Authenticity

I was reminded today that it's important to be 'real'...authentic. Not always easy in my experience to be consistent through the ups and downs. The things we think and say when times are good, can come back to us when times are hard... Do I 'really' believe all that stuff? When things are good it's so much easier to to be positive, confident, enthusiastic - happy! But when we hit hard times - health issues, breakdown in relationships, loss of work, financial difficulties - it's hard to stay positive, confident, enthusiastic...

For me it's a question of belief ... what is the source of my confidence? Is my confidence based on my current situation or circumstances; my job, my employer, my relationships with others, how much money I have in the bank...? Is my confidence rooted in what I can do, my resources, skills or past experiences... What I know from life's journey? Well, what do I know? For me, it's a question of faith - what I really believe, and holding on to that belief whatever circumstances I find myself in, and allowing all those experiences to develop - strengthen - what I believe.

I can look back over my life and see that through the high and lows, my faith in an eternal God who wants the best for me, has carried me through. It's not always plain sailing - Life is a journey with many twists and turns, a series of experiences and ever changing circumstances - my God is a constant companion on the journey - He is interested in what happens and works on my behalf for a good outcome. It's not always a bed of roses but I know that in all things God is working for me as I put my confidence in Him and try to be consistent - authentic and real - in my beliefs and lifestyle. As I think on what I have seen God do for me in the past, my faith - my confidence in God - is strengthened and I can be authentic whatever life brings...

Whatever our circumstances today - whatever our fears, worries, concerns - there is a God who wants to walk the journey with us, and he reaches out to us through Jesus...

Who?

We want to be appreciated for who we are, more than what we can do. For people with sought after skills or resources, this can be a real problem. Do people want to be my friend because of what I can do for them or do they really like me? The root of the issue is in the growing state of self-centredness and condition that is constantly re-inforced through media and advertising - "because you're worth it!" "It's your right!" "You've earned it!" Nothing wrong with that until we start to put ourselves first at the expense of others and we become progressively less bothered about the people around us. We just wanna be first! Can you imagine what the world would be like if we were all just bothered about ourselves? And we wonder why our world seems so uncaring and troubled at times...

Sometimes it's like this with God. The more I become concerned with my own condition, the more my focus is on me, who I am, what I need, etc. We desire the benefits of God - forgiveness, acceptance, release from our problems, healing, etc. Our prayers can be an endless list of needs we want God to get sorted. What God really wants is relationship. That is why He created us in the first place. And we sometimes treat God the Father like some rich 'sugar daddy' who we 'love' because of what He can do for us... or even for what He has already done for us.

Sometimes it seems that we put what God gives in the place of God Himself, and we miss the whole point!

Our response to God is to love Him for who he is not what he does. To desire Him. Pursuing first God and His Kingdom, and all these other things will come along as well.

Who is God?... Well listen to "My King!" by the late SM Lockridge. Or try the Rock Mix!

or sit up and watch this:

Wanna be

I want to be smart but not wear a tie; intelligent but not arrogant; get where I'm going and enjoy the journey; be successful and equitable; be holistic and yet enjoy separation in life; keep it simple but not simplistic!

Life is more than what I do, it's an outward expression of who I am. So, knowing who I want to be has to be more important than knowing what I want to do. When I know who I want to be, I'll find peace and satisfaction in whatever I do.

For me, faith is an important part of who I am. My faith is a challenge not a crutch, but I know that whatever circumstances I face, there is a God who will be there with me - a friend closer than a brother. I'll have to walk the road but God will walk it with me. Faith doesn't have to be complicated, full of rules and regulations. Faith is about relationship - knowing God and sharing the journey of life, with all it's ups and downs and twists and turns but never giving up because there is always Hope when we travel with God.

It's just a thought...

Seeking God and Work

New Year, new opportunity, new hope for a new day. 2009 didn't exactly start with new opportunities and hope. I blogged some thoughts in January - New Day - reflecting on the choices we have make as we look at life.

Mid January 2009, I was told that my job was being made redundant - the job not me, but the reality is I had one month! I was expecting a drop in salary, perhaps part-time and/or a pay cut, but this was it.

I completed the work in hand and after about 2 weeks when everything was in order, as best as I could, I took up the task of finding work in earnest. When you lose your job, you have to make some choices about how you're going to deal with the loss, how you're going to motivate yourself, how you're going to set about the task of re-creating your future. In a similar situation,
someone once said "it is now my full-time job to find another job." You just gotta do whatever it takes, scanning the internet, jobs pages and newspapers, job centres and agencies; think carefully about what you want to do next and consider what you're prepared to do should you need to; update your CV and start networking - let people know you're available for work.

Well, within 3 weeks I had applied for a dozen jobs (and I didn't even get an acknowledgment) but I also had 3 'good' possibilities, all of which had come through 'networking'.

Ultimately I had to make a choice and history will show that 1 month to the day after I was given notice, I was offered a another job which was an opportunity to grow and develop my skills and advance my career. I started work immediately my previous contract finished, and even enjoyed a few days of 'garden leave' into the bargain.

