THIS LAND IS MY LAND...

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..occupy your own land. Joshua 1:15 (NIV)

I opened the conservatory door one summer day to let in additional light, warmth and air. They strolled in, took up residence along with a ginger tom cat.

For those who have known me for a while, you will recall I am terrified of cats. So when this creature walked into my conservatory, ran through the kitchen and hallway, before bounding upstairs, and then doing the reverse again I wasn't happy.

 
This ginger tom didn't belong to the previous owner, but it's always in my garden and sits outside either my front or back door whining, regularly.
The cat is not coming into my house again, invited or otherwise. It as a home of its own a few doors down. The cat looks healthy and cared for and it's coat is glossy, so it's been well looked after.

Sometimes, we like that cat want to occupy space that doesn't belong to us. We want what we can't have but believe should be ours. Often we are dissatisfied with our lives because society demands that we be something or somebody. So, we occupy space based on high outgoings on a credit card, or dress to impress, or constantly flaunt our qualifications as if life were an continual resume.

Occupying your own space also encourages caring for your family, your spouse. You have no time for eyes to wander and hearts to be otherwise engaged if you care for your own adequately. It's easy to look into someone else's garden and wish to be there, because it looks so green. Always remember, they might look into yours and think the same.

And yes, the grass may be greener and more manicured on the other side of the fence, and your garden might need some tender loving care. So give it that tender loving care that it requires. Rejuvenate your life and relationships.

My literal garden is very different to our neighbour. Our garden is 'mature'. The previous owner saw fit to plant wild flowers and plants throughout and although we've dug them up and tried to make the garden more tame, it's not happening as we'd like.

Our neighbour has a beautiful lawn, ordered flower beds and a tidy pond. Hubby always asks, 'why can't our garden look like that!' I smile, sometimes I don't reply and at other times I remind him that our neighbour is retired, spends all day in the garden and also has help. He also has ripped out most of the trees in favour of a lawn at great expense.

Joshua instructs the Reubenites that when they have finished assisting and helping the other tribes, they shouldn't stay in the Promised Land, but return to the land they asked for, east of the Jordan, and occupy their own land. Settle down to their own lives, and enjoy what they have.

Today, Father, bless as with the gift of contentment.

IF I CAN HELP SOMEBODY

...you are to help them' Joshua 1:14 (NIV)

Baby asked for my help recently on an art project. She had to find an abstract painting and comment on the shapes, colours and style of the artist in the picture and critique it. Although she like art, she found this assignment a trifle challenging, especially defining what 'abstract' meant. The vast number of paintings that were branded abstract were realist to her.

So, I sat down and tried to explain (in great detail) what makes a painting abstract. It took time, energy and effort, but she seemed to understand by the end of our discussion.

Helping others takes time, energy and effort and sometimes when we are tired, we just can't be bothered. Society encourages us to look after 'no 1' and so our ability to help others diminishes along with our wanting to care or love others.

It's so easy to be caught up in our own world, with our own families and lives that we spare little thought to help others.

And when you help others, it's not for accolades or applause or recognition, it's something you do for someone else and it's a private act. Not to be shouted from the rooftop.

Today is my morning of prayer. But this morning, I will pray that God help me to help someone else, today. Practical help. If you want to join me in prayer, please feel free to do so.

Father, it's so easy to be selfish. May I reach out to, and help someone in need today, just as you reach out to me.

REST AWHILE

'The Lord, your God will give you rest...' Joshua 1:13 (NIV)

It was 22:43 when I woke up last night. I'd has a rough day, feeling fluey so I retired early after taking appropriate meds. I woke feeling even worse than I has during the day and spent sometime tossing and turning, before finally dropping asleep exhausted. And I'm up early this morning with little reprieve.

What I need is so good old-fashioned rest. You know, the kind where you sleep all day, and are nourished with a hearty soup. And after a few days you're much better and functional. But today's society invites us to pop a few pills and 'get on with life'. So, we do and it appears our ailments seem to drag on and on.

