Accepting the consequences is a repentant heart saying ‘Yes’ to what has been done, praying for mercy, and possibly discovering grace. A few years ago I was caught speeding. I was going too fast. The police officer pulled me over and asked if I knew what speed I was traveling. […]
Relationships
We do something we regret and want to make amends for, but what about the heart. Come as a servant but don’t become a slave. I was working in a garden the other day when I accidentally knocked over a small pot plant. It toppled over and fell onto a […]
A feeling of being abandoned can be like a cold chill across the soul. But God is always at work, so we need to remind ourselves of this truth. I was recently at the help desk in a large store returning some items, and I noticed a small boy in […]
Who are the Five people you spend the most time with? They will be the ones who have the most influence over you. Her response to a betrayal of friendship has probably helped thousands of others to get a better group of friends. The other day I was listening to […]
No one likes to submit. It feels foreign and dangerous, but we long for intimacy (in-to-me-see), so we taste and see if the other is good and safe. There was movement and rhythm as the couple glided across the dance floor. He gently led, she moved in response. She would […]
Are you tired of being the Scapegoat but don’t know how to stop it? Six key steps to stop being the dumping ground of other people’s rubbish. She felt like they were making her a scapegoat. They were saying she was responsible for all the terrible things that had happened. […]
Some people seem to like to rain on your parade, but we can learn how to hoist an umbrella and continue on. They couldn’t help themselves. Anything my friend did was negated. Any attempt at doing something special, creative, or different was criticized and smashed with harsh words. Sometimes an […]
So why did the Samaritan cross the road? Perhaps he wasn’t afraid of the sky falling in. Let’s not be chicken with people like us. I happened to call an acquaintance of mine a few days ago. He does some jobs for me every now and then. As we talked, […]
There was a single tear, and I knew we were on sacred ground, but there was a decision to be made. I chose to linger and listen. I was talking with a man in his eighties the other day when I noticed a tear forming in his eye. I knew […]
Grief and loss are always on the horizon, but we can prepare to grieve well. This can help with the grief we are carrying now. I am pruning roses at the moment. It’s winter here in New Zealand as I write this post, and one of my tasks every winter […]
When I feel respect, I feel valued, and I know I am loved. Respect is about love. It is love in action. Women need respect as much as men. In 2004 a book by Christian writer Dr. Emerson Eggerich was released. It was Love & Respect: The Love She Most […]
Life can be tough at times, but to have someone come close and tell you that you’re doing ok can bring deep reassurance and a sense of being centered. Sometimes you need to be told that you’re doing ok. They were in a time in their life when it felt […]
It can be so debilitating to be told ‘you need to have boundaries,’ but as you grow the heart, a new empowered strength slowly builds within. ‘You really need to have boundaries’ How many times have you heard this said or even said it yourself? I always feel a little […]
Criticism can hurt, bruise and extinguish our hearts, but learning how to handle criticism can build new strength and resilience. I could see the hope drain out of him as I watched both the subtle and not so subtle criticisms land upon him. I was in a meeting with a […]
Trust can get broken so easily, but we can build a new trust by cognitively reassessing our situations. It takes time and effort, but it is worth it. There was a rebuilding that needed to happen. It was a rebuilding of trust in themselves and with others. Somewhere, some time, […]
2020 has been a year of many incredible challenges having to be overcome, but perhaps we have learned some valuable lessons out of the year. As I write this, it’s the last day of 2020, and what a year it has been. Here is a list of reflections from the […]
There are many lonely people. Strangers in a strange land, but we can welcome them and perhaps discover an angel in disguise. I was visiting a home the other day, and an older lady met me. I had never met her before, and she told me that she was visiting […]
Six people you don’t want help from, and there could be more; therefore, it’s time to detach from them and have them leave your emotional room. There are some people that I am wary of getting help from or even suggesting others get help from. They may be well-meaning, have […]
We open the heart and then find our trust is broken, but trust is fragile at the best of times, so we are wisely careful with the gift. It’s those secret little internal vows we make that can cause so much damage. As I wrote some words upon a whiteboard, […]
At times we can seem so small and vulnerable like a speck of clay, but joined together, we can take on the challenges such as COVID 19. Let’s bind together for our Mental Health. ‘Particulate’ is an interesting word. It refers to a minute separate particle. In a cup of […]