Okay, so my heart may have fluttered immensely today when a child at work whom I cherish so very dearly told me that I am their favourite person in the whole world.
the feels.
<3
Is there any sort of job I could get into that centres around working with children, where the focus is pastoral rather than educational and I don’t need to have trained as a teacher?
I’m finding now that I am not fussed about showing them facts so much as I want to show them their value to God, love them and invest in their lives in a way that the rules of the education system don’t allow.
My heart is very much for this, and God knows that.
I am looking to a change of season, a change of work, and perhaps a change of scenery also…
A work colleague and I were talking about my hobbies outside of my job, and writing was mentioned. I also mentioned that I had been doing a few writing challenges and she wanted to set me one too, so here it is! I had to use bewildered, soil, red wood, bubble, view, lost, and insane.
Fall
She was the very essence of Autumn. A picturesque and perfect view of all that signified tightly held hands, leaves of sunset, mahogany and all shades in-between, and the sweet, sweet promise of hibernation. Lost in her own little bubble, she danced on rain-soaked soil; a flowing, carefree motion that graced all who witnessed it. Bewildered by the very notion of chaos, her mind was the kind of vacant not designated for lack of knowledge, but for lack of needless over-complication – choosing to shun what drives so many insane, this beautiful heart opts for tranquility.
Standing out like the knotted red wood of a refuge amongst evergreen woodland.
She is Autumn.
She is beautiful.
Don’t pin perfect hopes on imperfect people,
rather the God of Heaven and Earth,
Whose love endures,
mercy persists,
and faithfulness continues infinitely.
God, rebuild and replace my heart and mind with a view to astound this man who has let himself become stuck on dead ends for far too long now!
Sometimes, the ones we profess to be different, and ‘not like all the others’ turn out to be very much like all the others, as do we ourselves. The guys and girls that catch our attention and set our pulses racing are no more superior than the ones we wouldn’t choose to give the time of day to, just because they’re not ‘our type’ - eye colour, hair, taste in music, clothing, size of physical features or their build can all impact the motivation to simply interact with another human being. The Bible calls us to love everyone, not just the tall, athletic guy who sends cutesy texts or the girl with a pretty smile who makes you laugh. When did the thread of kindness and courtesy slip so subtly out of the needle that weaves the fabric of society?
Personal preference gets in the way of loving for the sake of just loving, as we seek the ones who keep us up at night with attempts at mind-reading, decoding ‘signals’ and thoughts of the future, vague to extraordinary; fantastical even. When we find that individual, so much energy is poured into pursuing that ideal and obtaining the sought-after prize of ‘the one’ that we go to silly lengths, make rash decisions, and allow our thinking to become clouded.
There are occasions when our efforts can pay off; a date here, a slow memorable kiss under a tree there. It may even lead to Coupledom, where Facebook friends suddenly become nosier and food rations at home are stretched to cater for a regular +1; if that is the case in your own life then congratulations, you are mightily blessed and I wish you every happiness as a resident of Relationshipville. However for those of us currently without companion, the search goes on, and as it does, more often than not, our imperfect hearts combine with our fragile minds resulting in, well, an imperfect and fragile outcome. So great is the fear of rejection and lifelong solitude, our human nature and instinct for self-sustain winds up grabbing out at any attempt to cast someone of altogether equal standing into a spotlight illuminated by nothing more than the hopes and dreams past that we once pinned on another and ultimately had wash back ashore at our feet in failure.
The question is; with a Saviour who is blameless to cast our love upon;
why chase the ‘true love’ that mankind has so poorly interpreted?
May I just say that you are all so beautiful.
I mean, I look around on here and all I seem to see while I’m scrolling down that Dash is beautiful hearts matched up to beautiful faces.
And I mention hearts first because they’re more important than any external features.
Seeing all this beauty around me?
Well, that makes my heart very happy.
Keep up the good work, lovely ones. :)
A sincere thankyou to all those who prayed - he is now back from the hospital, and they have confirmed there is no irregular activity in his heart, and it is most likely a minor pressure in his chest brought on by stress or anxiety that will occasionally appear, and then pass.
They pumped a fair amount of blood from him though, so he’s pretty drained (for want of a more suitable word) right now.
Once again, I cannot thank you enough for your prayers;
God provided as ever, and not for one second did anybody have cause to doubt!
Praise His name. :)
Finally, can I just reiterate how incredibly beautiful you all are? And for once I don’t just mean the ‘on the inside, wonderful people’ beautiful…but in appearance. I scroll down through my list of ‘followers’ (a term I don’t like attaching to those who read my blog), and I can’t help but see gorgeous face after pretty complexion - you are all so attractive on the outside, with your various colour eyes, hair of all lengths and colours, platted, curly and flowing, short and extravagant..and those smiles; those stunning grins and dimples…you’re all physically and facially blessed, no doubt… and then to cap it all off, it is matched by your glowing personas!
