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Being offended doesnt make you right
I’ve developed ninja-skills when it comes to holding a grudge. I mean, come on lady friends, we’re pretty good at keeping an offence, right? And the thing is this, it’s easy to be offended or angry at another persons actions. I think that the hard part is showing kindness and tolerance even when you feel the other person does not deserve it. And offence is a big pile of stinky poop anyways. There is nothing good about it. I mean, life is so short and precious and filled with way more important things than to mull around about the actions of OTHER people and how wrong I think they are! Being offended doesn’t make you right, darling. It makes you irrational.
Human beings are extremely good at this! I know of sisters who have not spoken to each other for years, all because of a little offence. “Being offended” has broken up families and relationships – much more wreckage that it is actually worth! I, myself, have been in countless situations where I sat with huge hurts on my heart and instead of sorting it out properly, I walked around with a major chip on my shoulder. Holding on to resentment is a burden… there is no freedom in it.
The funny thing (it’s funny because it’s not really funny) is that offence is TAKEN and not given – so you have the power to choose whether you want to live in this anger/hurt/hatred or not. And, you know what Margaret, ultimately you are not in control of the other persons actions. Your anger or offence will not lessen the value of their opinions or even their lives. Like, you will find no joy in it.
I think that being the self proclaimed queen of efficiency has made me look at an offence with the question: But what’s the point?! It’s not adding to my day. It’s not adding value to my life. It’s slowing me down. It’s throwing a spanner into my system. It’s stunting my growth and affecting how I make my decisions. No thank you please.
Yes, I agree, there are times when someone has wronged you and it is what it is. But YOU have the decision to forgive. Make the decision to move on and to grow. Every opportunity to forgive is a life lesson learnt, yo.
And so, my friends, even though being offended has become the new social norm (yeah, you know what I mean, we are so opinionated now a days!) I dare you to stand out. Choose freedom and forgiveness over the burden of resentment and offence. I mean, unless you enjoy feeling like a big pile of stinky poop. Which is slightly weird. Life without the poop is way better, trust me.
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Choosing life for my family
Life is challenging, yo. Let’s keep it real, shall we? It’s easy to paint a perfect picture of your amazing marriage, well behaved children and super rewarding career.
But what goes down when no one is looking? The reality is that even the most amazing husband can be slightly annoying at times (and slightly more than slightly, at other times). The well behaved children are not always well behaved and the rewarding career not always the life of a rock star that you had dreamed about.
After an especially challenging week of coming home to dishes and annoying husbands and misbehaving children, you just feel like throwing in the towel and saying all the negative words you can think of! But I’ve learnt that choosing life for my family is a daily decision.
What does “choosing life for my family” even mean?
Well, I saw this message this morning and it totally says everything that I can’t: Women can make or break the attitudes of our homes. Let’s build our houses with the knowledge of God that changes our behavior, the wisdom to communicate this knowledge to others, and the understanding to live out our faith. Because “charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30.
The amazing thing about God is that He has given us freedom of choice. We have the power to choose what we allow into our lives and into our thoughts. We choose how we react to situations.
We choose what we release into the atmosphere.
And sometimes we need to guard our hearts and our mouths – especially at home yo, when we’re not wearing the masks we put on to face the outside world. Home is where we’re most comfortable and often the most unaware of how we’re affecting the atmosphere.
I was just thinking that with the heinous amount of crime (even the small stuff) that takes place on a daily basis, it is so easy to become a statistic. It’s something we do our best to guard our family against. We put up security fencing and gates. We install alarms. We take out insurance policies. We take ACTION to guard our families against the “enemy” outside. But what about the “enemy” that we allow inside?
How often do we guard our family against negative words? What I’m saying in front of my kids? What do I allow them to confess over their own lives? What are my children seeing me do? What are they seeing me NOT do? How do I handle conflict, in my home?
As the mother of my household, I try to stay aware of my attitude and decisions knowing that it directly affects my kids and husband. I mean, I’m no super hero, but choosing life for my family means that I want to TRY to be the best I can be for them.
Today, I am challenged to choose to speak life over my household. I am challenged to not entertain anything that would hinder their growth. How about you? Will you choose to be a light, wherever you are? I dare you.
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Pushing out into deep water
I must admit, I have been terrible at blogging recently… but that’s mainly because of server/internet problems.
