Month: November 2021

Sue’s Views

This is Maverick getting himself dressed this morning! He is no longer the baby of the family ….. and wants to be independent. Of course ….. it can be frustrating for those watching ….. especially when you are in a hurry. It requires patience ….. understanding ….. and focussing on the progress rather than on the way the job is done. A good lesson for us all in life! We are not all at the same level of maturity ….. or excellence ….. but we are all learning. Sometimes we learn from our mistakes ….. sometimes it’s one step forward and two steps back ….. but we are all growing in the process. Thanks, Mav, for the lesson!

Sue’s Views

Yes! We’ve had a new addition to the family! This past week has been a roller coaster. Baby Asaph gave us a few anxious moments ….. but without the challenges we would never appreciate the joy that awaits us!

I hope this scripture gives you hope wherever you are and in whatever circumstances you may be going through.

“These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Sue’s Views

It has been a very busy week and I’ve missed a couple of posts! But today in the US is Thanksgiving Day ….. and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to give thanks to God for His goodness and faithfulness! The Bible says to give thanks in every situation! That means in the good and the bad ….. the easy and the challenging ….. even when things don’t go the way we had hoped. Because behind it all is a God who cares ….. provides ….. protects ….. and gives every day no matter how much we let Him down! Thanksgiving opens the way for us to an even more blessings! Take  some time today to thank Him for all He has done for you this year!

Sue’s Views

Are you struggling with ‘empty nest’ syndrome? It can be quite traumatic for some parents. We put so much time and effort into raising our children ….. and it can seem like ….. in the blink of an eye ….. they are off! Just like the mother bird built this nest in our garden ….. hatched her eggs ….. flitted around to find food for the hungry little critters ….. kept bigger birds away from them ….. and then they were gone. But we must raise them to become independent and capable citizens. Our children are God’s gifts to us but they will always be His. If we let them go ….. they will always want to come back!

Sue’s Views

There’s one in every family! That one child that always pushes the boundary! You provide a safe and healthy environment for them ….. but they have to find out what’s on the other side of the fence! They often have to find out for themselves. Like the Prodigal Son ….. his father had to let him go knowing full well he would be in for a difficult journey. But he never stopped praying that one day his son would return. In fact he expected it to happen and watched out for his sons return. So if you have a prodigal son or daughter ….. don’t despair! Praying God’s covering over them is the best way to keep them safe ….. and He knows exactly how and when to bring them home! After lessons are learned ….. you will have a new child!

Sue’s Views

This year has probably been one of the toughest so far for me. There have been physical problems ….. burdens I’ve carried for family and friends ….. and of course the many concerns Covid has brought to our world. It has been stressful to say the least. I couldn’t have come through without my faith in God ….. and His Word ….. the Bible! The mental and emotional turmoil has driven me more and more to search the scriptures and to hear what God has to say about the situation. I’ve found ….. in those pages ….. ordinary people like me who have been faced with the same challenges and more. I so often see myself and realise I need to change. It rebukes me ….. encourages me ….. and shows me the way forward. At the centre of it all is a God who is constantly saying ‘Return to me!’ Every problem known to man began when we turned our backs on God. Many are waiting for things to get ‘better’. Well they are not going to. Yes! We might be allowed to enjoy summer but then what? He is our only hope! His is the only voice we can trust. Turn off the media ….. and tune in to the God channel. He is your only source of truth!

Sue’s Views

Many are worried about sending their children back to school ….. or passing Covid onto elderly family members. Here’s a reminder of God’s promise through the song ‘The Blessing’.

‘May His favor be upon you

And a thousand generations

And your family and your children

And their children, and their children

May His presence go before you

And behind you, and beside you

All around you, and within you

He is with you, He is with you

In the morning, in the evening

In your coming, and your going

In your weeping, and rejoicing

He is for you, He is for you’

Sue’s Views

In these times of restrictions and ‘new normals’ ….. we can find ourselves slowly adapting and changing our expectations to fit the environment. But don’t lose sight of your dreams! Especially if they are God given dreams. God’s plans for you have not changed. The route might be a bit different ….. but the destination is still the same. The devil’s plan is always to confine ….. control ….. and manipulate. God’s is to release ….. empower and grow!

Sue’s Views

No matter where you are today ….. no matter how you feel ….. know this ….. God loves you! You can’t do anything to earn His love ….. or to make Him love you more. And nothing you do can make Him love you less! But He’s a Dad ….. the best Dad there is. And so He wants the best for you. That means He will give you boundaries ….. and discipline you when you overstep them. If you get lost ….. He will go to great lengths to bring you home. But He will never force you against your will. At the end of the day you have a choice whether to stay under His protection and covering ….. or to go your own way without Him.

Sue’s Views

Life is full of opportunities to learn and to teach. In everything we go through ….. we should ask ‘What can I learn from this?’ Pride and insecurity can hinder us from turning something negative into a positive. We can only pass on to others what we understand ourselves. We can then become better teachers! We learn far more from someone who knows what they are talking about than someone who just reads it from a book. Experience comes from making mistakes ….. and learning from them!