What I learned from Planes

I love watching kiddies films, they make so much sense in comparison to the adult films which are all blood, guts and gore. Anyhow tonight my hubby and I got out the kiddies movie called “Planes.” It was really enjoyable. While watching the movie I learned a few things which I want to share with you because part of the journey in this life is the continuous pursuit of finding purpose. I have met so many people in my life and most have sat sometimes with discouragement, wondering about their purpose and the dreams they have inside. So here is what I learned from this movie.

-          Purpose. I learned that most of us have dreams that are with us from a young age, these dreams make us alive but we begin to lose hope in our dreams as we get older. People tell us we cannot do it, we weren’t made for that, you aren’t smart enough or you aren’t fast enough. Why is it that people, teachers, parents, peers and society often seek to destroy our dreams instead of encouraging us to pursue them? I have lost count of the number of times I heard someone tell me how hard it is to be a writer. However, I want to encourage you to never give up on your dreams. I personally believe that the things we love as children are the things we were often created for. I have been through times in my life where I lost hope in my dreams, today I really do try hold on to the things I dream of even when its tough.

-          Self belief. In this movie tonight the little plane who is actually a crop duster, dreams about being a racing plane. He knows of a navy plane who lives in the same town, eventually this navy plane agrees to train the duster. While training the navy plan tells Dusty of all these war stories which later on in the movie, turn out to be untrue. Dusty is in first place in his race but because of this shocking news he just “loses it.” I realised that Dusty believed in Skip so much that under his guidance Dusty knew he could win. When he finally found out the truth about Skips past, he doubted everything and suddenly found himself beat up and in last place. I realised that sometimes we hang on to the encouragement or help from someone else and it gives us hope. Truth is that it was not Skips experience which helped Dusty to win, it was Dusty’s belief which helped him to succeed. We often place too much hope in other people’s opinions of ourselves and our own abilities then we actually do in our own God given abilities. We have to learn to value ourselves as God sees us, because He sees us as valuable beyond belief. So much so that He went to the Cross for both you and I, that fact alone shares with us the unlimited extent of God’s love for us and hope in us.

-          Fear. The crop plane who wants to be an amazing racer is actually afraid of heights. Imagine a plane afraid of heights. Which is exactly what faces us in our lives. I too have had to acknowledge this in myself, fear. Some of us are called to speak in public but we fear speaking in front of people, some are called to write but we fear rejection, no one will listen to what we say. We fear failure, pain, rejection, abandonment and our fears are very real and we cannot deny them or imagine them away. In the movie Dusty was placed in the actual situation where he had to choose between facing his fear or allowing a horrible, cheating plane to win the race. It was a split second decision which Dusty had to make, but he had to make it nonetheless. Our fears are real however they are not unconquerable. Fear is something which God can heal and can deal with; we have to allow ourselves the freedom to lay our fears down at the feet of Yeshua. Our fears will stop us from moving forward if we don’t allow God to help us overcome them. Take courage, they are not eternal, rather our fears are momentary and we have within us the capability to overcome them. The Holy Spirit is more than able to give us victory and healing in any fear and any area of doubt.

-          Loving Others. Throughout the movie, Dusty is just the kind of plane who believes in helping others and being a plane of integrity. Finally when Dusty is smashed up and unable to finish the race the other planes (who are actually competing against him!) give him brand new parts, these parts turn him in to a real super crop plane. Loving our neighbours as ourselves is one of Gods commandments; we should learn to be people of integrity behind closed doors and in front of others. You will never know how many lives you touch daily just by being a person who values other people.

-          Mentors. People do not have perfect lives or perfect stories. Sometimes we believe in people, particularly our mentors or our leaders and they may let us down. However the value of a mentor cannot be weighed, honour and value those who teach you, who love you and who invest in you, this is Father’s way. You will also inevitably end up teaching your mentor so much and encouraging him or her as you grow in your own walk. Mentors and those who love us by helping us in our walk, are so valuable and I thank Yahweh for them.