Rest is such a vital part of life. It restores the balance, it provides 'time out' and it promotes healing. But somehow we seem to value those most who are continually working. Those for who, 'I'm busy' is a mantra. Those people who believe that you can rest when you're dead.
And so we too try to rush around, being productive and valuable because society believes we should to our own detriment. Now don't get me wrong, hard work is vitally important. You can't sit down and expect to achieve your goals by doing nothing, but equally important is the ability to stop, down tools and rest.

The Israelites had been wandering around in the wilderness for forty years. They were on a mission, to get to the Promised Land. They are going to conquer it soon and afterwards The Lord has promised them rest. Much needed rest.

At the end of many projects, we are often on such a high that we immediately rush into the next one, without sufficient thought, enough energy and no rest. Maybe, it might be beneficial if we reflected before we started another journey. If we stopped to regain strength, if we rested to restore the balance in our lives.

Today, Father, teach us the value of resting between projects. Of settling down to reflect. Of restoring balance to our busy and often too hectic lives.

A NEW YOU?

Someone gave me a raw food detox book for Christmas.  They must have being trying to tell me something.  Whatever message they were trying to communicate, it completely missed me but even if I know what it is,  it's currently falling on deaf ears.  Understand this, I'm not being disrespectful because the book has some amazing recipes that look absolutely delicious and when I have a few days to spare, I'm going to try one of them.  

I'd love to be more healthy, have a detox and start a new regime, but it needs to be a programme that I can actually fulfill.  Yes, I understand the notion of 'no pain, no gain'.  But when looking at these recipes, I just don't have the money to buy the dehydrator (please don't offer it either), I have no way to store it and I don't have twelve to twenty four hours to wait while the special almond pastry dehydrates so that I can serve dinner.

At the beginning of every year, the gym memberships suddenly soar, we decide that we should buy a new pair of trainers and start running or walking.  January - the month of giving up, and then saying, 'forget it'.  So the 'new you' just doesn't actually happen as you enter a spiral of discouragement when all your good intentions just march out of the window in total defiance.  

The media is currently asking us to make sugar swaps.  Advert after advert pumps this message out and we often respond without giving it any great thought.  Less sugar is better for you, but are 'sugar free' carbonated drinks better for your overall health?  All I can say is do your research.  

And although I'd love to change my diet from cooked to raw food (well, love is way too strong a word) it's totally impractical for my current lifestyle which I'm unable to change right now, as it would mean that Hubby and Baby would also need to part of that change. And that's not on the cards anytime soon.

If you want a new you, spend some time looking at some of the alternatives that are out there before you commit. I have started making smoothies three times a week and I replace my morning brew with one of these.  

TIP OF THE DAY

Find a local grocery shop and walk there instead of driving the car to the supermarket.  It will do wonders for your life.

Happy Homemaking!

PEOPLE POWER

Paddling alone?

'Whatever you have commanded us we will do...' Joshua 1:16 (NIV)

One of my favorite places is the river at Henley-on-Thames.  Hubby and I have taken several one day holidays there, because there is nothing quite so charming as 'messing around in boats'.  

On our last visit to the river, I took a photograph of a man who was paddling his own canoe and appearing to struggle.  He was alone, with no help or assistance and he almost seemed out of breath while he paddled.  He was getting to where he needed to go, but on his own it was proving to be very challenging.  

It's hard to do most jobs alone.  And it's even more difficult if you are leading people and they don't seem to want to follow.  Being a teacher is one of the hardest jobs.  For me, teaching adults was a joy, it was easy to get them to 'stay on task' but when I taught 14-19 year old boys, it was much more challenging. And at times quite hellish.  

While planning lessons and preparing resources, you constantly had to think about classroom management.  And there were days when all the planning and preparation simply went out of the window when one of the students decided to 'kick off' or 'play up'. But I thank God that overall, I had the co-operation of most of the children, most of the time.

Having the cooperation of others isn't easy, and I'm sure that this was one of Joshua's fears. But the people provide him with affirmation and agree to support him.  He had told them what God had said and given them a vision for the future.  They must have been excited for they agreed wholeheartedly that they would obey his commands and follow him.  

