Month: July 2021

Sue’s Views

It’s the middle of winter here in NZ ….. but compared to so many places around the world ….. we have nothing to complain about. Every time I feel ‘hard done by’ ….. I remind myself how blessed I am. There is always reason to gripe about the economy ….. the weather ….. the fact travel is limited ….. etc etc ….. but life here is pretty normal. No matter how tough things are for you ….. there are always people far worse off. Develop a thankful attitude ….. and you’ll start seeing more to be grateful for.

Sue’s Views

When things get overwhelming and all we can see is hopelessness and defeat ….. we need to remember the story of Elijah and his servant who were surrounded by an enemy army. The servant could only see certain defeat and destruction because that’s what was happening in the natural realm. Elisha however was a man of tremendous faith ….. and he saw beyond the natural realm to the supernatural. He prayed that God would open his servants eyes and he did! They both were able to see a much larger army of angel warriors surrounding the enemy. The result was that the enemy soldiers were struck with blindness and lost their sense of direction. Ask God to open your eyes to see what He is doing behind the scene. He is fighting the battle on your behalf. You just need to trust Him!

Sue’s Views

The heart is the most important organ in our bodies because it is the life line to every other part. An unhealthy heart can cause sickness and disease in every other organ. Similarly ….. our spiritual heart is also the lifeline to our spiritual well-being. Things like envy ….. bitterness ….. unforgiveness ….. greed ….. and lust ….. will produce ‘dis – ease’. We lose our peace. We lose our joy. King David gave us a great example of heart surgery when he prayed ‘Create in me a clean heart, Oh Lord, and renew a right spirit within me’. When we acknowledge our sin ….. and are sorry enough to change direction ….. our hearts become mouldable in God’s hands. How is your heart?

Sue’s Views

The grandies found my ‘dress up’ box! Every Grandma should have one! Of course ….. the girls wanted to be princesses! The boys ….. well they just joined in the fun and made the best of what they could find! (Definitely need more ‘boy stuff’)  Mersade & Ezekiel opted for another avenue of creativity! Kids have great imaginations. Covid cannot limit those! The same God who gave us our ability to dream is also far above and in control of the world we live in. Don’t let anything stop you from dreaming big dreams!

Are you grieving the loss of someone or something? You will no doubt be familiar with some of the stages of grief. At first there is shock and denial ….. ‘This can’t be happening!’ There may be some anger ….. ‘Why did this have to happen?’ Then there is the struggle to find meaning ….. ‘If only I had done this or that’. There may be times when you feel overwhelmed and feel the need to withdraw. ‘It’s just too hard’. All these are perfectly normal responses. Eventually ….. a new day will dawn when you begin to accept what has happened and can begin to see a future. You begin to explore your options and make plans for the way ahead. Isaiah 53:3 tells us that Jesus was ‘a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief’. He understands where you are. Talk to Him about it! 

Sue’s Views

Are you struggling with temptation or wrong thinking? Take it to the Lord in prayer. The hardest part is often facing it and acknowledging it. Once you do ….. God will show you where the door was opened for the enemy to come in and do his damage. But He won’t leave you there! He will reveal to you His power and authority over the lies of the devil ….. and replace them with truth. He will lead you to repent of your wrong doing and forgive those who have hurt you. Then ….. instead of turning to things that temporarily numb the pain ….. He will give you a new way of thinking. Instead of the cycle you’ve been accustomed to ….. you will find yourself on a new pathway to freedom. It all starts with a decision to say ‘No’ to the devil ….. and ‘Yes’ to God!

Sue’s Views

Much of life is preparation for what is to come. Just like these rose gardens ….. we can feel like we’ve been stripped of all we’d achieved. It may seem like we are back to square one. But the pruning and removal of excess branches is getting us ready for a beautiful season to come. It actually strengthens what remains and makes us more hardy and resilient for the future!

Sue’s Views

The world has changed considerably in the last two years ….. and we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory. Not only threats of disease ….. but also cyber attacks ….. terrorist attacks ….. racist attacks to name a few. Government’s attempts to legislate only serve to control and take away our freedom to choose. That’s because we are dealing with problems in the heart ….. and heart issues cannot be changed through legislation. Laws can control outward behaviour to a certain extent ….. but they cannot deal with things like pride ….. greed ….. lust ….. hate etc. These can only be dealt with as we acknowledge them to be wrong ….. confess them ….. and put our trust in Jesus Christ ….. who paid the ultimate price for our redemption. There is no other way!

Sue’s Views

How are your relationships? We were not meant to be alone. Unless you live on a dessert island ….. your life touches others in some way. Some relationships are easy going ….. while others take a lot of work! We can’t always choose who we relate to ….. but we can choose to set boundaries. A toxic relationship is one that disrespects your boundaries. However ….. every relationship requires some give and take ….. and some ‘weeding’ at times. We often don’t appreciate people until they are no longer with us. So take some time to let them know you love them!