-          True friends. True friends believe in each other and don’t give up on one another. In the movie Dusty had some really true friends who believed in him emphatically. No matter how big a friends dream is, if it’s a dream Father has placed in their heart then believe in them. Good friends who believe in Messiah are valuable in this walk, may you be a good friend to those Father has placed in your life and may you be blessed to have friends on your side who likewise believe in you!

Tonight if you stand in the trenches of life, with doubt on your sleeve and a heavy heart, I want to tell you that I am in the trenches too but you will prevail because Yeshua is right beside you. Our dreams are not too big or too small to be meaningful and life-giving. Beloved, you are truly here for a purpose even if you do not know what it is yet but we are all here for unique purposes. Don’t give up! I pray Fathers richest blessing of love and hope over you tonight and I pray that His unending love will flow in to your heart and that discouragement will be replaced by courage and hopelessness will be replaced by hope. You are valuable just as you are and father values you so much that He crossed heaven to come buy you back! There is no need for guilt or shame; He paid it all willingly to set you free if you will only believe.
I Bless you today with joy and peace in the name of Yeshua the Messiah.

Five Minute Friday: Close

Its that time again! Five Minute Friday time where us bloggers have to set our watches and hit go for 5 minutes. Writing on the word prompt and then letting our hearts and pens lose on the paper, no editing, no spell check - just go. Here is mine for this week...

Close.

Start! (5 minutes!)

Close is a hard word I guess. Today after reading my article in a local magazine a young woman emailed me and asked me for advice on why she does not like people to come close to her. This is a hard question to answer based on the fact that I do not know her background, her age, her history – nadah. But at least I knew what she wanted to admitted, no one gets close to me. I guess that’s how it is for many people.

Let’s face it allowing someone close to you is vulnerable. Allowing them close to you opens up the space for hurt to happen, for pain to take place and even abandonment. The space closest to us is the most intimate space. Its the most delicate space and the most sanctified space. My most closest space is reserved for 2 things or 2 people – God and my husband. God however remains the closest because with Him well He already knows everything about me and I am always so open with Him, even about the stuff I don’t like. My husband is second in line and that’s how it should be, well for me anyway. I was thinking today about the value of intimacy and how God required us to reserve that closest space in all ways – body, soul and spirit for one person. Only one person in this entire earth should be in that space. I am thankful Father knew this because closeness it means the world to me, that is why its reserved for God and my very precious hubby.

Stop. 
Linking up with Lisa Jo

Sacred Space

I learned something amazing about “me” today and somehow I want to share it here just because. This morning I was led by Father God to share with a good friend, something that Father wanted her to know about a specific behaviour. I cherish the fact that we know each other and value one another so as to have the space between us to share directly in love, with one another. As I started sharing with her what Father had laid on my heart, I started to have personal revelation about myself. It was not something perceived in the mind, but it was something that opened in my innermost being, in my spirit and the moment was a sacred space. For years I struggled with the idea of rest until I had burn out twice.

The burn out I had in 2009 was so severe that I had to see a psychiatrist. Needless to say I knew what was coming, medication. However, I dropped the script and made the journey to England for a full month’s holiday. My boyfriend at the time (now my husband) was preaching the word in a church there and we stayed with my (now) in-laws. Father knew it was the right space and conditions for me to heal. I had a very small bedroom with a double bed and a wardrobe but the best part about this room was that the bed faced a huge bay window which overlooked gardens and tall trees. Occasionally we saw foxes in the garden and lots of different birds, it was heavenly. I spent most of my time resting physically until my emotions and mental state could follow suit. I learnt that physically resting is not the same as whole being resting. I can be resting physically as in sitting on my bed chilling but my soul could be all over the place and then that’s not resting. Anyhow, as I sat on that bed in the U.K I heard the Father tell me – “now I am going to restore you, you will see.” I trusted Him and truly He did. After that I had a long way to go to learn about true rest. You see I come from a family where emotional abuse was the order of the day. I came home not knowing what mood I would find or what trouble I would be in, so there was never a sense of rest hanging around. This was the reality that had to be restored in me, the reality of rest. 