Whatever job you are doing, you need support from other people.  Even creatives, writers and artists, the most solitary of careers, need support and often get this by joining writing groups and art clubs.  No man is an island and it's hard to also 'go it alone'.

Never underestimate the power of other people for support and understanding.  Never think that you can 'make it,' without anyone.  Never feel that you are so ultimate, that you don't need a second opinion.

Father, it's so easy to 'go it alone' but when you give us purpose and call us into service, you also put people around to journey with us.  Teach us to accept that these people are vital to your call and not a hindrance.

IT'S TIME

Get ready...Joshua 1:2 (NIV)

If there was ever a time in my life where I was frustrated, it was then.  Standing in a very long queue for over 30 minutes waiting to be served by a cashier in a bank in Grenada. She took her time to speak to each customer personally, exchanged 'long pleasantries,' and dispensed funds at a leisurely pace.  This was not my idea of good customer care or service. 

Although I admired her gentle spirit and kind manner, I didn't appreciate the time it was taking to cash my travellers cheques. You see, I was on a mission, and as far as I was concerned she was hindering from that mission.

'You need to be more patient,' was Hubby's response, 'you're on holiday'.  Yes, he was right.  I was on holiday and I didn't want to spend so much of my precious time waiting around doing nothing.  I had things to do, places to go and people to see. I was up and rearing to go.

Joshua was given the command by God to 'get ready'.  He had spent years in the 'waiting room' to be told that it was time.  The time for the promise to be fulfilled.  The time of blessing.  The time to act.

I wonder if he stood around, mulled over the thought or did he get up and go? I don't have the answers, but I'm sure that he was very excited. It was time.

There is going to be a period in your life when the waiting will come to an end.  When you will receive your promise and your blessing.  When God will give you the command and tell you that' it's time'. 

Have you being waiting in the queue so long that you've fallen asleep? Or got lethargic? Or have changed your mind that you actually want to receive the blessing?

If so, stand up, shake yourself off and get ready.  It's time for your blessing!

Father, the waiting has become tedious - it's time for a breakthrough...

THE ART OF SUCCESS

...you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8 (NIV)

A few years ago, Hubby and I attended a friend's party.  The food was delicious and our friend was the perfect hostess, replenishing our plates with goodies as soon as we'd finished one course, before starting the next.  But the highlight of that occasion was the napkins on the table.  They resembled twenty pound notes.  They were so realistic in fact, that they were the talking point of the entire afternoon.  One guest referred to it as 'the art of success'.  

It was art parading as success.  

For many people success is defined by how much money they earn or have in their bank accounts, the postcode where they live, the qualifications that hang on their wall or the achievements of their children.  And they parade these success like works of art hanging in a museum.

Guru after guru offer package after package that encourages you to 'get rich quick', 'achieve your dreams overnight', 'have the life you have always wanted'.  And so we seek success so that we can wear it as a badge of honour to let others know that 'we've arrived'.  

The success that God talks about in the book of Joshua, is not just a badge of honour or an accolade on the wall.  It is a success that only came about by following his God-given purpose, obeying the Father and working hard.  It was the trophy at the end of a very long, tedious journey for forty years.  It was the reward for his labours, for his obedience and for his faith.

We too will have success, but it might not be the kind that is often celebrated in the media, fast cars, showroom houses, and extravagant living.  On the contrary for some people, getting out of bed in the morning and making a cup of tea is success.  For others, battling each day with a terminal illness is success.  And for some, it's struggling with the demons that plague them regularly and maintaining a level of sanity.

There are some who will never achieve success in this life.  They will be considered failures, losers, wasters.  They, like Joshua, may spend their lives, walking around in the wilderness of live, the sidekick of another, in what appears to be an aimless fashion.  But if they have been obedient to the Father, they like the apostle Paul can say, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for a crown of righteousness, which the Lord...will award me on that day' - 2 Timothy 4:7, 8 (NIV).

That's not just the art of success.  That's success!

Father, as we surrender to you, teach us what is means to be successful.

MOVEMENT AND MEDITATION

Work and Pray

Meditate...and do...Joshua 1:8 (NIV)

Many people, especially Christians, are wary of the notion of meditation. Meditation often conjures up images of individuals sitting around in a daze, who appear to be 'out of it'. But in the book of Joshua, God instructs him to meditate.  He says, 'keep the Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it...'.  

