Abide

There is something about a new year that brings a sense of excitement and expectancy. Fresh beginnings! A chance to start again. A clean slate filled with boundless possibilities. Time to reflect on what’s been and a time to dream for what’s to come.

As I’ve chatted with a few people there’s definitely a sense of disappointment that 2022 seems to be ‘more of the same’. As we face many of the same challenges of the last 2 years, the clean slate we were hoping for feels out of reach.

My go to verse for 2021 was Lamentations 3:21-23

‘But this I call to mind,

Therefore I have hope.

It is because of the Lord’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed,

Because His [tender] compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.’

I’ve been pondering these verses again as we enter 2022. The truth that every day is a new beginning. A fresh start. A chance to lean into the goodness of God. To remember His faithfulness to us in days gone by and His faithfulness to us in the coming days. 

The truth that His mercy and compassion are new every morning brings tears to my eyes. How beautiful, faithful and merciful is our God!!! 

I love that He is with us and that each morning is an opportunity to wake up and welcome Him into the new day. To dream, to listen to His heart, to hear His voice, to offer Him our worship and get lost in His word.

So as I walk into 2022, I lay down disappointment and I pick up God’s promise of His faithfulness. I hold onto the truth of His compassion. I have hope because He is with me each and every day- my constant companion and my Mighty to save God. 

Each day is the fresh beginning I hoped for as I lay hold of God’s faithfulness and mercy to me. He is here! He walks with us.

So please dream again, seek His voice for a word for this year, a verse to hold on to. Let His word light the path before you.

2022 may not be the fresh beginning we hoped for, but  each day is!!! And it’s our responsibility to steward it well as we hold on to the truth that our God is faithful!!!!

Blessings

Tammy

Sometimes intimacy and connection with God can feel like a difficult process. Another thing on the already crowded to do list. Or perhaps our hearts long for this but we just find ourselves drifting with the tides of life. Suddenly we look and the distance between us and God feels too big to bridge. We can get disappointed with ourselves and feel undeserving of Father God’s love. Or perhaps we’re so busy trying to impress God with good works, knowledge, and religiosity that we forget there’s a relationship to be had.

I’ve felt all of these things in my walk with God. Never measuring up can feel like a big mountain to climb. It can cause us to run to many things for love and approval. It can actually drive a wedge between us and Father.

Henri Nouwen cuts to the heart of it when he says:

‘I am the prodigal son every time I search for unconditional love where it cannot be found.’

Ouch!

God has had me pondering the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) for many months now. It’s one that grips my heart with conviction of Father’s heart and Father’s deep longing for connection with us, His children.

I can so identify with the prodigal son who, after squandering all Father gives to him, decides he will come home as a slave. How many times have I sought God’s approval in good works, perfectionist tendencies and religious activities that have just left me feeling further from Father’s love. 

In the places where I’ve gone my own way, tried to do it on my own, Father is already looking…peering down the road, waiting for me. As I head home to offer myself as a slave of good works, Father comes running. He’s running to embrace me as a daughter.

Because the truth is I am Father God’s daughter, His beloved daughter. And how often I forget that!!!

And you are God’s son/ daughter, His beloved child who He waits for and longs to embrace in sonship.

What does it look like to stare down the road and see Father God running for you?

What does it feel like to head home feeling like a huge disappointment only to be embraced as a son/daughter?

What does it change as who you thought you needed to be is given a robe and a ring of sonship?

How often are you happy to eat the crumbs from Father’s table when you’re given a seat at the banquet?

Father is waiting for us. Calling us closer. Drawing us back to His unconditional love and to our place as sons and daughters. 

I pray you see Him peering down the road for you today.

Love and blessings!

Tammy

What is my response to a world in pain? If I’m honest, it’s easy to live in a place of overwhelm, to feel powerless, lost and lacking in hope.

I’ve felt God’s kindness drawing me out of this place. His presence reminding me to lift my eyes up but also to look out.

The world is aching, groaning even, and as much as it’s easy to get caught up in the drama of my own 4 walls, the world needs our prayers. I can’t ignore the pain I see in the images on my phone and TV…and I’m not meant to.

There is a world needing the love of Christ right now. A world in so much darkness that the light needs to shine.

Matthew 5:14-16 tells us:

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

One of the questions I’ve been pondering is how do I shine my light? When I’m stuck at home, bogged down in home schooling, isolated and socially distanced… what does it look like to shine a light?

