“You did not choose me, I chose you”

I need to listen to what I preach! From July 25th 2004

If we are chosen by God then what choice do we have?
If we were chosen before we were formed in our mothers womb then what choice do we have?
If we were chosen before the world was created
before time began than what choice do we have?

The only choice we have is how we respond to His call.

God created us –I believe he created us to share with Him his creation. To wonder with Him in the amazing things he has created.

To ponder in awe at the moon and the stars,
to breathe in the flavour of the seasons,
to feel the fresh morning dew beneath our feet,
to feel the invisible warmth of the sun,
to wonder at the majesty of the clouds,
how they can catch the sunlight at sunrise or sunset
and change the blue sky to beautiful gold’s, reds and purples,
to watch in amazement at ants that can move things
that are many times heavier than their own body weight,
to giggle at the hedgehog, or the pangolin as they curl up,
to watch with pride as our children start to take their first steps

I believe that he also created us to weep with him,
to struggle along side him
to try to help when see someone hurt or in pain
to weep when we have lost someone or something
to feel compassion for those near us and for those further away in distress
to survive the storm that surrounds us at times
to carry on breathing when the loneliness of the world wants to steal our breath
to continue to hope even if it’s just a glimmer when the darkness steals our dreams

I believe he created us to share with him.

That is what His call is

Come and share with me

Our choice is how we respond

Lent 2

If faith is about becoming the me God created me to be
If faith is about becoming more Wendy
then Lent is ….

Lent was traditionally a time of preparation for baptism.
A time or preparation for eternal life something so much better than now
So I am beginning to see lent as a process through which I need to go.
A process that at the end of it I am one step further forward,
One step “better” than I am now
One unit of measure of Faith more like the Wendy God created me to be

How am I doing that … not sure
Though there is some reassessing of my roles in life
Some reassessing of my values.
I’d like to say reassessing of my own innate worth as a sacred child of the creator but a quick glance in that general direction is all that I can manage at the moment.

I have given nothing up for lent… I have given up too much in the past year
I have taken nothing very specific up for lent … I have taken too much to heart in the past year.

I am trying (on occasion) to just be before God.
Face down is all I can mange there is no strength in me, anger, arrogance, fear, hatred, loathing but no strength.

There is breath
There is life
And buried deep down there is hope

Hope of being able to be before God more
Of being able to love Him a bit
Of being able to let him love me (just a tinsy winsy bit)
Of being able to see myslef as a sacred child of God most high

Lent

Lent is a time for re-assessing ones spiritual journey, a time to take ourselves into the wilderness and experience total dependancy on God. It's not just about giving things up, though some kind of fasting can be a part of it. Lent is a time to re-ground ourselves in God's phenomonal love and graciousness. A time to remember what is really important.

It's about looking at ourselves in an honest way - not in order to condemn but to grow and change. It's a chance to look at the bits that are not right and do something about them. There is also space to celebrate the good in us.

It is a time of preparation in readiness to experience the death and resurrection in some small way in ourselves. A reminder that in Christ we are dead to sin and alive in Him.

It may not be a comfortable time - Jesus was not comfortable in the desert - so we should expect to be challanged and shaken up a little. But we have the hope of the resurrection to look forward to and the coming of the Son.

Keep kicking the darkness until it bleeds light.