According to David Ray,' Christian meditation is a case of keeping your mind on God and your hand on the plow' (pg 16,The Art of Christian Meditation: A Guide to Increase Your Personal Awareness of God).  It is not sitting around on your own trying to find personal peace, it is a relationship with Almighty God as you are fulfilling your God given purpose.  

While Joshua is concerned about his role as the new leader, the Father sees his heart and lets him know that he will succeed if he focuses on God while he is doing his job.  He is not to simply hide away from the crowd, so that he has a sense of peace, balance and order.  

The meditation is not primarily for his personal benefit to make him a better person, although that is sure to be one of the 'spin offs'.  The purpose of meditation is to bring God closer to us, while we focus on doing his will.

Today I will spend the morning in prayer as I do each Wednesday morning.  I will be meditating, getting to know God more, listening to him while I concentrate on doing and fulfilling His will. If you would like to join me, please leave a message on my Facebook page or inbox me privately.

Father, the noise of everyday life often distracts us from hearing Your voice. Today, may we hear You as you speak with us, while we are doing what you have called us to do.

GIVE ME STRENGTH!

Be strong and very courageous... Joshua 1:7 (NIV)

Leadership is always challenging.  If you're a leader with years of experience, it still can cause sleepless nights and manic days.  But the challenges of a new leader to take up the mantle from a veteran can be frightening.  

Joshua, at the age of eighty, is not necessarily thrilled to be the leader of people who, for most, if not all of their lives, had wandered around in the desert in a somewhat aimless fashion.  Yes, they were on a journey to the land that God had promised, it seemed to be taking forever.  

Moses had spent forty in the desert before he took up leadership of the people, so he was a desert expert.  He knew the landscape, he had journeyed and walked around the wilderness with the sheep for forty years and then spent another forty with the human sheep who consistently strayed. He had been a leader as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  From an early age he knew what it was like to be in charge. He may have been born into slavery, but had never experienced it.  Unlike Joshua who was born and slave, and had experienced the tyranny of slavery for forty years.  

Slaves are not thought to be natural leaders.  Slavery often has made them bitter and angry. Slaves who are leaders can replicate the behaviour of their former slave masters and are often resented by those they seek to lead.

But Joshua knew his God, loved his people and unlike Moses, had not just seen the Promised Land, he had walked there, talked to the people and tasty of the goodness of the land.  He had experienced the Promised Land. 

Yet he remembered the rebellion of the people, forty years before.  He recalled the curse that was placed on all of those who were older than him and he wept at the memories of burying friends and family in the desert.  And suddenly all his faith and trust in the God that had always fulfilled His promises dissolved.  He literally feels the strength leave his legs as he collapses in a heap.

'Be strong and courageous' in the mantra that accompanies the call of Joshua.  God knows the enormous task ahead of this new leader of His people and he gives him the 'pep' talk and encouragement that he so desperately needs.  He sees the potential in him. It's been there for the past forty years and more, but he also knows his heart - that at times he would slide into a pit of despondency because of the people's complaints, stubbornness and rebellions.  So, he whispers words of peace, constancy and reassurance.

Just as the Father spoke that mantra to Joshua, all those years ago, He is there with you to speak words of peace and comfort t as you take on the responsibilities of your day, of your family, of your life. 

Leadership today is no less challenging than as it is now.  As a leader you are often called to lead those who constantly complain, those who are stubborn and the followers who rebel. You will often feel like giving up, throwing in the towel, or attempting to retaliate.  You may end up huddled in a corner, or weeping into your cup of tea. Or, it you may find yourself writing your resignation, opting for early retirement or requesting an easier assignment.  

Remember your call, and your purpose and that the God who called you, is the same One who will give the strength and courage to carry on.

Father, leadership in any field, isn't all that it's cracked up to be.  Discouragement can be accompany us at every step.  Thank you that each time, we want to give up You, who gave us our purpose, who called, commanded and who will enlarge our territory, whispers, 'Be strong...take courage'.