Today as I was speaking on the phone, I had such a divine, sweet moment – Father showed me that I love to create a space. A real space. I studied psychology for ten years but knew I never wanted to fix other people’s problems; I wanted to facilitate their growth. I could never put it plainly in to words, suddenly Yeshua made it real for me today. I do not want to fix your problems, I don’t want to give advice – this is not what I was created for, rather Father wants to create a safe space around me for you to be real with me, with yourself and with Him. This space is a rest space, a trust space, a quiet and sometimes noisy space, or a silent space, you should not have the answers in the space and it is not about fixing it is about being real. Part of the conversation with my friend revolved around being real, especially with yourself and allowing a space to be real. Her and I could relate to this, especially being in ministry, that space is hard to find but it still exists. Today – in this section on my journey in life, I believe so much in rest and giving myself the space for what I need, that I won’t compromise on that. Rest and true, real space that is important in my life and even when I don’t enjoy the liberty of going away anymore, I still can choose the space in my life. The space to sleep, to walk, to listen to the birds, the space to create, to draw, to pain, to write, the space to just be me. God has given it to me and I am living it, I am the space person, and I wont compromise on it. We need to live it – and forget about the world as the world has a warped idea of space and rest. When people rest the world says hey you being lazy! But when we don’t rest, we are being disobedient – isn’t Father’s fourth commandment about resting on the Sabbath, all about true, spiritual rest! Taking rest space and real space is not selfish, it is honouring. Honouring to yourself and honouring to Yahweh, it honours Him when we value ourselves because of His Creator stamp that He placed on to our flesh and in our DNA. We need to be tenacious about taking our space and allowing a space like that to exist for others too. I believe this is a journey but there is nothing better than to enjoy true rest, in all areas of our being – body, soul and spirit! I must add before I end off that true rest and peace only comes when one’s being in connected to the Holy One of Israel, to Yeshua. There is exists no peace without Him, for the Bible tells us that there is no rest, no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22). True rest can only exist alongside real trust, to rest requires trust. Think about sleeping for example, sleeping is the deepest place of trust, it is a time when you are not in control of your surroundings, of your bank account, your household, etc – all is left in God’s Hands and when all those things are truly left in God’s Hands, one enjoys the sweetest sleep. Again, this is a process but one within our grasp, I am committed to God in rest, let us heed what He tells us to do and not be one who is unwilling....

Let me end off with the following:

This is what the Almighty Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

You can be saved by returning to me.
    You can have rest.
    You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me.
    But you don’t want that.
(Isaiah 30:15)

(Today I am linking up with Faith Barista Bonnie Grey and using her quote above which is so inspiring, praying all the best for Bonnie as she releases her book! )

His resting Place is Glorious!

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
(Isaiah 11:10)

Today I drove to the beach, parked my car and took a nice waddle around on the sand. It was a very sunny and warm Autumn day and a few walkers were walking so calmly and peacefully on the sand. The tide was out and it was just perfect - the clouds were picturesque. I breathed in and enjoyed my beach waddle with Daddy.

Eventually I went to rest by my car and I just sat and closed my eyes. Since last night I have been seeing in my spirit, the Great Big Wings and Feathers of Father and I have been seeing Father calling me to go sleep inside that place of peace and rest. The scripture I posted above is one of my absolute favourites, an anchor for my life.

I am the kind of person who loves that rest. I try not to allow my life to get super busy or chaotic. Chaos for me breeds burn out. Busy is something we all struggle with, while some people are always physically busy so much so that they don't even have time to reply to emails or phone calls, others are busy in their minds. I find the busy-ness within our minds or souls to be the most chaotic. Because it destroys that sense of peace, it destroys that resting place. So much has happened over the past few weeks in my own life, that I have sensed that rest ebbing away from me. Today, while I sat on the bonnet of my car talking to Papa, it was so easy to hear Him, to Feel Him, to Touch Him and to forget about the world around me. At one stage I did not even hear the busy traffic swirling around me, it was magnificently silent. I love this silence, I need it - not on a physical level like you need food but on a deeply spiritual level, as in I need it.

