Yes, That's Life - But It's Never All It Seems

Michael Buble sings about it; someone made a board-game about it; and let's not forget the COUNTLESS movies, documentaries, games, etc, etc about it.  Yep, life can be a very prosperous money-maker for a lot of people. But not everyone.

There's an adage that says "kids should come with a handbook". Oh, if only!!!  What a money-spinner that would be!!!  But who thinks that life needs one, too?  Me!!

For some people, their handbook is the Bible; indeed, the Word of God is absolutely chocka with guidelines for so many different aspects of living.  For others, they might turn to self-styled gurus who have the multi-million-dollar lifestyles paid for by their TV shows and hundreds of books. And others yet might seek advice from friends and/or family.

If you have seen my previous "life" post, you would have noticed it provided a glimpse into the chicky behind the Goof.  And, as with everyone else, there is a back story to that person.

The cute photos hid an extremely dysfunctional family life, the shadow of which continued right through to adulthood.  They don't show the reality of a deeply shy little girl, and young woman, who struggled to make friends and have rgular peer relationships; a girl who was such a sook that if anyone looked at her the wrong way, she'd go crying to her older sister.  Nor do they depict the child who was a Daddy's girl, until someone told him he was too soft with her, so he went to the opposite extreme.  The comments about my love of food are quite correct.  Comfort eating was my friend, my way of dealing with the loneliness, bullying, and fighting at home, as well as subsequent issues in adulthood, including depression.  As to be expected, the weight went on, and wasn't letting go without a fight.  It's something I still struggle with, but now I'm comin' out swingin' at it!!

Don't get me wrong, my formative years weren't all doom and gloom.  It just seemed that way.  Materially, we had everything we needed, and a lot of what we wanted.  I'm the first to admit that I was a spoilt brat when I was a kid, and still was spoilt - although not as much - right up to when my mother passed on 5 years ago.  But the emotionally nurturing that we really needed wasn't there; it was a home of anger, control and fear, not love.

Which led me to vow that when I became a mother, I would make sure that my kids would not have the same kind of upbringing.  And I hope I acheived that goal.  We certainly had our struggles as the offspring grew and developed to adulthood.  But certain health issues helped to develop an incredible bond between us that still stand strong to this day.  And I am extremely pleased with that. Life as a single parent meant that I couldn't provide everything we wanted, but that was a good thing, because we learnt

• (a) to make do with what we had, and don't be too proud to accept a helping hand; and 
• (b) that material possessions don't matter as much as we think.

Gosh, that all seems really depressing, doesn't it?  And that's only some of it.  But I promise it's not all gloomy-gus fodder.  In fact, there have been a whole lot of positive stemming from what was seemingly a life-time of negatives.




For example, my faith.

The Bible classes I went to in primary school was the fertile ground that the mustard seed was planted in.  A brief sojourn into the New Age spiritual arena as an adult helped me realise that wasn't for me.  Ironically, it was becoming a single mum that helped me get my foot in the door of the Salvation Army - and I was on my way.

Now, some 20+ years down the track, I'm a baptised, bible-studying, psalm-singin' Christian, who owes a whole lot to my Heavenly Father for not giving up on a sinner like me.  HALLELUJAH!!!

And then there's friendship.

When I was younger, all I wanted was to be popular, and have a lot of friends.  Now I know it's not that important.  I can count the number of really good friends I have on ten fingers or less: some from high school,  some from churches, some from that great university of life - including My Wonderful WookieeMan.  Oh, there are quite a few aquaintences, but only a few that I know I can turn to in the not-quite-so-rosy times.

So BlondeFT, BodyGuard, Baroness, FarmGirlScout, Crafty, WookieeMan - I thank you all for your friendship and support, and your help along the way over the years to becoming the Goof I am today. Love you all in my own way.



 

Let's see, what else is there...?  Oh yeah - the lessons

No matter where we come from, no-one is immune to problems or struggles.  There isn't one person in this great big ol' world of ours that hasn't been touched by something:- whether it be health or financial issues, dysfunction in family or relationship, unemployment, homelessness; everyone from presidents and royalty, celebrities and politicians, millionaires and professionals, right on down to the person at the food bank or soup kitchen. 

I had a timely reminder of this the other day, in the supermarket.  There was a family of three adults and 2 young children.  One of the adults was keeping the kids entertained in the trolley, the problem was that their squeals of glee were just that - squeals, bordering on screams and shrieks.  It seemed that no matter where I was in the supermarket, they weren't that far away, and it was really starting to get to me a bit.

Halfway through my shopping, I noticed that there was something different about this group:  two of the adults were using sign language.  I found that that the whole family - including the kids - had some level of deafness.  But if I hadn't stopped to ask them about the signing (and communicate with them in my very ultrabasic NZSL), I never would have known.  It made a big difference, and the two littlies gave me such beaming smiles and waves when they saw me again at the checkouts.

Everyone has a story - but unless we take a chance to find out, we just don't know what it is.  And so we go on in our own judgemental way.

~//~

Well, it's nearly that time of year again.  Only a few more sleeps till December 25.  The Silly Season; commemoration of Jesus' birth; a time to eat, drink and/or be merry; be with family and friends.  Whatever you do this holiday season, whether you celebrate Christmas or Hannukah, or just let the day go by with no special acknowledgment, I wish you all a very safe and happy festive season, and a very prosperous 2015.  God bless you all.

 

Mere Kirihimete!!                    

Merry Christmas!

Y'all come back now, y'hear?!

That C-Word (Not the One You Think!!!)