Life has been so melancholy recently. I don’t know… there is something about human beings and not getting your way that kinda doesn’t gel 🙂
On Monday at Family Group, they prayed over me and God spoke to me.
He basically said, HELOOOOOO!! I am still God!!!!! Just wait on me!!!!!My friend, Aneesa, gave me Luke 5:1-7 (see below) which speaks about the time when Jesus told the disciples to put their nets into deep waters. They were a bit sceptic since they had been attempting to catch fish (to no avail) whole day. But they did as he instructed and soon drew their nets up and it was full of fish!
I think that God is saying: Even though it looks impossible and depressing and negative and melancholy 🙂 in reality, when I am in the boat with you, your nets are never really empty!
So today, I dare you to ignore what REALITY says, and stand on what God says.
Put aside what the doctor and the bank and circumstance and LOGIC is telling you and put your trust in the Word of God.I dare you to push out into the deep and still waters of who He is… right into the midst where the impossible can happen! That’s where He does His BEST work!
I dare you!!!!!!
Luke 5
5 1-3 Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.4 When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”5-7 Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.8-10 Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, coworkers with Simon.10-11 Jesus said to Simon, “There is nothing to fear. From now on you’ll be fishing for men and women.” They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him.
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Gods rainbow
This morning I was reminded of the beautiful promise that God left us with a rainbow. Last year, my cousin and his wife (JustEllaBella) heartbreakingly said good bye to their first born, Logan Allan. Logan went to be with Jesus a day after he was born and his mommy and daddy were devastated. I know that Robin and Elle will love and miss him every single day of their lives. He has touched so many lives just by his amazing fighter spirit and moving (however short) life story.
With that said, I am soooo pleased to announce that Logans brother, Aidan Jesse, was born early this morning! Aidan, weighing a whopping 3.4kgs, is Robin and Elles “rainbow baby” and I know that Elle was a bit concerned when she first found out she was pregnant a few months after saying goodbye to Logan, but he is healthy and beautiful! Praise God! God has been so faithful to this amazing couple. Elles motto has been “No fear, just faith” Wow! And just watching the journey she has been on, has been a blessing to so many who follow her blog. You can read all about it here.
A “rainbow baby” is a very special blessing after the loss or miscarraige of a child. In the Bible, God used a rainbow to symbolize to Noah that the rain/storm is finally over. God promised Noah that He would never ever cause such destruction/floods again. A rainbow is a symbol of hope but is also a covenant (bond, pledge) that God has made with man.
“I promise you, the storm is over!”, God says! Aidan Jesse is a blessed little boy and God is going to use him to change the world!
Genesis 9: 12-17
12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” 17 Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”xxxL -
Still Standing
Whew… I cant believe I made it through my birthday in one piece. I’m still standing! It was an eventful day… not necessarily all good though. I don’t know what is going on in the spiritual realm, but in the natural, things are just going W.R.O.N.G.
But Chris and I have chosen to STAND … and not let these crappy situations get us down. Clearly we are doing something right, if we are getting attacked by the enemy this much. Like, for reals!
1stly lets not even get into the fact that we are paying off a huge wedding! Then my car refuses to work… its like one thing after the other, THEN Chris’s car starts giving problems. A week later, my laptop breaks while I am busy completing 2 major assignments and then to top it off, yesterday, on my 30th birthday, I get home from work to find that they’ve broken into my house. They stole some of my clothes, my sons games and electronics etc. I didn’t check what else is gone yet… hopefully nothing! We couldn’t sleep at home last night because its not safe… the window that was pried open is not safe at the moment, so my landlord has to fix it today.
But you know what… hahahhaha I am laughing all the way to the metaphorical bank. Because none of this… NOTHING… can separate us from the destiny that God has preplanned. Nothing can cancel the promises He has made us.
All things work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose!
That’s what it says in Romans and that’s what is inscribed on our hearts!If you feel like you’re going through adversities or hardship today, put your trust in Jesus. Yeah yeah yeah how cliche of me. But I really want you to realize how awesome God is… We are His! We belong to Him! And He wants nothing but the best for us. So choose to believe that! And choose to stand on who HE is, and not what your situation is telling you!
No sorrow is greater than Gods reward! He is ALWAYS good to us!
