Amys Heart and Soul

Help or Hinderance?

2012-03-02T10:34:00.003+10:00

We all like to be helpful, we at least we believe that we like to be helpful. How often does our ever so well meaning 'help' turn into a hindrance for the person we are trying to help?

How often do we stop and assess if this person really needs our help. Is it more that we don't like the way this person is doing something so we try to override it by offering our 'well meaning help' aka your way isn't working so how about we do it my way approach.

As a married woman I know this scenario all to well...

According to Scripture we are called to be our husbands 'help mate'. So doesn't that give me a license to 'help' him by telling him when he isn't doing things right (and yes by right we all mean our way).

Because as women we are wired to help, how do we most effectively be our husbands 'help mate'.

HELP...

I think a lot of it comes down to our reasons for helping. Have we been asked to help or are we offering unsolicited advice? We may think our way is best and it may be the best way for us to complete or accomplish something. But it doesn't necessarily mean it's the right solution for someone else.

Obviously this is not limited to spousal situations. It can happen in all walks of life, whether it be friendships, relationships with parents, siblings, family members, people in authority.

The challenge we all face is learning to determine when we are offering to help out of pure concern and a desire to see the person we are trying to help succeed. If this is our motive then that's great. However too often I believe motives can become self focused and we offer to help to make ourselves feel needed and therefore better than the person we are trying to help or at least feel that our way is better than their way. This is when we become a hindrance and we need to admit to this (at least to ourselves) and make a conscious effort to be a help and not a hindrance.

HINDRANCE...

Today, are we going to be a help or a hindrance....The decision and outcome are completely up to YOU and ME!

A year of Discipline...

2012-02-06T08:34:00.004+10:00

I don't know about you, but that sounds super scary to me, and also like a lot of hard work. Not that there is anything wrong with hard work. Most rewards are reaped when hard work is required first!

So what do I want to be disciplined in?...

Everything of course!

As possible as that may be, I know that I first need to narrow it down to a few things to start with.

Firstly, I want to be more disciplined in my relationships, both Heavenly and Earthly. Without a strong relationship built on prayer, reading God's Word and meditation, I know I am unable to build my earthly relationships with both family and friends. I want to be the friend that people want to confide in and spend time with. In order to do this I want to be more disciplined in reaching out to my friends, whether it be a text message, email, snail mail (who doesn't love receiving real letters in the mail? I know I do) and of course organising to do more with each person, be that coffee, movies, dinner or day trips/holidays.

Secondly, I want to be more disciplined in my personal organisation as I know it is somewhat lacking. In order to do this I need to spend dedicated time to organising the things I often neglect, such as paperwork. I seem to have it spread out all over the house. I need to be more disciplined in creating and maintaining my filing system. I also want to be more organised in decluttering my house as I know that I have more than enough possessions and I'm sure there are a lot that I don't use that I could donate to someone who may need them and would use them.

Thirdly, I want to be more disciplined in taking care of myself (as selfish as that may sound) so that I can better look after my family. This includes discipline in what I eat, making sure it is good for me and that I am setting a healthy example for my children. It will also require me to be disciplined in regular exercise. I can't stand exercise, but I know it is good for me and therefore good for my family. So I need to commit to exercising on at least a weekly basis, if not daily basis.

Please consider joining me in a year of discipline...I would love to hear other ways of becoming more disciplined.

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13

Sunday, The Day of REST

2011-10-30T18:01:00.000+10:00

Sunday is meant to be a day of rest, right?

The Bible tells us to rest one day a week. How then is a wife and mother meant to get this much needed and well deserved rest?

Does it mean that I don't have feed, bathe and entertain my children on Sundays? What about the washing and tidying up after the family?

Obviously as a mother I have responsibilities that don't dissapear just because I need and want some rest. So that leaves me to ponder the question of much needed balance.

As I am a wife and mother, but I am also more than just those roles to my loved ones, I have needs for myself. How do I find time for my needs? We all need to recharge so we can accomplish all we need to during the week.