I believe we all need silence. The reason why people struggle to hear the Voice of God is often because they cannot drown out the noise, they can never sit in silence. Resting in God often requires everything to still, including your inner workings - your mind, your thoughts, your worries, concerns and feelings. I have noticed that the individuals who struggle with worries are often those who cannot be still or silent for very long. The silence eludes them or in a way it frightens them. Some people take a walk in nature but they do not leave their cares at home, to simply take a walk with the Lover of their soul. God wants to take a walk with us, or a drive with us, He wants to sit with us, talk with us, chat with us - but will we choose to let go and enter in that place of Silence? That place of stillness, that place of Oneness with our Creator? 

This week try and still yourself - this is a journey, a process and a discipline but we need to realise that we have not been given a spirit of fear but of love, power and self discipline. We do not need to fear, fret or worry - we have been given power with which we can take control over ourselves. Take a walk or a picnic, take a seat for a chat this week, take a break, a day away - whatever but take it with the One who loves you and allow His stillness to fill you, you may be surprised at how clearly you begin to hear His Voice, His whisper, even His breath..... He wants to share it with you, not just for a moment or an hour but for eternity. Hebrews 4:9 says "So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God." 

One day when Messiah Yeshua returns He will establish a Resting place and the entire world will come flocking to it, seeking this rest out. Today, in the midst of our lives Messiah gives us a taste of His rest but we need to want it, to take it and to fashion our lives around it. We need to build our lives around His place of rest and allow Silence and stillness to become a part of our daily being. May He help you find the way! Shalom* 

My word for the Week, Space!

Space.

The very real touch of heaven that just dawned on me yesterday, but was following me around all week and I am loving it. The reality of space.

In my drawing class this week, in between the initial frustration of not being able to draw upside down and just being plain tired, I was a humble toddler learning from my Teacher about the love joy of space. Space is featured all around and in between the contour lines that I was learning to draw and yet it was the negative spaces that we were taught, to guide us. Space. The ebb and flow, the rhythm of the negative space, which is seen correctly through the other side of the brain, actually creates the whole picture, beautifully!

By trusting the negative spaces and not focusing on what you are currently seeing in the picture, you learn to create and draw more accurately and more beautifully. In between our three hours of drawing, one of the ladies on the opposite side of the table was sighing and throwing her pencil around. In years gone by I probably would of being stressed about this behaviour but not this week, not today. I am healed and I am happy, I stepped back and carried on – I created the space and allowed her the freedom of expression. It was the pained 50 something cry from a woman who had no one to hear her struggling with her drawing. Deeper still it was the pained expression of knowing that her whole life is like that and that her sighing and pencil throwing tactics are all a cry for someone to care. By allowing her the space (where she wasn’t hurting anyone) she was allowed to cry for help and do it audibly. Being around someone being real and drawing us in to her space with jokes and a strange drawing torture unity, we all became freer and somehow lighter. One very old lady who was out of our drawing class and rather painting on her side of the room, of course she was not included and began taking offence at our antics. I have learned that the older one gets, the harder it is to change perspective that is if you don’t want to change it. I say this respectfully but have found that people from the age of 60 get almost entirely stuck in their own framework and if someone is beyond that, that person is crazy, off centre and offensive to them, the older individual will always seek to control them. This is my findings, not always and not stereotyping but often this reality has been viewed. I found this older individual could not handle or afford any of us the freedom of space and it was sad. Nonetheless by the merit that we are “old students with a cohesive drawing unity” we carried on laughing at the sighs until we were all throwing pencils and drinking strong coffee with rusks. Space.

This is the beauty of space. This is something that I love; I have learned that I need space, and that I afford others the space of being entirely real – not destructive but just real. If you are sad – then say it! Happy – then express it! Joyful – then shout it! God gives us space, the space of being all we are, running joyfully to our Papa in a joyful dance of hey Papa here I am! We need to allow the negative spaces to help guide us too, because in fact if we change the way we see them – and don’t view them logically (left brain!) then perhaps our negative spaces can change us too, I think so. God has created space for me to just be and I am here creating space for others too. We cannot get so fixed in our space without allowing people the freedom to get dancing about in their own. Our space is personal and its meaningful, unique and beautiful. I am loving my space and I am so grateful for this gift!

