Friends, family, readers near and far, thank you once again for your ongoing love and support. Sometimes when I write I feel like maybe Im the only reader :). I was absolutely staggered to find that there are readers in Indonesia, Canada, Malaysia, Denmark, Germany, Slovenia, Brazil, Spain, UK, United States, as well as our good old Australia. I consider it a complete honour that you would take the time to share my journey, and my biggest hearts desire is that it somehow helps you on your own journey through life. Thank you xxoo
Happy Easter!!! It was so long wasnt it??!! So many days off in a row! We went to a camp site, wow, so much respect goes out to parents who can manage taking kids along to such events...haha I am still recovering. :) I hope it was a lovely break for you all.
With so much commercialism being thrown in our faces all the time, it really is an easy task to buy the easter eggs, pack the camping gear and play tennis. Forgetting and disregarding the immense sacrifice that was made purely to set us free. Sometimes I convince myself that there must be a catch. Why on earth would the creator of the universe, the creator of love and life, give His own just because I'm a stuff up? Why should He take the fall for the things I screw up? The beautiful thing is there is souly one motive behind it all...LOVE. There is no catch, no fine print, no alterior motive. Just plain, undiluted, uninhibited, unconditional love.
There is a reason why this sacrifice and love is so hard to accept, because there is nothing on the face of this earth that is this pure. We can try our hardest, but we arent perfect and as much as I genuinly love the people in my life, my love is marred and blurred with jealousy, anger, sefishness, pride. I want to love diligently and with pure motives, but the truth is, I cant.No matter how much we love people, our spouses, siblings, children, we will fall short, we do hurt the people around us. There is nothing in this world that comes free or without a "repayment" strategy..." I'll help you if you help me" syndrome. It is fed to us in every arena. The television, radio, shopping centres,magazine. We are taught to fend for ourselves, protect our rights.
Jesus was and is the opposite, He lived out the opposite, He offers the opposite.
He offers something that is foreign to the world, it makes no sense. It seems too good to really have truth to it. It is overlooked, under appreciated and sometimes even mocked. The truth of Jesus Christ, His sacrifice and even more incredible, His beefcake, unreal, massive return to life and truimph, is free, and it all happened just because of YOU. I heard it a million times when I was little, but just incase this is the first time you ever have...He would have hung on that cross, taken the pain of the world on His shoulders and endured that pain, and conquered the enemy, if you were the only person on the planet. He did it just for you. You matter. You were created and hand made like a priceless, unique, one of a kind piece of art. You were designed with precision. Thats why when the saying floats around that : He knows the number of hairs on your head, and He has your next breath in His hands, it is the deepest truth you will ever hear. And there is nothing you can do to change it, nothing you have done can erase it. You are loved whether you want it or not or need it or not. You are here because you are wanted. And not just wanted, but wanted and cherished by the very God that brought life to you. Nothing can take that from you. No sickness, no disease, no mental illness, no loss, no gain. It is yours to hold strong to and take heart from. Once you grab this truth with both hands, it will simply and powerfully set you free. It wont necessarily change your circumstance, but it will change you, through the circumstance.
There is nothing that can happen today, that you and God, together, cannot conquer. Do not fear life, its trials, its successes, there is a power and love available to you right here right now, that nothing in this world can take away from you. That is easter! Waaaaaay better than chocolate :)
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus offers something with no strings attatched, no alterior motive, no catch. He simply wants to love you the way you were created to be loved. He wants to show you a way, a course through this life that will lead you through pain and into hope. He isnt trying to sell you something, He doesnt need anything from you, His desire it to love you, and in turn, see that love shared and multiplied to others through you. You are loved, just because you are you, nothing in this world can rob you of that. Stand strong in this simple truth that gets made so complicated, rebuke those thoughts that convince you that you arent worthy,arent good enough, they are lies and have no place in your heart and mind.