Often it’s the small, ordinary places of life that require the most of us. What do I choose to do with God’s light burning within me each day? Am I tapping out, calling time, waiting for this all to end before I take up my light again?

Or am I choosing each day to be a place of hope, a person of encouragement, a safe place of refuge for others? Do I choose kindness, mercy, prayer and love?

Every time I choose to walk in the goodness of God, light shines in the darkness.

Every time I choose to walk in grace rather than offense, light shines.

Every time I choose to pray rather than worry…light shines.

Every time I choose resting in Jesus instead of striving… light shines.

Every time I let go of overwhelm and connect to Jesus, the Prince of Peace… light shines.

Every time I choose an act of kindness…light shines.

Every time I speak encouragement and hope to another weary soul, light shines.

This season cannot snuff out our light. It cannot snuff out our hope. And our world is in need of both.

‘Instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house’ (Matthew 5:15)

Our light goes forth as we choose to love and pray and let our hearts break open in compassion for our world.

The glory of God is within you, the glory of God rises upon you. It shines in you and from you as you abide, stay close and listen to God.

The world needs our light, our love, our hope, our prayers. An ordinary life lived in the extraordinary presence of God.

Blessings

Tammy

The most excellent way!

We moved to Sydney when I was 7mths pregnant with Josiah. Another little person in tow, we left everything and everybody we knew to head to the Big Smoke! To say I was homesick was an understatement!

But on a hot day in February, just 3 weeks into our new adventure, I got invited over to the church hall. To my absolute surprise a group of young, gung-ho, filled-up-with-Jesus’-love mums had thrown me a baby shower.

That day was a turning point for me. I went from feeling alone, unseen, homesick…to knowing that I would be ok, that God had placed me in a church family who were willing to walk alongside me with the love of Jesus.

I learnt a lot from those girls. They were fiercely passionate about sharing the love of Jesus with others. They ran playgroups at our church and they made sure that everyone that entered that place felt seen and cared for. They cooked meals for people, ran errands looked after your kids when you weren’t well. They showed up!!!

I’ve spent many years growing in my understanding of the love God has for me, living into my belovedness as His daughter. But I pray that I don’t take this journey alone… that I’m taking some people with me and making the most of the moments God gives me to love His beloved ones.

At the end of 1 Corinthians 12 Paul exhorts us ‘to eagerly desire the greater gifts…yet I will show you the most excellent way.’ And there begins the lesson on love. The most excellent way is a way of love, being filled with the love of God so that we can shower the world with it. Knowing we are the beloved so that we can help another glimpse their belovedness.

Life is busy and full and sometimes we miss the people God puts right in front of us, we miss the opportunity to stop and notice a fellow beloved child of God, to reach out and say ‘hey, you are seen, you are His beloved, you are fought for. Abba Father is CRAZY about you!’

I pray that our eyes will be opened to see others the way God sees them, to let go of our prejudices, our busyness, our own importance and to take the time to help another experience the deep, long, high and wide love that God has for them.

Love makes a way. Love mends a heart. Love makes a stranger feel at home.

Blessings

Tammy

This year was the first year in forever that I didn’t get to church for easter. I felt like I’d missed celebrating something of great significance. I was disappointed and FOMO had certainly settled in.

But as I considered the death and resurrection of my beloved Jesus I was reminded that nothing could hold Jesus down. Death couldn’t hold Him, Satan couldn’t hold Him, the tomb couldn’t hold Him, He was irrepressible!

God brought to mind another resurrection that Jesus was involved in…Lazarus. After 4 days in the tomb, John 11:43 says that ‘Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus come out!” The dead man came out, His hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen.’ 

Today Jesus calls my name, and He calls your name. He calls us out of darkness, He calls us out of bondage, He calls us out of fear, He calls us out of hiding, of living small, He calls us out of brokenness. He is calling your name today. From all the things that hold you down, that keep you bound. 

He’s calling out things in us that we’ve buried, dreams, hopes, godly desires. He’s speaking life into the dead places, light into the darkness. 

And just like Lazarus, He tells us to take off the grave clothes, because we’ve been walking around in shame and fear and striving, things that Jesus died to set us free from. 

We need to throw off the grave clothes, throw off all that hinders. Let go of the lies we’re believing, the unforgiveness we’ve been caring, the worries that consume us.

And walk forward in the freedom Jesus has for us. Walk forward in the truth of who we are. Walk forward into the hopes and dreams and purposes God has for us.

John 10:10 says that ‘the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. The Message version says ‘real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed.’

What has the thief been stealing from you? 