A Good Girls guide?

Years ago when I was an under-grad student at university studying Psychology, I read a lot about gender and psychology. Social psychology was of particular interest to me as I enjoyed learning about the way we interact and how we see ourselves. The gender realities however, always stuck out for me. I find that we shake our heads at the mentality of years gone by and yet how much gender prejudice do we still have today? While researching verbal abuse for my master’s thesis, I interviewed 60 abused women. Some of their responses to their abuse and their situations shocked me. Comments like, “well this is what God wants for my life (to be abused)” others said “I feel that God wanted me to give up what I wanted for myself although sometimes I still dream of being a writer etc, but god ordained for me to be a wife, stay at home and have kids.” These comments always saddened me because this is not biblical truth or Godly living, its oppression. Sadly, modern day theology has an ancient root and the roots run straight back to the church fathers – who were as the name suggests, all males. Most never married and many hated women. Their theology was warped and prejudice against women, their theology however moulded society’s reality. BUT I am breathing a sigh of relief, because Yahweh is restoring things dramatically and I believe that this is part of the restoration of all things spoken about in the book of Acts. We are being restored to the original design Papa had for us – and that is to be bold as lions! Women are key in the end time move of reviving the nations to the Truth of His word and His Messiah. We are key in bringing the message of freedom, hope and healing. We are absolutely key in any victory the army of God will and can have right now. Years ago Father asked me a question in my prayer time; He asked me “Why has my army failed all these years?” I told Him “Abba, You know!” So He leaned forward and whispered loudly, “Because one half of my army is missing, my daughters are not there!” I hold on this very real truth. Women have for the most part, seen themselves through the opinions of others but we need to realise that we are not to see ourselves through another’s eyes, we are only to view our value, our calling, our worth and our status through the eyes of the One who made us – the eyes of The Great I Am, Yahweh. 

I started out this post by saying that, I encountered gender realities in Social Psychology. Well I want to post here below – the 1945 stereotype of a “good” woman. On this particular day (the 13^th of May) in 1945 (almost 70 years ago) the Housekeeping Monthly Magazine posted the following statement about what it means to be a Good Wife. I hope your skin is going to crawl at the judgment, the prejudice, the oppression and the ridiculousness of the following statements. But also, may we rejoice in how far we have come from these stereotypes of women. 

The Good Wife’s Guide (Source: Housekeeping Monthly, May 13 1945)

·         Have dinner ready. Plan ahead even the night before to have a delicious meal ready in time for his return. This is a way of letting him know you have been thinking of him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

·         Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll look refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make up, out a ribbon in your hear and be fresh looking.

·         Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip around the house just before your husband arrives.

·         Gather up schoolbooks, toys, papers etc and then run a dustcloth over the tables.

·          Be happy to see him.

·         Listen to him, you may have a dozen important thing to tell him but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

·         Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

·         Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truth. You have no right to question him.

·          A good wife always knows her place.

Wow, am I exhausted just by typing this out! Let it be said right here that I am against the prejudice of women (and men for that matter) and I believe in the equality of both men and women as Father laid it out in His word.  Both Adam and Eve were called to co-rule, co-govern and share co-dominion over their habitation and over the earth. No one is more important but both exist equally to serve and love God first and then each other. It is interesting to note that women have been the objects of severe oppression and prejudice from the very beginning of time. I am thankful for all the pioneering, brave women who went before our generation, the ones who spoke up against injustice and who paved the way for greater freedom. It our turn now and it is our time to make a difference and to stop accepting all that we have been told. The most important voice is God’s voice and His opinion and He says that He called us to unleash us, not to tame us, to make us fierce and fiery, to make us warrior women fit for a Warrior Groom, are you up to the task or are you still embracing the 1945 guide to prejudice goodness? It is time!