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God in every season
I often take comfort in the fact that God is God. Always the same, always powerful, always there, even when I change. Sometimes, when I’m having one of my “Luchae Moments” (they happen often 🙂 I remind myself that MY God is the God of Abraham. MY God is the God of David. MY God is the Father that Jesus prayed to. He goes way back like that. And He has never ever changed or redirected His love from me.
Hmmm where am I going to with this? Okay… So for our Arise Womens Conference this year, our theme song is called “Desert Song” by Brooke Fraser and the hook of the song goes:
All of my life, in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worshipThose words hold so much truth! And I guess this is what I’m meant to blog about today. Because we go through SO many season in our lives. A season of pruning, preparation, growth, harvest and more. Whatever you’re going through right now is only for a season and instead of fighting it, you could be going: “Sup God? What would You like me to do right now?” Having a fantastic prayer life could only really help you understand and accept what it is you’re supposed to be doing or learning in the season that you are currently in.
I remember a time when I was cut off from ALL my old friends and felt really sorry for myself, until I realized that it was a season and I needed to learn something out of it. Now I have many friends who are so close to me that I call them FAMILY. It’s crazy. But so awesome.
What season are you in? Are you in a season of harvest where you have it all and more keeps coming? Maybe you’re supposed to be sowing into someone else’s life. Are you in a season of pruning and it feels as if you’re losing everything and it hurts like crazy? Maybe God is removing certain things from your life so that you can grow tall. Are you in a season of productivity? Maybe you should revaluate what your fruits are.
God uses it all for His glory and for your benefit. That’s how He rolls. And through it all… through every up and down… God is still God. There is good in the season you are in right now even if you don’t see it or understand it and for that, you have a reason to praise His name. He is faithful every single time! This is truth.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
‘For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.’ -
How to be sad without being sad 101
Hi guys, okay I can finally blog … its a bit weirdish tho, coz its not allowing me to make paragraphs proply. So now it looks like Im rattling off. Which I maybe am. But thats not the point here 🙂 Herewith, please find my “Monday Update on a Tuesday” attached…
Okay, let me begin at the beginning. This has been a very emotional week for me. Early last week, I found out that my cousin and his wife (who happens to be a good friend of mine) lost their baby, Logan Allan, after being in mommys oven for only 6 months. He was born prematurely, and his tiny little body was just not strong enough. I had also then learnt some very … uhm… unexpected news from another family member. AND my grandmother, who has been sickly, has taken a turn for the worst.
On Tuesday, I sat at my desk and cried secretly. (Coz, hello, people cant see me, Luchae Gie, crying. I dont roll like that.) I really felt overwhelmed by all the sadness and was so ready for Jesus to come and take me to heaven. Id rather be there, than on this earth filled with sadness, loss and hurt. I tried to remind myself about my Daddy Gods love and His plan for the future. But it was hard.
Anyways, Wednesday was Jesus Culture day! Our church was the host venue for this famous christian band, and I was very excited! I left work a few hours early to stand in the line… very expectant that God was going to move. I just needed SOMETHING… anything. I needed to hear from Him and for Him to tell me that everything’s going to be okay.
Jesus Culture was amazing! Anointed speakers and such an anointed worship team. So while we were in worship I had an encounter with God that made me go WOOWWWWWWW… God showed me His love for all of us… it was so thick and warm and full and it was immovable and steady and unconditional. It made me feel warm and like I was covered by a thick blanket, but not in an uncomfortable way. I just started laughing, coz in that moment, this love… this UNCONDITIONAL love made me feel like I had just won the lotto or something haha and I laughed at how ridiculous it was for God to love me that way, when I don’t deserve it… but He does anyways. I was awestruck.
Scott Thompson, the Pastor of Bethel, Atlanta, prophesied peace and joy over me. And let me tell you, I havent stopped laughing. I have these random outbursts while Im at my desk, or in my car. People probably think Im crazy. And they are right. Anyways, in that moment, God had showed me that He is for us and not against us. And regardless of the decisions we make that may or may not affect our lives in a negative way, He is STILL for us.
He will take that negative decision and turn it into a positive outcome. And He will take that negative situation, and make it work together for our good. Where hope seems lost, He is there, because He is the Father of Hope! Nothing flops when He is in the centre of it! #FACT Its really difficult to be sad, even though you REALLY want to, when you know that everythings going to be okay 🙂 Thanks alot Dad.
Psalm 32:7 “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble.”
