struck... Can you be an optimistic realist? I think so. I hope that I am...
And there's the thing: Hope. Not some sort of airy fairy optimism that hasn't got any roots or substance, but hope, which can look down the barrel of the difficult thing - and hope anyway, knowing that all things are possible with God. In a well known passage from 1 Corinthians 13 it says:
Nathan: "Look Joel, it's a lovely day."
Joel: "But there's grey clouds, and it's been raining."
Nathan: "Look, it's a lovely day; it's not snowing!"
Joel: "Ahh. It doesn't look lovely to me; but you're right - it's not snowing..."
I love it when you get to overhear a bit of what goes on in your children's heads. Especially when they don't know you're listening...
As I lay in bed, I mused about their differing perspectives on the same view.
Nathan does seem to be a die-hard optimist. I guess this is partially just down to being three, but not entirely. His outlook on life does tend to be sunny. He has a gift of being able to see the positive in things, as evidenced by the above conversation. He's also very encouraging; last week at church, I was playing the guitar and leading the worship; we sang one of Nathan's favourite songs. In the brief pause at the end, Nathan exclaimed (at classic 3 year-old volume - ie loud): "That was great Mummy, Well done!"
There's something great about receiving encouragement from someone too young to have learnt how to be economical with the truth... You know it must be genuine.
I think Nathan has probably got his positive and optimistic outlook on life from me. All that celebrating small victories has rubbed off on him I guess. I know I've said this many times before, but when you're parenting small children, you never know when the next big victory is going to come - it might be ages; so celebrating the little ones is vital for the mental health I think... "You put your socks on yourself!...HIGH FIVE!"
Joel is very much a realist. He lives in the real world at all times; and at five - going on thirty-five - you can already trust his assessment of a situation to be reliable. Joel lives in a very black and white world, and not just because he's colour blind... He doesn't like uncertainty, or maybe, or possibly, or in a bit... He likes empirical, yes/no, and today we'll be leaving at 16:38 which means we'll be staying here for another 98 minutes.
This doesn't mean that he can't be encouraging; it just means that he'll do it in his own way - and entirely in line with his view of the world. No exaggeration allowed... This does mean that any positive comment from him carries even more weight. On the day when I score 9.3 out of 10 for the evening meal that I cooked (you see - empirical!) like I did yesterday, I know that I really did do well...
I think there's a balance to be struck... Can you be an optimistic realist? I think so. I hope that I am...
And there's the thing: Hope. Not some sort of airy fairy optimism that hasn't got any roots or substance, but hope, which can look down the barrel of the difficult thing - and hope anyway, knowing that all things are possible with God. In a well known passage from 1 Corinthians 13 it says:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."I think God probably is an optimistic realist... What do you think?
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