I would love to take a day off and know that my children would be well looked after and my house would be clean when I return.

Ahh it is lovely to dream...

However back to reality, I have a crying child to tend to and another one to feed and get into bed.

Grateful to be a wife and mother among many other things.

True Contentment

2011-09-03T18:21:00.000+10:00

Content with what I have!

It is such a powerful statement. Can I claim true contentment in my current circumstances?

I desire to say yes wholeheartedly, but something is holding me back. I can't quite define it. I know as I search deeper into true contentment. The contentment that Christ gives when we lay all our dreams and desires at His feet and honestly say to him "God you are more than enough for me". I know then I will find complete contentment in everything.

So to begin this journey, I first need to determine what it is that I am holding on to. What dreams and desires, even though they may be good, am I clinging onto tighter than my desire for a personal and fulfilling relationship with my Lord and Saviour. A relationship that says "I will abandon my desire for anything other than my love for You. For your grace and mercy. For your gift of salvation."

I sit here waiting impatietly for our baby girl to arrive, not long now as as she is due this month and I can't help but wonder how I am going to cope with two little babies to look after. I know I need to find contentment it in, knowing that I am meant to be a mother and that this is the current season of my life. However it is so easy at times to look at my friends carefree lives (the ones without children), who don't have to think about a little persons needs and how I am going to meet them. I love staying at home with Theodore and can't wait for our princess to add to the bundle, however I do have to stop myself at times from thinking the negative things.

Life, finanically would be so much easier if I was still working, we wouldn't be scraping the bottom of the barrel each month to make ends meet, and some months not even manage that. I would still be dreaming of holidays that I could plan or the house we would be saving for. Even the luxury of eating out doesn't really happen for us at the moment. I am not complaining. I love my husband and know that the career he is pursuing is the right one for him and us as a family. I love my Theodore and the joy that being at home with him, being able to nuture him, spiritually, physically and emotionally. I don't overly miss the working world. I do love being able to get up of a morning and plan what we will do for the day.

I just wish I could have it all.

I am well aware that this is a complete contradiction from being content with what I have. Obviously I am not there yet but I am working on it daily. It's moments like this that I stop and look around to find the things I can be thankful for. Surprisingly there are quite a lot of things I can be thankful for when I really stop and think about it.

God Is Excellent

2011-07-21T08:53:00.000+10:00

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Psalm 8:1

Do we really appreciate how excellent our heavenly father is? Do we comprehend all that he does for us as his children? Does the glory of God intimidate you?

God doesn't want his children to have an earthly fear of his excellence. He does however want us to live our lives with a holy reverence for his majestic greatness.

Even as Christians we can be caught out complaining about circumstances that haven't gone the way we would like them to. How often in times of despair do we stop to praise God in all his glory knowing that he knows what's best for us and will work all things to His glory.

Let us come to God with a heart of praise and thanksgiving at all times!

God Is Great

2011-07-20T12:04:00.000+10:00

For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Psalm 86:10

God's greatness is uncontainable. He is so very powerful and amazing. His love for his children is incredible.

God is capable of doing so many wondrous deeds. He alone created heaven and earth. He doesn't need our help to be great or to do wondrous things.

God loves us so very much that he gave mankind dominion over all other creatures.

Thankyou Lord Jesus that you are great and do wondrous things.

God Is Powerful

2011-07-17T10:05:00.000+10:00

But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24

God Is Powerful, what does it mean to be powerful? Most of the time when we think of power we think of corruption.

God's power however is not a corrupt power. His power is pure.

To be united with Christ, is to be united with the power and wisdom of God. We all need God's power and wisdom working through our lives each and every day. Without the power of Christ we are nothing and unable to accomplish anything.

God's power is also a power of love. God loves his children dearly and he chooses to impart his wisdom to those he has called his beloved.

God Is Good

2011-07-12T11:44:00.000+10:00

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
1 Chronicles 16:24

God is amazingly good. In all that we do, he is always there right beside us guiding us. Often His goodness is easily overlooked as we continue with the busyness of our days.

