Happy Valentine's Day

We are all desperate to be loved and to love.

We innately search for significance and are created with the powerful need to belong. We seek acceptance from people and groups. We pursue worth in worthless places, taking our self-worth from other people. We establish our own value and worth based on how much our friends like us, how much our boyfriend/girlfriend likes us, how highly our parents regard us. We demand validation from invalid sources, thinking our worth is based on the things we do, the things we own or the amount of money we make.

But all those things are irrelevant. Our worth, our significance, our value comes from God and His love for us. That's all that matters. We can see God’s stubborn love and the absolute sacrifice He made for us when He gave up His son, Jesus Christ. It is only through a personal relationship with Him that we experience authentic love: a love that displaces thoughts of rejection and banishes feelings of abandonment. God loves you for who and what you are. God loves unconditionally, without taking into account anything else, that will never change for any reason.

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" - John 3:16

And if you ever feel that you aren't good enough, aren't wanted by anyone, or that you don't fit in, it is in this priceless gift of God's love that we comprehend the amazing truth - that even if we were never wanted or planned by a human heart and mind, we were always planned and wanted in the heart and mind of God!

The Lord gave me this message: "I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations" - Jeremiah 1:4-5

So on Valentine's Day, remember the one who loves you more than anyone else and how He will never leave you. If you have yet to accept God's love pouring over you, why don't you consider doing so today?

My Thoughts on 'Soul Surfer' the Movie

This post is to share my thoughts on the movie 'Soul Surfer', not my thoughts on the book or a cinematic review of the film, just what I took away from watching it really.

I had already read Bethany Hamilton's book, so I knew what to expect from the film. As a quick summary for those unaware of the story, it's a film (adapted from her autobiography) about the life Bethany Hamilton, a 21 year old pro surfer from Hawaii. When she was 13, Bethany was attacked by a tiger shark whilst she was surfing in Hawaii with her best friend. Bethany made a full recovery but had big decisions to make. Where did this leave her surfing career? Why did this happen to her? How would her life go on with one arm?

What drew me to read her book and watch the film was that Bethany is a Christian. What I was interested in is how a Christian comes to terms with such a devastating life event?

So here's what I took away from watching the film, from a religious perspective:

• I was impressed with how Bethany's Christian life was portrayed and since the Hamilton family checked over the script and were on set during production, I would imagine this portrayal was very true to life. Bethany put God first. When it was time for church on Sunday, she would be in church - not surfing. Something I think defines a Christian. If you can't put God before your favourite sport and instead you work God around your favourite activity, you're not really allowing him to be in the driving seat of your life
• Bethany brought God into every aspect of her life. Her family were seen giving grace before meals and Bethany said she would keep her father in her thoughts and pray for him as he prepared for knee surgery
• Bethany attended youth group at her church, so she was able to study God's Word as well enjoy surfing. She was able to unite the two, rather than make a decision of one or the other
• When she turned down the opportunity for a missions trip in order to receive surfing sponsorship, Bethany felt guilty and sought advice from her mother and youth leader. Showing she didn't really want to put her own interests before God's call
• Bethany did go on a different missions trip with her youth group and found it very rewarding. She also made a big difference in the lives of those she helped
• When the attack happened, Bethany didn't scream or cry, instead she prayed. "Please help me Jesus", her thoughts were immediately to God, but not in anger
• On the way to the hospital, Bethany's mother also prayed. "Please Lord don't take her"
• Whilst waiting for Bethany to wake up, her father sat by her bedside reading the Bible
• The Hamilton family never became angry at God, or blamed him for what happened. Bethany herself thinks the attack strengthened her faith
• When Bethany felt like her life was over, she couldn't adjust to life with one arm and her surfing career was over, her father reminded her that she hadn't lost everything - she was still alive as her and her family had prayed for
• Bethany remembered Philippians 4:13, 'for I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength' during her recovery
• Bethany's youth pastor quoted Jeremiah 29:11, '"for I know the plans I have for you" says the Lord. "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future"
• Bethany did deal with big theological questions however, asking her youth pastor "how can this be God's plan for me?" to which she replied "I don't know why bad things happen. But I have to believe that something good will come from this". It did, as Bethany said if she could change what happened she wouldn't, because now she can reach so many people through her story

Overall I thought this movie was a huge inspiration to Christians. It shows how you can do what you love in life, without having to push your faith to the sidelines or abandon your faith altogether. Bethany is a great testament to how God can bring good out of bad and how even Christians, as written in the Bible, will receive personal struggles, but God is always in control.

Thought of the Day: Keeping Your Focus on God

This is a little bit of a 2-in-1 post. I'm going to write about keeping your focus on God in your day to day life, but also about choosing hobbies and activities that please God. So here goes.

My university's Athletic Union (AU) announced today details on the annual Sports Fair. It reminded me of how much I want to dance regularly. Last year, I wanted to join the dance team in the AU, but one of my lecturers chose not to follow the 'Free Wednesday Afternoons from Classes' policy and I had class during and after dance meets. I saw cheerleading being promoted and thought, 'that seems cool, they add dance with some cheer, I'll do that instead. I can make the training sessions'. So I paid my membership and joined the cheerleading squad.

This is the part where choosing hobbies that please God comes into it. Everyone knows the stereotype of the cheerleader: hot, popular, slutty, fun-loving, you know how it is. I ignored that when I joined. Well, turns out that stereotype was half right in my squad. I spoke to many girls who'd been in the squad for over a year, who loved to tell me about all the nights they got smashed (with the squad), the number of times they woke up naked next to a guy whose name they couldn't remember and warned me that ANYTHING that happened between me and one of the footballers we cheered for, would spread like wild fire between the football team and the squad. That wasn't a great start to the social side.

