Nothing (Five Minute Friday)

This is a link-up with Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday

The story about Elijah is still burning in my mind and has been all week. I love when God’s Word soothes your soul like that.

And I’ve been thinking about Nothing. How God came to Elijah in the stillness, in the quiet, when there was nothing.

Elijah was so inflamed that his people would turn their backs on such a powerful God. He wanted to show them God’s power in big, demonstrative and mighty ways.

He asked God to show His might with a big supernatural fire.

But then when Elijah was discouraged and tired, God demonstrated to Elijah in a very clear way – first a big wind, then a big earthquake and then a big fire, and then nothing. And that’s where God met him.

God is in the nothing. Which negates the nothing. There is no nothing because He is always there. And sometimes we don’t feel Him there. So we hold on the the hope that He gives us when all we feel is nothing.

1 Kings 19:11 Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.

A gentle and quiet whisper in the nothing.

Close (Enough) Five Minute Friday

(Linking up to Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday)

Ever feel like you are close enough to achieving someting but then it is just too hard?

Do you say
Ahh close enough
And then give up?

If we didn’t quite reach a goal, my father used to say
Close, but no cigar!

Is close enough maybe the anti-thesis of perfectionism? Does a perfectionist quit at good enough?

Or maybe driven is the opposite of close enough? Does someone who is driven stop at close enough?

Do marathoners quit at the 39km mark?

These are the thoughts that hound me and tell me I am not good enough. Close enough isn’t good enough.

But God’s grace isn’t like that.

It is not about being perfect, or being driven. But it is about EXCELLENCE.

Colossians 3:17 (NLT)

17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

And Colossians 3:23 (ESV)
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men

And interesting wording from the Message translation

22-25 Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.

For all you struggling with motivation on a Friday – Work from the heart for your real Master today!

(and then look forward to some Sabbath rest – Sunday is coming!)

Have a great weekend!

Grateful (Five Minute Friday) – The anti-dote to resentment is to be grateful

The anti-dote to resentment is to be grateful.

It’s in our human nature to resent those around us. In our workplace, it’s easy to be resentful when someone undeserving gets ahead. We never really grow out of the child-like cry of ‘it’s not fair!’ Unless we choose to be grateful.

One of my life verses – in EVERYTHING, give thanks.

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

But it comes with a promise!!

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Is God faithful?

Yes

Does He do what He promises?

Yes

So if I am grateful and thank God every single time I go to him in prayer, he WILL absolutely GUARD my MIND and my HEART.

and for that I will always be grateful and lift, exalt, and praise the faithfulness of our God!

If Paul can be grateful while in prison, I can be grateful in my cubicle.

Today I am grateful for my mother, for her example of godliness, for her faithfulness in praying over my and my children and for giving me a heritage that chooses to be grateful and to have joy.

!

Gratefulness as the antidote to resentment is part of my strategy for Maintaining Good Mental Health

Friend (Five Minute Friday)

Random thoughts passing through my head on ‘Friend’ today.

Being able to brain dump on someone – it’s been a crazy busy week and I wrote myself an email with a bunch of reminders and cc’d a friend. I knew she’d catch my brain dump and it felt like a load of my shoulders.

An invitation to coffee out of the blue – received an email from someone asking to go out for coffee- things that brighten your week.

Making silly comic strips – when your friends posts silly comics of the two of you.

A road trip with my daughter next week – yes she’s my daughter and yes it’s a mother-daughter trip but I know we will also have fun together because I love spending time with her.

A romantic off-hand comment from my husband – I know it’s corny to say he’s my best friend but it really is true.

Online strangers who take the time to comment and read your blog 🙂

Being there to pray for someone – when a friend shoots you a short email that you catch between meetings saying – I’m feeling anxious, please pray for me. And you are happy and honoured to do so.

When your friends have already arranged your drive to and from a practice knowing you are a one car family, before you even ask.

Having good friends and the privilege of being a good friend are some of the greatest blessings in life.

1 Samuel 18:1 By the time David had finished reporting to Saul, Jonathan was deeply impressed with David—an immediate bond was forged between them. He became totally committed to David. From that point on he would be David’s number-one advocate and friend.