God loves us so very much and desires for us to share his goodness with the world around us in all that we do.

I know I want God's goodness to radiate out of me more and more. God help us to become a beacon of your unfailing goodness.

How marvelous are his works. He created not only you and me, but all that we can see and even the things we cannot see.

It only takes a moment to look around and find something God created to be grateful for and to marvel at.

ALL DOCTRINE, NO HEART...

2011-06-26T18:37:00.000+10:00

Have you ever stopped to wonder why people often assume that because someone is passionate about a certain doctrine that they have no heart? I have experienced this where someone’s passion for scripture can be misunderstood as being focused only on doctrine and not looking at the heart of Christ.

All doctrine, no heart...

So, what is doctrine, I think too often it is not explained properly and therefore completely misunderstood as a lack of emotion and spiritual feelings.

Doctrine can be defined as a principle of faith. It is the teaching of God’s Word. We all have faith. Often I think that at times we judge the way others express their faith as it does not fit in the box we have labelled “faith” and what we believe it should look like.

I believe that God created us all equally, yet uniquely as well. As long as the faith we are professing lines up with the Holy Scriptures, does it really matter if they way one person expresses themselves is a little different to the way we would.

In life we will come across the quiet of faith, who are reserved, don’t speak all that much, however spend a lot of time listening, and when these people speak it is often an incredible insight. Then there are the noisier of faith, who like to let everyone know their view on scripture and can often, seem over bearing. These people mean well and are often very full of knowledge and worth listening to. Just because they are full of knowledge and speak their mind doesn’t mean that they somehow lack emotion and heart, they are often very passionate people who are misunderstood because they have such a heart for the gospel that they just want to share it with everyone they see and everywhere they go.

In closing I would like to leave you with some scriptures.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Titus 1:9
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

The Perfect Life

2011-06-03T14:53:00.000+10:00

Far to often I try to live the perfect life, not exactly holy and blameless, but more than that I try to make it look like I have it all together. As Christians aren't we called to have it all together, to live the perfect sin free life with all of life's luxuries included.

I am sure that is what I signed up for when I became a Christian, didn't you?

Ok, so that couldn't be further from the truth. But it sure sounds good.

I think that the world often expects that standard of perfect, as we claim to be different from the world, yet we still suffer a lot of the same things as the world. We are affected by tragedies, we have financial losses and heartache, we still experience relationship breakdowns, etc..

The difference is that we have Jesus our Lord and Saviour to turn to in every circumstance. Thank you God for your gift of Salvation as it literally brings me life. I thank you that even though I often make mistakes and fall short, that you are always there to guide and correct me.

Create in me a clean heart Lord, one that does not boast in evil. A heart that will rejoice in suffering as I know it is bringing me closer to you and your Glory.

Dare to say YES to God!

2011-05-27T11:18:00.000+10:00

I recently finished reading a book by Lysa TerKeurst "What Happens When Women Say Yes To God" and all I can say is wow am I encouraged to say Yes to God in every circumstance, no matter how great or small. I'm not saying it won't be a challenge as I believe almost every good thing comes with a challenge attached. I am however looking forward to what God has in store for me as I say Yes to Him in all that He requires of me.
This hasn't come easy as I have already been challenged by God to let go of something I love to do for a time, however I am looking forward to spending more time with God as I grow closer to Him in all that He asks of me.

I am very aware that this is not how I normally tend to blog however I just had to share about this book as I feel that it has been a great encouragement to me. God requires us to give Him our all, and that means all of us, including our wants, dreams and desires, some of which God may have given us, some He hasn't. In His timing I believe He will fulfil the desires and dreams that He has placed in our hearts.

I would love to hear if God has recently challenged you to say Yes to Him in something that you don't yet understand.

I would also like to suggest asking God what it is that He requires of you in this season of your life.

Until we meet again,

xx

Fear is False Expectations Appearing Real

2011-05-19T18:24:00.001+10:00

I recently read that "Fear is False Expectations Appearing Real". Wow did it impact me in a big way. When I react to fear, I make irrational choices that generally go against who God has called me to be. What I do out of fear never accomplishes God's purpose for my life.

