Category: our humanness

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Where we are born…

I have noticed that when we go through hard times, we often withdraw emotionally and physically. Yet, in our hiding places, God is working. He talks to our hearts. He reasons with our heads. He is training us in the silence until we are ready.

It is then we can emerge as unexpected heroes. We have overcome ourselves. We have dared to move out despite the fears we might carry. And we discovered that with God we can move on – step by step – in his strength.

(Based on the story of Gideon in Judges 6 – where he hides in a winepress and God calls him for there.)

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Bible psychology – How to live

A small sign pointed up, so I stopped and looked. High above, on the church tower, it said: ‘Do not forget to live.’ It hit me hard.

I do it all the time. I get caught up in work, business, in pleasing others – my head down, my life filled with concern. I forget to live. And sadly, I forget HOW to live, because the pressures of life pull me down.

God, however, isn’t ‘the God of the dead, but of the living’ (Mark 12:27). So, today, I stop and pray: ‘Please show me what living looks like and remind me what it feels like.’

Today, I watch the sun and shadows, the sparkling dew. The world rushes by, but I stop.

(sundial of a Warwickshire church tower)

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In search for humanness

In researching the life of a WWII refugee, this is what I conclude. When rulers lose their humility, they act brutally. When authorities lose their humility, they behave harshly. But it also shines the spotlight on me. For, I too can lose my humility. As a person once said, “When we thought we were right, we became monsters.”

But, Jesus steps into my life with his gentle voice, a voice so quiet it is easy to miss. “Learn from me,” he says, “for I am gentle and humble in heart.” (Matthew 11:29) He is the model for my uneducated heart. He teaches me how to become human again.