Jesus, please make this truth to our hearts, for every single reader, may your love and grace burn through the lies and sit right in the centre of our souls. May this truth of hope and love never burn out, but grow into a massive fire that cannot be put out. xxoo
I would like to dedicate todays blog to my beautiful friend Maria. She lived this love. She grabbed it, shared it with her family, friends and children, and changed the world around her. She got to meet Jesus a little earlier than the rest of us this week, but lets take heart, our futures are together forever. How amazing!!!! Love you princess xxoo
Happy Easter!!! It was so long wasnt it??!! So many days off in a row! We went to a camp site, wow, so much respect goes out to parents who can manage taking kids along to such events...haha I am still recovering. :) I hope it was a lovely break for you all.
With so much commercialism being thrown in our faces all the time, it really is an easy task to buy the easter eggs, pack the camping gear and play tennis. Forgetting and disregarding the immense sacrifice that was made purely to set us free. Sometimes I convince myself that there must be a catch. Why on earth would the creator of the universe, the creator of love and life, give His own just because I'm a stuff up? Why should He take the fall for the things I screw up? The beautiful thing is there is souly one motive behind it all...LOVE. There is no catch, no fine print, no alterior motive. Just plain, undiluted, uninhibited, unconditional love.
There is a reason why this sacrifice and love is so hard to accept, because there is nothing on the face of this earth that is this pure. We can try our hardest, but we arent perfect and as much as I genuinly love the people in my life, my love is marred and blurred with jealousy, anger, sefishness, pride. I want to love diligently and with pure motives, but the truth is, I cant.No matter how much we love people, our spouses, siblings, children, we will fall short, we do hurt the people around us. There is nothing in this world that comes free or without a "repayment" strategy..." I'll help you if you help me" syndrome. It is fed to us in every arena. The television, radio, shopping centres,magazine. We are taught to fend for ourselves, protect our rights.
Jesus was and is the opposite, He lived out the opposite, He offers the opposite.
He offers something that is foreign to the world, it makes no sense. It seems too good to really have truth to it. It is overlooked, under appreciated and sometimes even mocked. The truth of Jesus Christ, His sacrifice and even more incredible, His beefcake, unreal, massive return to life and truimph, is free, and it all happened just because of YOU. I heard it a million times when I was little, but just incase this is the first time you ever have...He would have hung on that cross, taken the pain of the world on His shoulders and endured that pain, and conquered the enemy, if you were the only person on the planet. He did it just for you. You matter. You were created and hand made like a priceless, unique, one of a kind piece of art. You were designed with precision. Thats why when the saying floats around that : He knows the number of hairs on your head, and He has your next breath in His hands, it is the deepest truth you will ever hear. And there is nothing you can do to change it, nothing you have done can erase it. You are loved whether you want it or not or need it or not. You are here because you are wanted. And not just wanted, but wanted and cherished by the very God that brought life to you. Nothing can take that from you. No sickness, no disease, no mental illness, no loss, no gain. It is yours to hold strong to and take heart from. Once you grab this truth with both hands, it will simply and powerfully set you free. It wont necessarily change your circumstance, but it will change you, through the circumstance.
There is nothing that can happen today, that you and God, together, cannot conquer. Do not fear life, its trials, its successes, there is a power and love available to you right here right now, that nothing in this world can take away from you. That is easter! Waaaaaay better than chocolate :)
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus offers something with no strings attatched, no alterior motive, no catch. He simply wants to love you the way you were created to be loved. He wants to show you a way, a course through this life that will lead you through pain and into hope. He isnt trying to sell you something, He doesnt need anything from you, His desire it to love you, and in turn, see that love shared and multiplied to others through you. You are loved, just because you are you, nothing in this world can rob you of that. Stand strong in this simple truth that gets made so complicated, rebuke those thoughts that convince you that you arent worthy,arent good enough, they are lies and have no place in your heart and mind.
Jesus, please make this truth to our hearts, for every single reader, may your love and grace burn through the lies and sit right in the centre of our souls. May this truth of hope and love never burn out, but grow into a massive fire that cannot be put out. xxoo
Lisa... although we are from differing denominations (im mormon) I whole-heartedly agree with everything you have written! I commend you for your bravery and fearlessness, in a world that tells us that it is foolish to believe in the unseen. I wish I had of known you all those years I went to school with your hubby! your a gem. xxx
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