When I went out on a social with the cheerleaders (it was kinda mandatory after our first dance performance was in a bar) I got quite a shock. Firstly, I was the only one showing no interest in getting hammered. Secondly, it was a mixed social with the football team, who seemed to think (since I was a cheerleader) it wouldn't take much for me to end up going home with them and that I also didn't mind if they tried to touch me. Well I wasn't 'game' for either. I was also one of about 3 cheerleaders who were wearing dressings that did cover out hineys. Even our coach for body conditioning was drunk, stumbling around, falling all over the place, shouting swear words. Great example! That was the first and last cheer social I attended.

People assumed that because I was a cheerleader, I was an easy, retarded, gossipy, slut who enjoyed getting drunk and sleeping around. Well I wasn't, I'm not and I won't be. People wouldn't talk to me as much because I wouldn't go on the socials (for the above reasons). At that point I thought "why am I doing this?" Cheer was very serious business, you had to attend 8 hours training a week (2 gym, 2 dance, 2 cheer and 2 stunt) plus attend games more or less every Sunday. Which involved catching a bus circa 8am, being in the freezing cold for the game for 4 hours (warm up, entertaining the crowd and cheering for the team) and not getting home again until circa 10pm every time.

More effort and more of my time was going into cheerleading than to God and for what? To be considered stupid and promiscuous? To be shunned because I wouldn't do what they did. Even some of my flatmates would ask "if you're a Christian, why are you cheerleading? Is that allowed?"

1 Peter 2:12 - Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Ephesians 5:8 - For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light.

If you can cheer without all this negativity, I guess you could do it, but for me personally I felt like it was seriously interfering with my faith. I didn't have enough time for God and I couldn't stand the reputation I was bringing upon myself, even when I knew and so did my friends that it was wrong. After 3 months in the squad, I quit.

Moving more onto keeping your focus on God, by all means have a hobby, an activity that you enjoy. But don't let it consume you. Some girls on the squad would live and breathe cheerleading. If they weren't at a game all day, in class or in their 8 hours training, they were watching football games, practicing even more in their free time, or going to games. Their lives revolved around it and they had no outside interests or any other hobbies. They're focus and happiness came entirely from cheerleading. Our worth and focus should not be completely invested in a hobby, especially one that isn't viewed as something Godly. (I thought cheer gave me a bad rep, but recently one of my 'Christian' classmates decided she would start poledancing classes. I think that's worse).

Colossians 3:1-3 - Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God

My plan this year is to do pure dance. Now I have Wednesday afternoons off, I could join the dance team in the AU. But I don't think I will. I don't want to be forced into making the team my everything. I need to find a balance. This summer I went to dance classes at home that were fun and I learnt new stuff. But there was no obligation to come every single week, no strict competitions and you could come for 1 hour a week or 4. There was no pressure. It was great because it was everything I wanted from dance, but allowed me to keep my focus where it belongs. I will try to find a place to continue this at university, otherwise I will have to surrender dance. God doesn't want you not to have interests and do activities, but He does request that He comes first and I agree.

Some Wise Words from Charles Spurgeon

I found this today from The Evidence Bible's website and it really summarises nicely some of the struggles I face in my walk with the Lord:

“In what an unhappy condition is that person who cannot derive comfort from the salvation of his own child! Yet there are many men and women in such a state. They care nothing for the souls of their own offspring. It would bring no joy to them if they saw all their children walking in the truth nor does it cause them any concern to see them otherwise. To see them sharp in business, or fair in countenance, is their main ambition; but to have them beloved of the Lord is no matter of desire. Poor souls, their own carnality overflows and saturates their family! To some it would even cause anger and wrath to see their children turning to the Lord; they so despise true religion that, if their sons and daughters were converted, they would rather hate them than love them the more. Such is the alienation which sin works in the human mind, that it will in some instances curdle human affection into enmity, at the sight of the grace of God.” - Charles Spurgeon

God Works in Quaker Meeting

I just wanted to share quickly today one of the ways we can see that God works regularly in Quaker Meetings.

Today in Meeting, a man stood up to give ministry (for those that don't know, ministry is when a person feels moved by God to stand and speak about something. It's what they feel God is telling them to say, not what they just want to stand up and talk about. A lot of people say they don't even know what came out of their mouth during ministry). He read a section from Advices and Queries in 'Quaker Faith and Practice' on simplicity.

It was interesting because this ministry spoke to me. Often ministry will reach at least one person in the room, occasionally everyone will relate directly to the ministry given. It just shows that it is God using the people in the room to say what he wants to say and what needs to be said. What the people gathered there are feeling and thinking is often responded to by God via ministry.

A friend of mine told me a story today of when she was feeling depressed over a long period of time. One day in Meeting, every ministry given was about helping those in need, comforting those suffering with depression. It confirmed to her that God knew how she was feeling and the ministry helped others reach out to her for the support she needed. Amazing!

Today's ministry spoke to me because this week I have been thinking about simplicity. How I live simply in the Quaker way. (I will do a separate post soon on how simplicity is in my life). But I was thinking about it this week because I was shopping for new clothes and trying to decided what was an appropriate amount to spend on an item of clothing and how much I should spend overall.

Is there any difference in spending £100 on 10 items of clothing or spending £100 on 1 item of clothing? This ministry spoke directly to me because it said 'do not be led into buying things you do not need nor things you cannot afford'. It answered some of my questions. If you don't need it, you shouldn't spend a penny on it. If you do need it but you can't afford it, drop it.

It just goes to show that God knows what's going on in your life and he does find ways to communicate! My God is there with me every week in Meeting.