Holidays!

So its been a pretty intense few weeks for me, two different 'Bible weeks' with young people! God's really been challenging me about my day to day attitudes and behaviours, I can honestly say I'm sometimes impatient and intolerant and I don't like that in myself!
I sometimes put the high expectations that I have for myself onto other people, I forget that we are all at different places in our journey, I also forget that if I can't keep to my own expectations then how can I expect others to reach them?
I think at times we can all be a little unrealistic and it's not until we are in super close proximity to people that these things come to the surface!
Isn't it good that God allows us to make mistakes, He knows exactly who we are and what we are like yet He still chooses to journey with us!
Psalm 103:12-17a says;
"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us.
As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it and it is gone. And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting."
My prayer is that God will help me to remember that we are all dust, we are all on a journey and we get it wrong often! Thank God for His mercy and grace, and pray I will be quick to extend grace to others, we are all on this journey together and we don't need the 'friendly fire' that we are often quick to indulge in!
Grace and peace to us all x

Each day's a gift....

So I have to admit a certain penchant for Chris Moyles in the morning...!
Tuned in this morning and the new Nickleback song was playing, now I'm not a die hard fan but I think they are ok. Anyway a line from the song really struck me:
"Each day is a gift, not a given right"
Seems to be a theme with me this week! Dont know if you noticed!!
Psalm 84 v 10 is one of my favorite verses (I have lots!!)
"One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship,
beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches.
I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God
than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin"
I was thinking about the fact that we have a choice each day what our attitude is going to be and this can shape our day. So we can focus on the circumstances, which lets face it can sometimes be pretty crummy! Or we can choose to focus on the God who is in control over all those circumstances!
It really is up to us! We may start out the day struggling and finding things hard but the moment we look up and bring God into the equation things can change, not neccessarily the situation but definetly how we feel within that situation.
So remember, we can spend our day taking it for granted and focussing on the clouds, or look above to the Son who lights it all up!
Where would we rather be today, the choice is ours!

Just today...

So, here it is, my first blog!!! woop woop!
so things have been strange really for me lately and i have come to the conclusion that i need to only think about today...just today.
Now of course, i know that isnt really practical, I'm a youthworker and planning its probably at least 60% of my job, but in terms of me and my worries, and God being in the mix, its just today, im guaranteed no more...so its just today!
kind of takes the pressure off in some ways, and increases it in others, but it is comforting to know that tomorrow is in His hands not mine.
Matthew 6v33 and 34 says (in my own words!) first look for the things of God and His approval and everything else you need for today will follow, don't worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will worry about itself, today has stuff to be working on!
So, big reminder for me and anyone else who wants it, God is in control, i know it sometimes doesnt feel like it, but hey if we based our life on how we feel lets be honest we may not get out of bed some mornings!
Live life today, God is love, we will get through it, Trust, just for Today xx