Category: 366 days of novice motherhood

Place: home

Poison: white grapes

Favorite things: cleaning out cupboards that I never get time to clean out…

I found this quote from Alain de Botton recently and it really challenged me…

One of the interesting things about success is that we think we know what it means. A lot of the time our ideas about what it would mean to live successfully are not our own. They’re sucked in from other people. And we also suck in messages from everything from the television to advertising to marketing, etcetera. These are hugely powerful forces that define what we want and how we view ourselves.

What I want to argue for is not that we should give up on our ideas of success, but that we should make sure that they are our own. We should focus in on our ideas and make sure that we own them, that we’re truly the authors of our own ambitions. Because it’s bad enough not getting what you want, but it’s even worse to have an idea of what it is you want and find out at the end of the journey that it isn’t, in fact, what you wanted all along.

Alain de Botton.

It is so true. We live in a society that gets its true meaning and sense of worth and success from other peoples ideas rather than our own.

More sobering is that we form these success goals or orientations without taking into account Christ and his plans for our lives also.

Lenten Blog

The basics of the Easter story is to Live is Christ and to die is gain.

Meaning Christianity is about loosing ourselves for the sake of another, rather than pursuing life through accumulation, as our society promotes.

This Lenten season is all about sacrifice.

Is society shaping your perception of success or Christ?

A massive question…

A

Place: Loungeroom

Poison: water

Favorite things: planning my Inlaws visit to come and meet Max…

I am unable to drive for 6 weeks and I am only one week down…

You just don’t realise how much you rely upon driving when you can jump in the car whenever you like.

A trip to the shops for milk, a trip to your friends to hang out…freedom.

During this season of lent many people fast and sacrifice different things to delay gratification through a season of reflection and mourning.

One of the most difficult parts of the Easter story is the darkness and difficulty the disciples felt on the Friday. They did not know what was to come, they did not know of the delayed gratification of Christs death. They did not live with this perspective even though Jesus clearly taught them the importance of his death and the necessity that he must go..

Lenten reading

“Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:29, 30 NLT)

We Live in such a buy now pay later society. The concept of delayed gratification, is far from our everyday. To hear of so many people who are indebted to their high credit card balance, mortgages that are completely overbearing, children who are not taught to wait and save.

I know the day that I am able to drive again, will be a day where I no longer take for granted the simple pleasure and privelege I have to Be able
to drive a car…the same perspective must be gained in this Lenten season that Christ is coming again and we must live with this perspective.

In someways it would be easy for us to pray his second coming in tomorrow because the suffering and brokenness we often feel here on this earth burdens us deeply, but imagine that day when we see Him face to face. The delight and brilliance of being in his presence

What areas of your life are you not practicing delayed gratification? Are you trying to wish away seasons and days of sacrifice in order to gain the prize without the pain it takes to prepare for it.

This Lenten season take stock of the areas in your life that you are showing impatience and ask God to help you grow in this area.

A

Place:home

Poison: coffee

Favorite things:max’s first outing to a cafe…

The weather today is a toasty 37 degrees. The ocean five minutes from our front door is glistening. Our little boy is an absolute delight and he adventured out of our house just for the second time to go out for his first of many lunch dates at a seaside cafe.

Today is surrounded by goodness.

As worship music invades every part of our house and soothes the questioning parts of my soul, I am reminded of Gods goodness.

His love that endures forever.

Although there are days where there is so much that we don’t understand, in the midst of our trials and tragedies I am always made aware of Gods supreme goodness despite the brokenness of our humanity.

As many of my friends come to term with such significant loss, I am made aware once again of the sovereignness of God and his goodness.

Lenten study
As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”
Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”
Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. (Mark 13:1-7 NLT)

It doesn’t make sense what happened to Jesus, just as it doesn’t make sense what’s happened to our friend.

It doesn’t make sense the end of the world and the second arrival of Christ, but goodness will prevail…

In what areas have you failed to see Gods goodness?

In what places of your life have you allowed circumstances to prevail?

Today reflect upon the goodness of God in the midst of your circumstance…

Search out his goodness

Love always

Mrs v

Place: home

Poison: water

Favorite Things: coconut rough chocolate

Today was a rough day.

You have them every so often.

But today was one of them.

A good friend of mine passed away suddenly and tragically way too young.

A youth pastor, sold out to the core, in love with God and kids, his life cut too short.

He lives in Sydney, so I only got to see him briefly a few times a year, but the connection he has with my close friends and the influence he holds over young lives is really significant.

This week is going to be tough for my friends and I feel so far away from them, unable to go and help.

Lenten reflection

Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins-a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford-she gave her all.” (Mark 12:41-44 MSG)

He gave his all for the kids he led.

He gave everything he had. I’m sure he had his critics as everyone who devotes their lives to the work of God does…

Jesus’s life in this lenten period was cut short also. By small minded, heretics who would do anything to see him stopped.

The heretics however were mostly the religious, the critics, the judgmental, the perfectionists.

If your life was cut short suddenly, can you truly say you lived everyday as if it were your last?

Life is way too short and I am
Once again reminded not to ever take the simplicity of my days for granted.

Shocked

Mrs V

Place: home

Poison: water

Favorite things: all the new people meeting Max for the very first time.

As a newly post pregnant person, as a mum of a newborn and a wife of a personal trainer, the question how much does it weigh? Is on the tips of our tongue often.

Every 100grams puts on we celebrate, every kilo mum looses is a win, every muscle dad builds is important…

As I was reading today’s Lenten reading though one line stuck out to me… Does the leather on you bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands.

Jesus is here admonishing the religious, the pious, the law makers, the strict, those who do everything they can to judge and criticize those who are not upholding their religious ways.

What truly measures the weight of our christianity?

What truly reveals the essence of what we stand for?

Judgement and criticism, strife and performance are so counter cultural to everything that Jesus stands for.

I love the quote from st Francis of Assisi that implores ‘the gospel should be preached at all times, only on occasion with words’

Lenten reading

“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned. “You’re hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, ‘If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that’s nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that’s serious.’ What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: ‘If you shake hands on a promise, that’s nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that’s serious’? What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless. (Matthew 23:15-20 MSG)

In what ways do you relate to the Pharisees this Lenten season?

Are there areas where you talk more than you live out your faith?

Does the leather on your bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands?

How much does your faith weigh?

Mrs V