For the record, not I but Jesus, because my God supplies all I need according to the vast resources He holds. Yeh, yeh, I know it sound's like I've suddenly become a simpleton who believes in God but my experience shows that seeking God and involving Him in my daily journey makes a difference to how I view my circumstances, how I respond and, I believe, the results I see in my life.

Hey, it's just a thought... but God's blessings are unlimited and without favour or price.

Be blessed!

Journeys

All journeys begin.

When I think of all the different journeys I have begun, I recall so many different reasons, different emotions, different vehicles, different companions, different circumstances. Some are planned, some are not, some are familiar, some trigger memories. Every one is unique - even a regular journey along a well known route to a frequent destination is different to the time before! No two journeys are ever the same, and when we make the mistake of thinking they are, we miss so much of what is there to see. I've journeyed for work and I've journeyed for fun. Journeys by car, journeys by plane, journeys on foot, by cycle, by boat and by train. I love the variety.

I like journeys.

Some are marked with excitement, some with frustration, some anticipation or expectation... Some are long, some are short, some are fast, some are slow, some are fun, some are not, some possess everything all in one! A journey not a race - though I often forget and rush along, eager to make good time. Journeys should be experienced, savoured, enjoyed! Journeys often - maybe always - present opportunities, if we take the time to engage and to see them. As I rush from place to place, I'm sure I must be missing opportunities to meet people, to share a moment, an offer of kindness, a social exchange. On a train, I met a guy going home having served his time. I bought him a sandwich and wished him a better journey this time around. Too many times I've hid behind a book or report or even a laptop...and missed the moments. People and places are the substance of journeys - people make journeys. Journeys connect places bringing people together. Isn't that what it's all about?... bringing people together!

and I like Journey's End.

Getting there. Meeting friends or family. A meeting with colleagues. Exploring a new destination. Starting a holiday. Every journey's end is a new beginning, a new opportunity. Every end has it's beginning and a journey that comes between.

But the greatest journey of all must be the one that begins every day...the journey of life.

So, I want to mark the beginnings and the endings and enjoy the journeys that life inevitably brings, new every morning - so, whether you share my beliefs or not, be content and look around as you journey through life... enjoy the people you meet and the places you visit - you never know what your journey might bring.

Right now my journey is taking an unexpected turn, from a place of work to a new place; a place not yet known - not by my choice but I know this is my journey and one I must take. I don't have a route or a map but I keep walking forward believing and trusting that the One who journeys with me knows the Way. It sounds naiive and a little old fashioned but we've traveled a long way together and we've come this far, so why would He fail me now?... (either that or I've just been lucky! But if luck be your reason can you be certain it will hold?)

As for me, I thank you Lord for the journey today and the confidence of your company.

A new day

Credit Crunch! Economic Downturn? Recession, depression... is it real or is it hype? Was it the consumer spending too much, banking system lending too much, the politicians wasting too much or was it the media talking too much?...

Well... there is a time for everything. Perhaps, this will be a time for reflection on the greater things, the better things, the beautiful things... so many things to be thankful for - a beautiful wife, two great kids, friends and family, a God who holds the future and the benefits of His blessings.

But what about the reality of redundancy and job hunting when thousands are joining the queue every day? Well, reality depends on your perspective, what you choose to believe and how you choose to respond to your beliefs. So, I choose to believe a new day is dawning. As the sun rises to herald the day, so a new beginning is rising on the horizon of my day...

No, I don't know what that new day will bring - I have no idea what lies ahead for me. A few more days of work and then?... a new day! Everyday is full of surprises and so I look forward to a new beginning, a new day, not knowing what it holds. But this I do know whatever it may hold my God is with me, so I walk with a hope and with the confidence of knowing that my God is looking out for me.

So, I choose my belief in an eternal God and I take my perspective from an eternal view. A new day is dawning, don't be caught yawning - seize the day!

Keep Moving

"You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried. If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don't try – you don’t take the risk."

— Rosalynn Carter: Former first lady and author

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success."

— Norman Vincent Peale: Author, The Power of Positive Thinking

I guess its true to say you have to have enough chance of failure to increase your chance of success... You have to believe in yourself enough to take the risk in the first place and, when you do fail, believe in yourself enough to try again.

Reckon that's true in all aspects of life... at work (we are obsessed with work culture and achievement based measures of success), at home, in family, at play... The road to true success is marked with failures and the determination to try again.

But what is success?

What makes us say "I bet s/he's successful!" Is it the flash car, the big house, the executive penthouse, the waterfront offices... s/he could be a crook! Or do we perceive that s/he is a person of character and influence; someone people look up to and follow; a person of example; someone you can trust? Is success a product of achievement or a product of character?

It's probably a mixture of both, isn't it?...

It takes character to try something new. It takes character to fail and try again.

If you can keep your head when all about you
__ Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
__ But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
__ Or being lied about don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
__ And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
__ If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
__ And treat these two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
__ Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
__ And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
__ And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
__ And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
__ To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
__ Except the will which says to them 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
__ Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
__ If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
__ With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
__ And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (c)

Never, never, never give up! Keep moving...