Psalm 27: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

I pray that God may teach me to not make decisions out of fear, instead guide me to make right decisions.

Growing In Faith

2011-04-09T10:24:00.000+10:00

What does it mean to grow in faith? Does it magically happen or does it take time and a multitude of trials for your faith to truly grow? Are you still trusting God fr the same things or have you stretched your faith and begun to trust him for the bigger things, even the things we see as impossible.

If what you are trusting God for lines up with His promises in the Holy Scriptures then there is no reason that God won't honour your needs, but be careful what you ask for, if you ask for more faith, expect to be tested and go through some difficult circumstances as faith does not come easily, it is not something we can go out and buy more of. It is a gift from God.

As is often said and very true, 'God won't give you more than you can handle' - providing you trust Him completely to bring you through every circumstance.

God allows the good and the bad to build our faith, it is often in the good times that we forget to thank God for his mercy ad grace, however we all to often come running when something bad happens.

God wants all of me and you, he wants us to spend just as much time with Him when things are going well and when things are not going our way.

Are you prepared to trust God during the seasons of drought in your life as well as the seasons of plenty?

What is Devotion?

2011-04-09T10:09:00.000+10:00

'But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word' Acts 6:4 'And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful' Titus 3:14

The meaning of 'devotion' is - 'great love and loyalty, profound dedication and prayer'. Wow, does that stir you as much as it stirs me. When we think in terms of devoting our lives to God it's an awe inspiring definition, however when you think of it in terms of the amount of time we devote to time wasters it can become a rather scary thought.

You're life reflects your devotion regardless of what you are devoted to it will always shine through. We become like the people we spend the most time with, are we spending enough time with Jesus to reflect His love for us or do we look more like our earthly surroundings? We need to ensure that our devotion is regular, but we must strive to ensure that our devotion time with Jesus doesn't become "just" routine.

Our devotion time should be first thing in the morning that way we are prepared for anything the day may send our way. Our devotion times should also be quiet and alone, this can be hard for mothers of young children who wake early, however it still needs to be a priority to ensure we are godly role models for our children. God requires that we spend time in solitude reading His word and seeking His face by spending time in prayer daily.

I'll Pray For You

2010-10-20T08:58:00.000+10:00

I'll pray for you or I'm praying for you are very common statements from many professing Christians. What I would like to know is what does it really mean? What does it mean to you when you say it to someone who is struggling with a situation in their life? What do you expect it to mean when someone says it to you when you are the one struggling with a situation in your life?

Do we really mean it, do we go home and get on our knees so to speak before God and honestly pray for Him to work in their life in their situation in a way only He can, or do we more often than not say it as a passing comment to avoid doing anything to really try and help.

I'm not saying that prayer is not important, as I believe it is a crucial aspect of a relationship with God. I think it is the attitude in which the statements “I'll pray for you” and “I'm praying for you” are said that is important. If it is said sincerely and acted upon accordingly then there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. In fact I believe prayer is very important and having fellow believers who can pray with you and is very beneficial.

What will you do today?

Glorify God

2010-08-04T09:39:00.000+10:00

Does the thought of living a life that is glorifying to God, fill you with so much joy and excitement that you are overflowing and about to burst with happiness? Or does it feel you with so much fear and trembling that you are too afraid to continue?

Colossians 3:16-17

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We have all been created with one purpose and that is to glorify God in all that we do. That means always giving our task at hand our full attention whether we like the task we are doing or not. It can be as simple as washing dishes, making our beds, doing some laundry, even going to work and church can become tasks that we just do because they are there to be done. But God requires more, He expects us to have a cheerful heart and to be glad that we are able to do such tasks.

Church however should not be a task, it should be somewhere we go to minster to others and to receive ministry. It is a very important part of life and without fellowship with other believers I believe that every other part of our lives begin to suffer.

