Growing into the beauty through the brokenness
Before I even start on writing on this year alone, let me take it back and be thankful! 😎
**Disclaimer** I’m not a YouTuber.. this is just what happens when you put a kid like me in front of a camera😆😆
More Videos To Come..???
As the Spirit Leads….
Blossom Into…
Saying thank you! X
Happy Monday Ladies and Gents!
I’ve been thinking a lot about growth, identity, purpose… seems to be the theme for a while…Been on the book of Ephesians for a bit….enjoy!
You know what’s so great?
Psalm 39.
O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
2Â You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3Â You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
4Â You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
5Â You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6Â Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!
7Â I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
8Â If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9Â If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10Â even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
11Â I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
12Â Â Â Â Â but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.
13Â You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14Â Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it.
15Â You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16Â You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!
19Â O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
    Get out of my life, you murderers!
20Â They blaspheme you;
    your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
    Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22Â Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
    for your enemies are my enemies.
23Â Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24Â Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
It’s so beautiful to know that we have a Father who will never be surprised by the way we do certain things because He made us. Self-discovery is interesting because we find out what He has placed in us. God can only do fantastic (minus our flaws) so go ahead and get finding…
How do we know though?
In a conversation with a friend, he said: ‘ It’s hard to find out your purpose because it involves things that come so naturally’.
I had to ponder on that and agree. We are all build with reason and purpose right, with our uniqueness so inbuilt that it is hard to differentiate between ‘this stands out’ and this doesn’t.
For example… in my house, I’m called to organise things in the fridge (there is a point to this don’t worry). If my mum and brother try to pack everything in there, it will be chaotic and not everything will fit. However, my dad and I seem to ‘have a knack’ for arranging things.
Could something as trivial as packing away shopping be directly linked to my purpose? We don’t know yet, only God does, but it is not the act of packing that makes it worthwhile it is the processing and the way in which my dad and I think that enables us to pack the fridge. So do my dad and I have the same purpose? No, we have the same skill but used them differently. Even though we both end up with an organised fridge, my dad may put the milk, egg, bread etc in different places to me.
What point am I trying to make? It’s easy to spot who is completely different to you, but what about those similar?
I feel like a lot of aspiring leaders with bright ideas end up unfulfilled because they have gone: ‘That person has done something similar already…. and it’s better than mine..’ This is not because the other person’s idea had more financial help or had more publicity, it’s mainly because the other person did it in a different way, using the same skills.
Amplified disparity between you and ‘the-standard’ you set as the other person.
I hope I’m making some sense here….
A lost idea isn’t lost in one instance. It is a build up.
A friend of mine sums this up well, such negativity does not come from just within, give it a read;Â Taking every thought captive
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires Psalm 37:4
God places desires on our hearts and gives us ideas in order to fulfil those desires (Psalm 37:4). Then you ponder and think about it and you can get excited, plan it out, looks like it is going to happen…Then after some moments: doubt, fear, questions….
How convenient….
Jehovah-Jireh knows when, where, why, how… (all the W’s and H’s ) about the reasons behind an idea.
So what should we do? Use our weapons
At the end of the day, when we carry out what is on our hearts, we impact, we shine as the lights we are called to be.
Ephesians 3:7
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.
At the end of the day, when we carry out what is on our hearts, we impact, we shine as the lights we are called to be and we encourage the pursuant to keep running towards Our Father.
So why Nature Vs. Nurture?
Your nature is nurtured by the path of life to propel you into the path of promises for your purpose.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20Â
Blossom Into,
Nurtured Believers
Gina x
Well it has been quite a while Ladies and Gents. Amongst the uni exams, holidays, working all hours and generally doing life, I have really felt uneasy because I haven’t posted in so long!
Within such a busy time in my life, I have realised that I have run around so much and have not processed events that have happened. Sometimes you can be too busy for your own good:
‘In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.’
Psalm 127:2
I needed to sit down and really think about the past few months. Process and self-reflect. I realised there is difference between the two.
Processing to me would mean you sit down and think about what you’re going through currently or what you went through and the effects. How an external effects the internal. A lot like David did when he cried out to God in the moments of his down fall.
Self-reflection however is when we look at experiences, events or a time period and assess the internal.
it is defined as serious thought about one’s character and actions.
We usually ask ourselves a lot of questions in self-reflection, however in process you usually go through a timeline of events and consider what has happened. Paul is a fantastic example of someone who self-reflected.
Let’s speak in real terms.
I went to get a cheeky Nandos with some good friends of mine a couple of weeks ago. It was lovely to see them all again whilst enjoying my extra hot chicken with extra hot sauce (cannot get anything less!)
To add to the silence created by the munching of very hungry people; Â I posed a question that required some self-reflection:
‘ Guys, what would you say would be the biggest change in you this year?’
A lot of people do not self-reflect. This worries me; why?
In a world that is moving so fast and time is running away, how do we measure true change?
In a world that puts you in boxes, how do you identify your uniqueness?
In a world where we are told to conform how do you stand out?
Delve into self.
As believers in the perfect example ever of how to conduct ourselves; we have a standard to uphold. People are not far off when they say: ‘ What would Jesus do?’
If we asked ourselves that after every interaction with people we would realise how we don’t naturally do what is best. However there are always steps to rectify situations that get a bit OTT.
Another personal anecdote (it’s been a long week lol)…
I recently had a disagreement with a friend over something quite silly. It was an over-the-top reaction to a minor issue. We talked it out and it was put to bed.
However I did a self-reflect within my JesusTime that night and I had to ask these questions:
What made you react that way?
Are there any underlining issues?
What else going on within you contributed to the situation?
These questions brought up more than the situation and I know the steps to take in order to promote healing to both parties now. Especially when there is a disagreement, self-reflection is needed. It would save the destruction of great relationships. It is not always the person in the wrong who did the wrong.
‘..within my JesusTime that night’
Where do you allow Holy Spirit to speak to you about these things?
Holy Spirit comes to reveal truth to us.
If we are not having consistent regular time with the Trinity; we can miss these very important moments in our walks. Keeping to time has always been an issue, God honours a person who will avail themselves to the process of change.
Self-reflection enables the practical application of the Christian principles. It is important so that we can gauge where we are and what the necessary steps are to become more like Jesus, in order to please Our Father.
‘Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith..’
Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the LORD.
(2 Corinthians 13:5;Â Lamentations 3:40)
Have you ever had a moment where you have to stop and hear yourself talk because you don’t sound like you? You sound mature and grown up? I find that to sit down and think about yourself as a person, I end up coming into such a time of thankfulness to Our Father. How He changes your heart!
God is always working on the inside. Through the sanctified work of the Holy Spirit, your insides are being ‘jumbled-up’ and ordered again.
I thank God knowing that He knows what changes need to happen and where within me I need to think on. Our journeys as believers is measured by the degree to which we become more Christ-like.
Process is from the outside in;Â self-reflection is from the inside out.
In all your ways acknowledge Him! (Proverbs 3:6).
Blossom Into,
Reflectors & Changers.
Gina x
BLOSSOMING INTO... 