Lord, Unrush Me.

Editor's Note:It's interesting that I'm sharing this devotion written by Lysa Terkeurst. She is an amazing speaker and best selling author. Lysa writes on an issue that I was privileged to hear from another beautiful lady, Francina Norman.  The world is in such a hurry that it misses out on the most important things in life-people and moments. These days people and events are mixed up in a blur with no opportunity to truly appreciate what's happening at any given moment. When last did you stop to enjoy nature just for the pleasure of it and not because you got stranded on the roadside?
No wonder, life is sometimes described as a rat race with people scuttling about. My son loves nature and would most times stop to appreciate colourful flowers but of course I wasn't having none of that-no time to frolic in the grass!

I never had the patience to stop and allow him have his moment until an ordinary situation changed me. Josh and I were returning home from shopping when I saw a lady stand on the grass path while her little girl picked flowers. The woman did not rush the little girl but watched with a smile on her face while her "daughter" enjoyed herself. For the woman, it was about that moment of letting a little girl enjoy herself-nothing else mattered. No rush!! Reminds me of Jesus' encounter with the woman described in Mark 5:25-34. Jesus was on an important journey but was interrupted by a woman who had an issue. Jesus did not push her way but stood and listened to her story"oh boy, did she she have a story!. Vrs 33"then the woman knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at her feet and trembling with fear told him the whole truth".  Jesus did not rush her but listened! He did not let his other assignment stop him from hearing this lady's story-she was just as important.  .
Oh that we might be UNRUSHED. Enjoy Lysa's devotion.Follow this link to read more

Don't Be A Copy

Over time I have realised that the strategies that work for others will not necessarily work for me. The distance in believers journey in life might differ but the end result is the same.-we are all heaven bound. We all face challenges but our attitude and mindset are most likely different even if the challenges are similar. This is because we are products of different environment and experiences.  I noted with interest during my personal study that we have different expressions of Faith but same God. The woman with the issued desired only to touch the helm of Jesus's garment to receive her healing (Mark 5:25-29), the centurion soldier wanted Jesus to only speak the word and his servant would be healed (Matthew 8:5-13) while Jairus implored Jesus to come home with him and heal her child (Mark 5:35-43). SAME FAITH, DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS. Stick with the programme than works best for you as long as it is embedded in Christ. The book of 1 Kings  records the story of two men who carried out the same action but ended with different result. King Solomon's brother, Adonijah  in an attempt to avoid the King's wrath held unto horns of the alter and was pardoned for his crimes while Joab on the other hand  in 1Kings 2 copied the same action but was struck dead. How ironic!! One might argue that it was because Adonijah was his brother but I hate to disappoint you because Solomon still ordered his killing.  Reminds me of a time I decided to embark on a line of business that was popular at at a time in Ireland, my 3 attempts ended in huge financial loss while others prospered. However, the moment I consulted with the holy spirit and yielded to his instructions on another business venture that was not so popular the outcome has been awesome. Don't do something because others are doing it. Find what works for you. Sister Carol can pray for 10 hours but I can't and I'll only frustrate myself if I attempt to copy her! Life is an exam don't copy other people's strategies, it may not work for you.  The underlying principles might be the same but I'm sure God has a splash of flavour to add to your story so you can stand out from the crowd.I know most people copy out of fear and panic but relax and trust God. He knows what He is doing unlike us.  YOU ARE UNIQUE, CELEBRATE YOUR PECULIARITIES.