Can you hear Jesus calling your name today? 

What grave clothes is He calling you to throw off as you step into the freedom and power of that glorious easter morning?

Jesus resurrection is our resurrection. He paid the price to set us free. He calls us forward into a full and real and better life than we had ever dreamed of. May you hear His voice calling your name today.

Blessings!

Tammy

The screensaver on my phone seesaws between two pictures- the first, a warrior girl armed with sword and ready for battle standing alongside a mighty lion. The second, a young girl snuggled into the fur of a lion- she sleeps soundly while the lion watches over her protectively.

Both pictures are reminders that I am never alone!… that in the moments when God calls me to put my brave on and head into the spiritual battle, I go with the mightiest of warriors by my side… and that when I feel tired, weary, broken, there is a place of rest in the nearness of my Saviour.

I love that God uses imagery to make Himself known to us. Psalm 91 describes God covering us with His feathers and that under His wings we well find refuge. God is continually drawing us to Himself, bringing us close and offering a place of safety and rest. The bible is full of scriptures describing His nature and character as one who we can run to for comfort, shelter and protection. God reveals Himself as our refuge and strength, our strong tower (Psalm 61:3).

When life leaves us feeling weary and overwhelmed, when we feel fragile and alone… there is a sanctuary awaiting us. A place where we are known deeply and truly, a place where we are loved extravagantly and a place where we are protected and fought for.  We can choose to run to Him and let His presence covers us like a great wing… but the choice of where we find refuge is always ours.

It’s been an uncertain year for all of us, but one thing remains unchanging- Jesus is so close, He will hold and watch over us. The Great Warrior lets us nestle in close and He does not slumber as we find rest for our weary souls.

Today I feel weary, so I will nestle in close to God, knowing He is my safe place, knowing He watches over me, knowing He will take my burden and give me rest. And when it’s time… I’ll go back out to battle knowing the Great Warrior, Almighty God goes before me, behind me and beside me. I am never alone.

Blessings!

Tammy

I’ve started writing again… and I’m excited. It’s been a while… You see I have a love/ hate relationship with writing. When I’m in the flow and I feel God using me in the moment, I love it. It’s a place of hope and vulnerability, a place to encourage and reach out to those I love, along with complete strangers.  I love written words… my home is full of them. They carry weight and heart and beauty. So much is captured in one word!

But at some point, my love for writing waned as my need for perfectionism reared it’s ugly head. I would agonise over my writing…was it good enough, was it meeting people where they needed, was it spiritual enough? I got stuck in my head wading through a truckload of insecurity and negativity.

Sometimes we get stuck. What should bring us joy is suddenly a place where we question ourselves. We can get caught up in perfectionism, comparison, insecurity and fear. All these things stop us in our tracks and take the joy out of what God is calling us into. We place a long list of expectation on ourselves and question our ability to meet it. And then we just stop creating.

I’ve heard it said that our places of greatest strength are often our places of greatest insecurity. Perhaps that’s why they are our greatest strengths…. because they come from a place of fierce courage, a place that requires us to go deep and be vulnerable.

One of my most favourite passages of scripture is found in Luke 7: 36-50 and tells about a woman who brought an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured it over Jesus, weeping she wiped his feet with her tears and anointed his feet with the perfume. This woman was not looked on favourably by others, they spoke of her as unworthy to even touch Jesus and questioned the gift she brought. She was ridiculed but Jesus spoke words of love and honor over her. He saw her deep love for Him in bringing her expensive and costly gift.

I love the courage and the heart behind this gift. This woman gave extravagantly. She held nothing back. Her focus was on Jesus and she was unreserved in giving what she had. She humbled herself before everyone in the room, to love and honor Jesus.

Perfectionism, comparison, fear…they have the power to kill creativity. They will suck the joy and life out of bringing our gifts. They keep us bound and stuck and cause us to live small.

It takes courage to bring our gifts, to offer them to others, to be vulnerable in our creativity. It takes courage to fight perfectionism, comparison, fear. It takes courage to lean into the places of vulnerability, to be willing to share our heart with the world.

Like the woman with the alabaster jar, our gift must come from a place of extravagant love… where we lift our eyes from the gift to the Giver… Where we seek to lift Him up no matter what it costs us… Where we choose courage and imperfection… where we choose to live given.

Blessings!

Tammy

I think we’d all agree the world’s a bit crazy right now. It’s uncertain times for all of us. We’re bombarded with information, confronting photos and statistics, and many are facing the uncertainty of employment. It’s hard not to buy into the fear of scarcity as we scurry to fill our fridges, medicine cabinets and toilet roll holders.

