Filled 'Empties'!

Ever had one of those weeks where you just feel low? Of course you have, we all have them. Well I am having one of them for no reason and every reason -isn’t that how it goes?

I have just moved town away from family and friends, my dear family suffered a tragic loss just on us leaving, I have a teething crying baby and right this week I am doing a body cleanse of juice intake only = challenge. Hmmmm… This all sounds like life and yep it’s deflating me.

So I do the smart thing and tell my husband “Hon I’m feeling low and I need some encouragement.”

Now I love my hubby and he is a great encourager in his bloke way yet sometimes it does not seem to hit the spot. However, by him I do feel a little cheered up: tick, loved: tick, he even gave me flowers: tick (yay *kiss*), but deep inside I am still feeling frazzled and a bit empty. Now, sure our family and friends can and should encourage us (so can chocolate) and it does make us feel great, but what happens when it does not hit the spot (tears or fireworks from the mouth!!!!).

Truth Moment: My family and friends cannot be my only source of encouragement.

I need another source of encouragement and it is:

God.

God has to be my bottom line source. Now before you think this is getting all so fluffy and lovely etc… Let’s get one thing straight: When faced with challenges and low moments in our life going back to some of these ‘fluffy basics’ is important. God being our source is a ‘basic’ and it’s these ‘basics’ that give us the foundation to life that we can stand on. So bare with me.

God is the ultimate encouragement source because He is the ‘way’ (John 14:6).

He is a ‘way’ out of discouragement and low days as well as a ‘way’ in the fun times and wins of life. He wants to encourage us wherever we are at: sad, happy, mad, ordinary, board, angry, confused, excited, pained, devastated, frazzled, dazzlingly… (Did I miss one?)

So today I make that choice. I am opening my Bible to get my encouragement to fill that emptiness up with positive words straight from God. (I’ll tweet a few.)
Does anyone find it easy to pick up the Bible when we feel down? How about no! (Except to all you saints out there. ;)) Yep it can be a challenge. This is something we have to continually expend in and make the choice to do. It does not come naturally.

So here is a cheer to open Bibles and filled ‘empties’.

Taken from my deck, and always reminds me of
God's presence in this crasy world!

Thinking: Where do you get your main source of encouragement from????? Is it time to open that Bible again? What are your fav places in the Bible for encouragement?

Side Note: Now just don’t open the Bible and start reading any old place because this is sure to end in dust collecting on the top of a shelved book. Look up books of the bible that are full of personal encouragement. My fav places to read for encouragement are in Psalms or 1st John.
Then when we read it, think about what it says, it is the only thing that fills the empty, lift the lows and sometimes this takes time. As a bonus it can give new perspective on circumstances.

Doing My Time!

Lately I have caught myself saying “everyone has to do their time”. There are just some things in my life journey that I just flat out think are a season that I cannot change. These are the circumstances of life that we all go through and we start from a young age: The school years of a zillion assignments and late night homework or that crapy first job that pays small and keep you from your friend’s party. What about heart ache when wonderful he dumps you? Daggy, ugly furniture in your first home (think olive green with big white and yellow flowers) or that bomb of a car you must drive that breaks down every 5 minutes. My favourtie is trying to get the newborn baby to sleep in the middle of the night (L.A.C.K. O.F. S.L.E.E.P. Groooooaaaan!)

Now all these things are not necessarily a bad thing. They are in some instances what we call a rite of passage and we do just put it down to plain old 'that’s life'.

So anyway, the other night at my new lovely friends house I caught myself saying it again. It was due to the fact that I have just moved town and have no baby sitters for my girls = no date night out with my hubby:( sob. Out it came when my friends offered to babysit for me “thank you so much, yeah we have no babysitters but no complaints here, we’re new in town and everyone does their time.” Yikes! And then it hit me, what a silly thing I was saying. I was settling.

Truth Moment: Of course we all have things in life that we may not enjoy and seasons of pure circumstances but we don’t have to settle for it.

I learnt in that moment that I settle too quickly in my circumstances and palm it off as plain old 'that’s life'. I think it is time I acknowledging where I am at but then more importantly commit to take the necessary steps or goals to see it change.You see if I just keep settling for “doing my time” (how humble and noble of me) then I will never step out and see if I could change it or find a better way through it.

From now on I am banned from saying “everyone does there time” instead I am going to say yes to finding a better or new way through that season.

Thinking… …What right now are you settling for and what could you do to change it or make it better? Share.

My season of life!

Average Me!

So today I have decided to put my life in the galaxy of the Internet and start blogging. Though I’m not sure that I am interesting enough to hold your attention. The problem is I am just a plain old (and getting older shhhhhh!!!) ‘Jane average’.

I have a husband, two children, I work at home, have two dogs, a mortgage, a mail box full of bills and boring paper and the housework can tend to laugh at me as I try everyday to clean the house only to do it again the next. I do have great friends, a wonderful family, a lovely place to live, and lots of chocolate.
But it is just that I want to be interesting. I want my life to dazzle. I want to shine. I don’t want to fade into the background of life or be stuck in the average = nothing basket, no matter how often I am sweetly told “your special because you are you”.

Truth moment: I am special because I am me and the same goes for you. We all are.

Just because our lives are far from perfect and are full of the ‘everydayness’ (is that a word?:)) does not mean we are average. It just means we have to purposely look into our ‘everydayness’ and see who we are actually dazzling and shining for. You see we already are shine and dazzle to someone.

For me it is my husband who needs me to love him and his ‘annoying’ bits. My girls need me to show them how to be princesses and live even in the tedious tasks, (like picking up more toys, anyone!). My friends need me to encourage them and be real about life. Oh and my neighbor relies on me to take my bin out every week. (Two words: Nappy bombs!). It's just a 'plain old average' fact that we all bring, can give and shine something special into our corner of the world.

Be brave, have a look, whose there? Your needed. Now be you and shine.
Share with me who you shine for!