Current / future spouses ought to consider themselves very fortunate. I do just for having a little square snapshot of y’all at the side of my screen. :)
Have a smashing day, friends, and God keep you and provide you with all that you need this Sabbath!
:)
So in the morning we’re taking our youth from Church away for 5 days, coming back Friday.
We’re staying at this awesome converted farmhouse in Wales, surrounded by wonderful countryside, with coast nearby and a forest complete with big ol’ treehouse.
It’s going to be good to get out of this town. Both for the young people and for me too; I desperately need it.
Keep us in your prayers please - mainly that God would do a great work in guiding and captivating these young lives in an age where the sway and pulling power of the world and its promises can be all too difficult to withstand. I long to see Him shake the foundations of all they know and blow their minds wide open to His goodness and mercy…I want it more than I desire breath in my lungs.
Also pray for me - that I would understand afresh the value God places over my life, and that I would be given a new lease of life in Him that might enable me to serve these folks and all around me in the way they deserve.
There’ll be the odd Instagram post while i’m away..you can always message me if you find for some bizarre reason that you’re missing my madness, or you can get me on my twitter, fbook, email or my number if you have/want it…
I hope you all have a lovely week; I know i am not around nearly as often as i used to be, and i always apologise and say how much you all mean to me but honestly, you have no idea. So many beautiful minds, lives, hearts and faces line the walls of this place, almost all of whom are people I’ve never met. To those of you who recently added me, i would love to speak with you, and i WILL, so don’t go anywhere! However, i am currently thinking about the future lifespan of this blog and other things of mine - I mean it’s great what God has allowed me to share and learn, but perhaps it has run its course and is now a mere distraction as opposed to a useful tool that i’m not making the best use of.
We shall see.
Bless you all and may health, joy and peace be yours.
Love,
Shaun
:)
Truth be told, none of us ever could by our own power; we simply try to nudge God into imparting His wisdom unto us.
If and when He wants to share, He shall.
We’ve no right to demand or expect otherwise.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
- 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV)
This passage of scripture highlights something important for us all, as is the case with all of God’s Word. However, today I particularly feel compelled to share this as encouragement - both to those of you who are currently seeking wisdom and direction from God regarding your calling in this world, and those of you whose passion is already clear, and are in the midst of living it out.
In a nutshell, this scripture assures us that if we confirm what it is that God has called us to do, we can motivate ourselves and pursue it wholeheartedly. The end result? a rich welcome into Heaven. Not a streewise *nod* of acknowledgement upon your entry, but the sort of warm embrace, I imagine, that we so often see on the screen and subsequently long for from one we cherish in our own lives.
So, for those of you who know where God is drawing you, I say this; keep on pursuing it and don’t lose courage. Do not steer away from that direction unless the Lord clearly gives you reason to. Remain sensitive to His Spirit in all things and take pleasure in knowing that your treading of said path is not only fulfilling His plans for your life, but is cementing a heart-lifting greeting on that glorious day we enter into His Kingdom!
For those of you who feel lost, without clear indication of your purpose or doubting your worth and usefulness to God at all, I offer you this -
Don’t give up that search.
Rest in His Spirit, spend time in His beautiful presence and seek out His will for you above all else. He makes everything good in it’s season, says scripture, and that may mean by next weekend you’ll be set to go hand Bibles out to remote villages, it may mean your calling is to minister to those in your home town…you may not get that definitive wisdom for a decade.
But do not become stagnant…don’t tread water and flit around aimlessly just to pass the time, when you could be busy simply fulfilling the most basic instruction we receive as followers of Christ - to share His love and Gospel with the world around us!
You may have a passion for broken youths, for music ministry, writing, or travel…whatever it is, God knows better than you do the weight of value and importance it holds to you…He won’t let that go to waste or have overlooked it, my friend. Who knows, perhaps your calling is a mystery to you because your focus isn’t quite on what it should or could be…that’s why it is so important to be in communion with the Lord at every stage, so that His hold over your heart isn’t compromised and control taken away…He cannot be a guiding light for your path if you won’t come out from darkness.
God will get you to where your heart can serve Him best, if you let Him take the wheel.
Bless you, one and all. :)
Guard your hearts, dear ones,
guard them well.
For too many are hurt at the hands of others’ actions and their own reckless urgency.
Keep that beautiful thing in your chest for somebody who will cherish it like God, but not steer it from Him for any moment beyond that first instance in which you are drawn in by their spiritual beauty in the Lord.
That would explain how it can be so aflame for serving the youth of this world and yet weeps for them at the same time.
Send me, Lord. I’ll go at the drop of a hat.
Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV)
You can do the math; That’s EVERY part of you, my friend!