For many of us the inner dialogue of worry and concern is driving an outer response. We feel the need to do something.

At the same time, we’re being asked to socially distance ourselves- to stay home as much as possible and to stop many of the normal routines of our lives. We are being asked to find a new rhythm.

I’ve felt the whisper of God calling to my heart in this stressful time- the reminder to ‘Be still and know that I Am God’ (Psalm 46:10), the sweet call to come closer, to lay down my worries and to find rest in the arms of My Saviour.

His invitation is always to come closer. To exchange our worries and cares for His peace and rest.

Jesus says to us today ‘Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.’ (Matthew 11:28-29)

Oh how my soul needs rest!

The message translation words it like this: ‘Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.’ (Matt 11:28-29 MSG)

In this time of uncertainty we are all being asked to learn a new rhythm, whether we want to or not. We have a choice how we respond, we can continue to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, we can continue to be worn out tired and worried or we can come to Jesus, lay our burdens down and find a new unforced rhythm.

This rhythm comes as we look to Him, as we slow our outward pace as well as our inner pace. It’s a daily rhythm of giving Him our worries and concerns and taking on His rest and peace.

Last week I felt frantic, tired, worn out, emotional. I was given the gift of time and space with Jesus- it was only about 30 minutes but it changed everything. I went for a walk, slowed my pace (literally) and came to a place where I could be still and soak in the truth that He is God and He is here.

I heard His gentle and kind whispers to my soul and I was able to lay down my burdens, my fears, my messiness.

His invitation to come close changed everything! My soul found rest and peace that I had forgotten were mine to have.

We are so blessed that our Heavenly Father is not distant. He loves us and His heart is for us. He cares about us and invites us to come close and exchange our fears for His perfect love. His invitation is for you today. Come close, ‘cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.’ (1Peter 5:7)

His peace and rest is for you today.

Blessings!

Tammy

I refer to this year as the year of ‘living in the wait’. That place between my current reality and where I want to be. The place of longing and desire to step into the dreams God has placed on my heart.

The gap seems big at the moment. The chasm between here and my dreams is miles apart and although I have a strong conviction that I’m right where I should be, I just really want to be over there, living the dream!

Perhaps you’ve been in the wait too. You’ve had big dreams, a calling you feel is from God but the gap between your current reality and your dream is looking miles apart.

It can sometimes feel frustrating when so much is in our hearts for the future and it doesn’t look like anything’s happening that instead of a straight line from here to our dream, the road is full of twists and turns. We can feel disappointed and let down. We may even question if we’ve heard God right.

Although the wait has not been fun, God has met me here. He has grown me and stretched me and taught me things I would not have experienced without walking out the journey. He’s reminded me that the journey is just as important as the destination.

It’s a journey through valleys and mountain tops, deserts and resting beside quiet waters, places where we soar and places where we cry out to God to carry us through. Each place brings greater depth to my soul and a fresh revelation of God as He reveals Himself.

Character is forged in deep places of waiting on God. Depth is not forged when all is going well. Depth is forged as we walk out the journey, as we dig deep and press into God for all we need. As we follow where He leads, even when it doesn’t look like the path we want to take.

Without a doubt, the most precious gift of the journey from here to there is that we don’t walk it alone. Jesus has been my faithful companion… leading, guiding and encouraging. He is on this road with me, the one marked with joy and suffering. He is familiar with the way…in fact, He is the way.

And so the journey is full of beautiful encounters, moments where Jesus comforts, moments where He surprises, moments of sweet rest and refreshment, moments where He takes my hand and pulls me to heights I didn’t think I could go.

On the way there are people to love. God will detour our path, our agenda, our plans to share His love. Sometimes He takes us to places we don’t necessarily want to be because He loves the one and He wants us to also. God is teaching me to trust Him in the detours, to get side-tracked from my own agenda and jump onto His because the one is important.

God reminded me this week that this life I’ve been called to is one of great adventure! I can’t plan it out, control it, fast-track it. It’s a journey of the heart, of intimacy, depth and trust. A great faith adventure where I don’t always know the way ahead, but I know the One who takes me.

And so I’ve let go of the frustration of not being where I want to be and I’m trusting Jesus, my good Shepherd, to lead and guide me and walking in the confidence that He has my future.

Psalm 23 reminds me:

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.  (NIV)

Blessings as you walk out your great faith adventure!

Tammy