We only get a very short amount of time here on earth to complete all that God has required of us. We therefore need to be focused on the things he has placed in our hearts and lives and not try to fill them with meaningless things.

Some people are called to be business people, others doctors, accountants, lawyers, teachers and Ministers, the list can go on and on. Some are called to be writers and speakers, or musicians. And then there are some who often feel that they are missing out or not giving there all, these are often the stay at home parents, who often don't have the latest and greatest things, often cannot afford fancy clothes or to buy a house.

However these people just like all the other people mentioned and those that haven't been mentioned, are just as important to and valued by God. Raising the future generation of this world is a very big task and not one to be taken lightly.

So as long as you are doing what God has called you to do and you know within your spirit and your heart that you are at the place He currently wants you, whether or not the sun is shining or the clouds are our, you can rest in the security of knowing your Lord and Saviour is in complete control and you have nothing to fear.

My quest for today is to make sure I stop and take time to confirm with God that I am where he wants me to be and then to thank him for all he has given me and all that is to come.

There is no season He hasn't planed and no circumstance He is not in control of.

Don't be afraid to dream big, as long as they are Gods dreams for your life here on earth!

Faith, Hope & Love

2010-08-02T11:25:00.000+10:00

Where does our hope come from? Does it come from within oneself or is there someone or something bigger than us who we depend upon for all our needs? I believe this someone or something is our Heavenly Father and Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. It is only by his grace that we can even have hope. But we need more than just hope, we need faith in the things unseen. Its not always easy to have faith in things that we cannot see, hear or touch, but that is why it is called faith!

Would life really be easier if you could talk and walk with God like you can with your friends here on earth? Would it make the heartache and the pain any more easy? Would it take away the joy of knowing that your Heavenly Father is looking down upon you? I believe it is easier knowing that when you leave this earth for eternity that you will finally meet the one who has taken care of you from before birth.

Family is such an important dynamic of our time here on earth and I think too often we take those people who are closest to us for granted. The reality is that we won't always have all our family here on earth, things happen, people pass away, time expires.

My challenge for today is to show someone you care, that they mean the world to you and that you love having them in your world.

God shows us everyday how much He loves us, all we have to do is open our eyes first thing in the morning and we can see a beautiful sunrise, hear birds chirping and feel the warmth of the sun as it shines brightly.

Hebrews 11:1,3

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen...By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."

Philippians 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ."

Proverbs 3-5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. "

Life Goes On

2010-07-21T15:05:00.001+10:00

Apparently life is still continuing all around me...Well of course it is. For the past month my life has been in severe turmoil, as my mother has been in hospital and is now extremely ill. She went in to have some relatively routine tests that haven't happened due to her condition deteriorating so rapidly.

Despite all of this going on, life must continue as I have a 3 and a half month old and a husband to look after, not to mention the housework that needs doing an apparently as I have recently found out, you need to eat to keep functioning.

We have wonderful friends who have been only a phone call away, who have helped to keep us sane by cooking us meals, helping to clean our house and babysit our beautiful little boy.

There are days I wonder where God is in all of this as if you know my family it seems to be one drama after another, just when we seem to be getting over something another crises lands in our lives.

But God is a God of love, peace and mercy right, He wouldn't wish a bad thing to happen to one of his children, so it must be Satan causing all the bad things in life right? Wrong, we live in a fallen world, one with sin and sickness, hurt and pain. Sure there are times where I look at my life and I want to blame Satan for all that goes wrong but that would be immature of me to do so.

We all need God, we all need His love and grace and never ending mercy and thats just to get through the day let alone eternity. I know I wont and don't always understand why things happen the way they do and yes I can and do keep praying for miracles in my life and the lives of those I love, but sometimes God works in mysterious and wonderful ways that we don't always understand or like at the time of the events happening in our lives but does it mean that if we don't get the miracle or our prayers are not answered the way we want them to be that we will give up on God? I hope not, I know I won't.

God is bigger than any circumstance in our lives and he is the author and creator of the world and everything in it! He requires us to love him and serve him with all that we have.

I am willing and ready are you?