Poisoned Minds

When my sister and I were both newly-weds, we used to play this so-called game about who had the worst husband story to tell. I would eagerly relate how mine did this or said that, often exaggerating the truth, and then she would try to come up with something her own husband did to try and beat mine!  I don’t know why we did it, except that we both seemed to find it rather entertaining and amusing!  It wasn’t until after my sister and my husband had a fall-out, that I realized how I had poisoned her mind against him. You see, I had failed to share any of my husband’s good points and had only highlighted his weaknesses. You could say I had altered her perspective and had poisoned her mind towards him, and it took many years to rectify that.

I have learnt that when our minds are poisoned towards someone, it creates a barrier that makes it difficult to love them. The same could be true with what I’ve previously shared about step-mums and in-laws! We need to be aware of how dangerous it is to have a poisoned mind towards someone and how it’s even more so, when we are the ones doing the poisoning when we gossip about others.  

If we are guilty of this, then we need to ask God to remove the poison in our minds and also in those we've helped to create.  I believe God's love can rid us of this poison. 

Step-Mums & Mother-In-Laws

One of my beliefs in life is based on personal experience. That is that Satan has poisoned our minds to dislike our step-parents and in-laws! I believe this is one of his many devices he uses to try and destroy families. He knows that if we don’t get along, our relationship will suffer. We are brought up with fairy-tales and films telling us that they are ‘evil’ and that we are to consider them our enemies, so we label them as such. We go through life with this pre-conceived filter that tells us to hate them, no matter what!  This was true with my own step-mum. Granted, I was also jealous that she had taken away my dad’s attention, but recently I’ve found myself battling to remember the reasons why I hated her.  After my dad died in 1993, I chose to lose contact with my step-mum and now, after nearly 20 years, I find myself re-united with her by the grace of God, and loving it!

I had the same instant dislike towards my mother-in-law. We all know the famous jokes about being enemies with them, and I guess it was true with mine! Despite the fact that we share the same birthday and are very much alike, over the years we seem to have rubbed each other the wrong way on many occasions. I remember a time when I was really battling to love her that God told me to call her ‘Mum’! I was horrified at the very thought of it. It wasn’t because I was worried about what my own mum might think, as she had passed away many years before, but the mere notion of it churned in my stomach.  However, I can share that when I chose to obey this seemingly small command, our relationship was somehow instantly healed. It was almost as if my poisoned mind had been emptied and I was able to see her with new eyes and a new filter – ‘Mum’. 

We need to realize this tactic of the Devil and see people without labels. We should love them for who they really are and ignore what society tells us how we should feel towards them.  Just love them instead and see how good it can be…

Cleaning our Hearts

I’ve learnt a powerful spiritual lesson from the cleaning of my shower. Because it is one of my least favourite jobs, I tend to do it less frequently than I know I should.  But when I do, it’s then that I realize, that just like our hearts, 

if we neglect it too long, then it is so much harder and takes so much longer than necessary to clean, than if we did it regularly. 

Somehow, the muck and grime gets into places that are difficult to reach and needs stronger cleaning materials and tougher brushing.  Our hearts are like that. When we neglect all the offenses we’ve picked up and all the sinful attitudes we’ve had, without repenting and asking God for forgiveness, then they tend to block up our spiritual arteries that restricts the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Like a shower cubicle, our hearts need regular cleaning – even daily, if we want to function well.  What I try and do is when I’m lying in bed at the end of the day, I reflect of everything that happened and I try to identify things that need releasing, forgiving and changing, which in turn becomes the start of my evening prayer.  

Nature's Medicine

I’ve recently finished an excellent book by the Author Barbara Brown Taylor called ‘Leaving Church’.  It is a book that I recommend every person in Ministry should read. Among many other lessons learnt, I discovered the importance of honouring the Sabbath. This sadly seems to have been forgotten as our lives have gotten more hectic over the years and yet it is one of the 10 Commandments.  I remember when I was growing up in South Africa, nothing was even open on a Sunday. It has unfortunately completely changed since then, but even in Scotland, it is hard to maintain a day of rest in our lives, when everything continues to buzz around us.  For me, Sunday seems the obvious day to choose, as going to Church in the morning is a good way to start the day right, but I admit it’s a struggle to not ‘work’ for the remainder of the day.  In her book, Barbara shares how coming back to nature has the ability to restore our balance and peace. I learnt that nature is God’s medicine to do this. So for one day, I challenge you to join me in getting back to nature - sit on a park bench, or watch and listen to the birds, or take a walk on the beach. Whatever you choose to do, stop, rest and take in nature’s scenery while breathing out all your troubles from the week. I don’t believe it matters what day we choose, especially since so many of us do work odd hours, but for one day, or even just a part of one, we need to press the pause button in our lives, take a break from its many demands and get back in touch with nature.  It’s a lesson that has so many benefits for your mind and body, that once we start, we will understand why God made it a command…

A Reason for Everything

Sometimes life is easier to bear when we remind ourselves that in everything there is a reason.  We may not always understand why certain things happen, but if we trust in God that He is in control and knows what He is doing, we can rest assured that He will not allow anything to happen that will not be some kind of benefit to our lives. Yes, sometimes we make wrong choices in life that causes negative consequences, and yes, Satan is responsible for causing a lot of our chaos, trying to steal our peace and joy, but God has the ability to turn it all to our good. 

I am always encouraged to remember the autobiography of a well-known Christian author, Corrie Ten Boom, and learning how, whilst in a Nazi Christian Camp, even she battled to find a reason to be thankful to God for the dreaded fleas that had invaded their camp. It was only after the war that she discovered that even the nasty fleas were part of God’s amazing plan, knowing they would have prevented her camp from being overly patrolled by the wardens, and thus allowing her to witness and fellowship freely with her forbidden Bible! 

I like to think that God knows what battles in life will grow and strengthen our faith. So if you find yourself today in the depths of despair, don’t give up hope – just trust God that He has a plan for your life and is busy working it out. Seek out the positives and try to find reasons to be thankful for.  Life can be sweet – sometimes we just have to change our perspective on it… Like that famous saying goes, when life gives you lemons, learn to make lemonade!!