You meet someone in the street.  Maybe it's a friend from days gone by.  Over a coffee and danish in a nearby cafe, you start a long catch-up session. 

"So what are you doing with yourself these days?" your friend enquires.  "Well, among other things, I'm a Christian," you reply.

And there it is.  The C-word.  One that can change the atmosphere quicker than you can blink.  A word that can evoke one of several possible responses:  either, "hey, that's really awesome!! Me too!!  Where and when?"; or perhaps, "oh okay.  I'm not, so just keep it to yourself, than-you-very-much-ta."  Or maybe even, "gosh, look at the time!!  Must dash, I'm late for my lobotomy! (ahem!) Lovely (ahem!) to see you again." 

"Another bible basher - here we go again!!"  Please just hear me out, okay? It may seem that way, but that's not what this is about.  

What is it about that particular word that can create such strong reactions like that?  What does it mean?  The Oxford dictionary defines it as "Relating to or professing Christianity or its teachings."  Well, that explains everything - not!  I can't speak for everyone who professes to follow Jesus, but I can give you my personal take on it.

You see, I believe that over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ died on the cross at Calvary.  He did this to pay the price for sinners like us, so that when we pass on from this world, we will live with Him for eternity in Heaven with other believers.  It means that from when I was baptised, I went into the water a sinner, and came out in a new life.  It means that my old way of life is gone, I now try and live according to the laws of God (Ten Commandments), and am guided by the Word of God (the Bible).

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, huh?  Not in this lifetime, it ain't!!

Now, IN PLAIN ENGLISH...  

If anyone tries to tell you that once you become a Christian, life will be a breeze, you'll have everything you want, yada-yada-yada... smile politely and walk in the opposite direction.  Because it isn't.  But it is... better.  I feel a lot more laid back and mellow than I used to be.  Sure, there are still the challenges - such as illnesses, challenges (oh yes!!), financial struggles, employment issues... you name it, they are still there.  But now we have a whole new guide to help us deal with them.  Personally, I found Jesus' Sermon On The Mount fantastic, and so enlightening.  Heaps of neat stuff, like the Beatitudes - you know, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth..." and other pearls like that.  You can read it for yourself in Mathew Chapters 5 to 7. See, even though He is the Son of God, Jesus knew what life was like.  That's why he lived among men for 33 years. 

There's a lot of people who say, "look, I'm sweet! I'm a good person, I help old ladies cross the street and give to charity.  God'll let ME into Heaven, that's for sure!  I don't need anything else!"
I wish it were that easy;  I've known about the Lord since I was a child, but didn't realise it takes more than that, and that I actually needed Him until well into adulthood.

Let me put it another way.  Every situation has pros and cons, yeah?  OK, let's look at those.  Hmmm, where to start...?  I'm a firm believer in "leave the best for last", so let's start with the "cons":

1.  Barriers go up with a lot of people, who for some reason, have embraced atheism in a huge way.  They're the ones running late for the lobotomy.
2.  Sometimes, you do tend to stand out from the crowd - when you don't feel comfortable with what your mates/colleagues are doing/saying, it can seem like there's a bright fluro-coloured neon arrow aimed right at you. 

Now for the "pros":

1. To quote Aladdin and Jasmine,  "It's a whole new wooorrrllld". If you're like me, and come from a really dysfunctional background, to know that you are finally you are loved for who you are - warts and all.   And not just by the Lord - a sign of the true family of God is unconditional love to the best of their ability (bearing in mind that we ARE human, and we're NOT perfect).
2. You get to claim all the awesome promises of God.  And there are so many scattered all through His Word.
3. You just don't feel right doing the old stuff (meaning drugs, promiscuity, !@#$%^ language, porn, any old prejudices, etc) anymore - it's called "dying to self". 
4. There are some ROCKIN' Christian music artists!!  If you get the chance, check out Casting Crowns, DC Talk, Michael W Smith, Morgan Cryer... heeeaaappps more. So many of the old hymns are awesome, too.  And movies:  Flywheel, Facing The Giants, Courageous, Fireproof - all movies about real-life situations that can happen, and the difference that faith can make.
5. You have access to some of the best teachings ever - including some that may challenge your way of thinking, and make you look outside the square.

So is it worth it?  You betcha!! Like I said before, it's not all a walk in the park.  I've had people say to me, "I know you won't want to do that, cos you're religious".  If I was "religious", I'd be following every little so-called ritual e.g. "You must jump up and down 6 times and turn clockwise 3 times around the building before you can take Communion". Nuh-uh.  If someone tells you you HAVE to do stuff like that, ask them to back up with Scripture.  From the Bible - Old and/or New Testament, not some book that some so-called prophet wrote to add to it.  The only Sacraments that are God-ordained (i.e. - what Jesus did) are baptism and communion.  And the signs of a godly church are biblical teachings, church discipline, and they follow the Sacrements.  Anything else is man-made.  Someone says you can be rich?  Ask them to prove it with Scripture, and then remind them what Jesus said in Matthew 19:16-30.  I'm not a big fan of healing crusades, either, to be honest; everything happens according to God's will, and I'd rather see what He has in mind, than have someone try and work against Him.

OK, I'll get off my soap-box - for now.  There is so much more I could say, but I kinda like knowing that you folks out there in Blogspot land take the time to read my little warbles.  So I'll finish off with a quote from a wonderful old hymn written by a lady named Fanny Crosby (1823-1915):

To God be the glory, great things he hath done!

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son

Y'all come back now, y'hear?!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—

and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV