Five lifehacks I learnt from a rather inexpensive IKEA lamp!

Hi Diary,

I love it when the most mundane things around my house teach me something! A hamster cage, an apple, even a solar panel, they have all taught me valuable lessons or "life hacks" as we call it now. Not long ago, this little lamp has taught me something also. It kind of felt as if it was talking to me. Quite amazing considering that the lamp doesn't even seem to have a mouth. But let's start at the beginning...

Long time ago, I bought this little lamp at IKEA in Europe and it has been on my night table for many years now. Always silent, but always ready to shine. That's what it's made for. The years went by and some were happier than others, but this little lamp never had anything to say. With two ears and two eyes it seemed to observe and listen but it never spoke. After all...it's just a lamp! Right?

But this little lamp has seen me cry. Just like you. Did you ever wonder why? Without going into details, let me just say that my childhood has included less ups and more downs and I have often felt unwanted, unworthy and also very angry at times. As I journeyed through the years, battling with feelings of rejection and shame, I have cried many tears, especially at night.  But I did what everyone else seem to be doing: in the morning, I put on a smile and I journeyed on. All the while, deep inside, I was hiding a profound sadness that no one seemed to understand and only I knew that my smile frequently was fake. I became a wife, then a mother and I still carried the sadness inside. Then, one day seven years ago, I faced a major burnout, a dangerous illness and a desperate need to heal. Several years of physical and emotional healing followed and today, by the grace of God, I am now completely healed. But in the process, I did cry many more times and all through these years this little lamp was a silent witness to my tears.

Then, on a very normal day when I was just cleaning my room, I switched the lamp on and noticed some dark spots inside. Some kind of dirt seem to have accumulated on the inside of the lamp that couldn't be wiped away from the outside, not unless I took it apart. The dirt on the inside didn't change the purpose of the lamp, but it did seem to dim the light quite a bit and in a very sudden and unexpected moment of self-reflection, I really felt sorry for that lamp. Because I realized, that for many years now, I felt that my light had been dimmed. Rejection seems to have a sure way of dimming our light! It can leave us feeling diminished or "unable to shine".

People are rejected daily and write in their diary, so I have no doubt that you know what I am talking about. I have been rejected by my own dad. But others might have been rejected by a spouse or a superior at work or anyone else. I know that even the smallest kids at school already have stories of rejection to tell. How sad! There are so many ways that we can end up feeling rejected and while every type of rejection seems to have a way of leaving us feeling sad, unloved and unworthy, some actually have the potential of leaving us almost "dirty" inside. Not real dirt of course, but some kind of unwanted and undeserved guilt or shame and like with this little lamp, it seems to accumulate over the years.  

So, on the day when I was cleaning my house, my little lamp finally opened it's (invisible) mouth and ended up teaching me five important things. Here they are:

1. Each and every one of us is made for a purpose and this purpose doesn't change, no matter how much baggage or "dirt" we accumulate inside! Rejection can make us feel unworthy and "dimmed" but it still doesn't change the fact that there's a reason for you and me being here. Perhaps you don't know your "purpose", neither did I, but having regular quiet times sure did shed some light on it for me. (Pardon the pun!) The point the little lamp was making to me is, that even if you are feeling a little dirty inside...you can still shine! Shine, whenever you have an opportunity, even if you are not squeaky clean! 

2. Nobody is perfect. Most likely everyone has a little bit of "dirt" building up within. Unfortunately this little lamp cannot clean itself and neither can I. It can only be cleaned by it's creator or supplier (IKEA) or the buyer (me) but it clearly cannot clean itself. That gave me a bright idea! Since God is my creator and Jesus paid for me at the cross, they must be the ones I ought to ask to cleanse me if I am in trouble and unable to shine. In the past, I have tried many times to cleanse myself of all my sad feelings, but they always came back. However, once I asked God to take care of them, when I finally started to pray that He would take them away...surprise! Little by little they disappeared and with them went the guilt and shame. The words in Psalm 51:7 "Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life." (MSG) became a personal reality for me, even if I'm not snow-white yet!

3. The "position" of the lamp doesn't affect its purpose at all. Think about it. it is totally irrelevant where you place this little lamp, where it stands or where you plug it in. Its purpose is always to shine and it can shine absolutely anywhere. In a one-room apartment or in a mansion, at home or at work, the purpose of the lamp is not to find the right place to stand, the purpose has always been and will always be - just to shine! If and when it needs to. Likewise, I believe that God also has a purpose for each and everyone of us and I am sure that it is not about position or wealth either. It really doesn't matter whether I am a Home Executive or a Board Executive, a street vendor in India or a boutique owner on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. What matters is that, for today, I give it the best I can, wherever I am!

4. My favorite bible teacher often says, "Live by example and talk only if absolutely necessary." This is certainly the case with this little lamp and no surprise, considering that it has two ears, two eyes and a nose, but no mouth. Living by example, is much more effective than living by "speech", especially with children. Ask any mom! But I must admit, that I have been somewhat challenged by that. I do like to talk and sometimes I still talk too much. But I am trying and every day I hope to do a bit better than on my last.

5. And one more thing! I have learnt from my little lamp that when my energy runs low it is time to plug in! Plugging in can mean different things to different people. I like to sit still for a little while and just be quiet. But you might like to move and go to gym or have a breakfast with a good friend at a local Café. Whatever you fancy, whether you ponder about life and read the bible or dance around in your own living room, as long as you recharge your batteries and take a few minutes away from your routine...it will definitely help to be able to shine again for the rest of the day!

So, these are the 5 things that this little lamp has taught me so far and I mostly need to remember that, especially as a mom, it doesn't matter so much what I say to my children, it matters that I look at them, listen to them, breathe deeply before I reply and...try to shine. Thinking before I speak and living by example are things I still have to practice every day. But I am sure I am not the only one. These 5 lessons probably apply to anyone, not just moms! I might have accumulated some "baggage" or "dirty spots" over time and I do sometimes feel a little "dim", but when I plug in, well, I really do get a good clean and then I remember that I am meant to shine. I know now that we can't fix the past, but we can live each day better than our last! Tomorrow is a new day, so let's try...

If anyone can think of anything else that this little lamp might be able teach me, please do leave me a comment below! I do hope that this post has lit up someone's day just a tiny bit and that we all...

...HAVE A BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL WEEK!

(All photos are my own.)

Breathe MOM!!

One of the most important life hacks for moms I have ever learnt (and perhaps for anyone else coming to think of it), I have learnt while flying to Europe. I wrote a blog post in October 2012 about it, but for your convenience it is now on YouTube! I hope you enjoy it! All you need is 3 minutes and 22 seconds... 😉😄

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

IRONMAN taught me that life is an endurance race...let's do it together!

My new blog post is out! But it has moved to a "Page" attached to my blog. Just follow the link below if you are curious at all, how YOU could become or might already be an IRONMAN contestant. Simply click on the runners below or on the link on the top right corner of my blog.

🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

NATURE TALKS !?!

Ahhh, I just have to show you this!! Beware - this will be my "largest looking" blog post ever, but amazingly it will take you less than 10 minutes to read!

A couple of days ago I took a walk through my neighborhood and I suddenly noticed something I had never seen before. You see, I was pondering about how one's childhood can profoundly affect the present life and how often, nowadays, we carry baggage that is not really ours. Baggage that was loaded onto us by our parents, even if it wasn't done intentionally. So, my thoughts circled around being "psychologically predisposed" or, like I called it in one of my first blog posts, "I limp because my mother limped and I have been watching her for all these years". That's when I noticed some rather unhealthy looking trees...

They were obviously growing wild and they had some really strange looking growths on them. I noticed that almost every tree in my neighborhood seemed to be affected and I wondered if it is just some kind of harmless fungal infection that was spreading quite rampantly. Linking into the thoughts that were on my mind, I was curious if, with so many unhealthy trees around, it would still possible for any of them to grow normally? Or were they predisposed per say? I can't tell you why, but I felt an instant connection with these trees and I almost felt sorry for them, because many of them were misshaped and there seemed to be little chance for a new tree to grow normally among all this obvious affliction. Oddly enough though, there was ONE...just one single tree in the midst of them all that was growing perfectly healthy. This tree seemed to be completely unaffected by all the other ones!

I was intrigued! So the next time I went for a walk I took my camera with. I took one or two pictures and it was as if suddenly all the trees wanted to speak to me! Not in words of course! I haven't gone all wacky on you. (Smiles!) But I did see some amazingly familiar things and I thought that it might be worth sharing...

 
First I saw this one...a perfectly normal suburban tree. It actually had some thorns on and it reminded me of neighbors that can sometimes be a bit "thorny" too.

 




Then there was this one...a boxed-in tree. Much like a teenager, it is only allowed to grow within set boundaries and like some teenage hairstyles, it has a distinct discoloration at the top if its crown.

A few meters further on, I passed this little thing...and I couldn't help feeling that this was me! Under-watered, unattended outside the boundary wall, this tree was trying to make it anyway! I paused and shared a moment of camaraderie, then I moved on...

Around the corner, I passed a perfectly manicured tree. I have met a couple of people like that and I must confess, they usually irritate me. Not because of any doing of theirs, but more as a result of my own jealousy since they clearly have a whole lot more water than me!

Moving on again, I saw this rather imposing tree that just simply demanded attention! It was grand, almost striking and definitely dramatic, but I must admit it didn't impress me nearly as much as the healthy ONE among all the ill-fated trees.

Only a little further I passed a comparatively ill-manicured hedge which reminded me of a family with a bunch of slightly ill-mannered and unruly kids...

...and then I paused in front of this pitiful tree. Shame! Having seen all these other trees growing "free" it seemed a little wrong for this beautiful palm tree to be locked up like this! And yet, isn't this a strangely familiar sight? Most of the kids in my neighborhood actually grow up behind bars like this. They are meant for our protection, but they do also keep us "in".

So here's the thing, I really want to know how anyone who has grown up among "ill-fated" trees can survive and become a healthy tree and on my walk, the answer dropped on me like a bucket of water when I was looking at the "healthy tree"! That tree just simply signified Jesus! After all, it was the only boldly healthy and unaffected tree among so many others that seemed rather doomed. It was strong and a perfect example of healthy growth. Yet it was by no means boastful, not even very eye-catching, but undoubtedly awe-inspiring and somewhat majestic. You should have been there to see it with your own eyes! My photo (see above) probably doesn't do it enough justice!

Having grown up among "afflicted" trees, one seems to be needing a clean slate at first (signified by the large field that I passed later on my walk) and Jesus promised that we would get such a clean slate if we invite Him into our hearts! We make a new beginning...

 

...and having made such a new beginning we would start again. Just like this little one. An offshoot from an existing tree, but somehow "born again" in the midst of our present lives, except this time with no predisposition - HURRAY!

I laughed when I saw this little one because it reminded me of "new" Christians that might still be a little stubborn and cautiously armored. Everyone's different and some of us, including me, might have a slightly rougher looking exterior. As a matter of fact, Jesus will give us such armor if and when we need it!

 
So that's how nature was talking to me and it was as if I wandered from the past to the present in one short walk, but God wasn't finished with me yet! I was about to see the future! Towards the end of my walk, I saw that if I carry on growing I will bear fruit...

 
...and despite small beginnings, with Jesus inside my heart and with His light as my guidance, I too will one day stand GRAND and TALL!

All I have to do in the meantime is to be careful of imposturous lights! Not all lights in this world are the genuine thing and man-made lights are rather dim compared to the real thing and they don't always inspire healthy growth.

I am almost finished! But I want to show you a couple more pictures that had very special meaning too...

 

If you grew up in a home with good and healthy boundaries, then your present probably looks something like this - a well tended garden with little weeds and I am truly happy for you!

But if you grew up in a rocky and dimly-lit place, then don't despair for there is definitely hope for you too! I grew up like that and I have made it through and so can you!

All in all, I have walked just over 2kms today and I attracted some strange looks along the way, probably because of some of the oddly chosen subjects for my photographs, but I think it was well worth the effort...what do you think? If you have time, please leave me a comment below and let me know if you had a new look at the trees during your next walk through your neighborhood. 

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEK!

P.s. Some pictures haven't made it into the article, but they are very nice too, so I decided to create a little "picture blooper reel". Here are...

The "twins" - both unmistakably beautiful and lucky to have each other...

 

The "lollipops" - little well shaped trees, lining up like well-manicured school kids at the teacher's door and too beautiful not to be included! Don't you agree?

All photos are my own.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In my last blog post I wrote about NOT wanting to leave my "comfort zone". Today I want to write about leaving it voluntarily, which can actually be loads of fun! 

Yesterday, me and my daughter created a little Merry Christmas video. (Sorry for being two days late, I had to wait for the gym to re-open!!) I had a rather silly idea and I wanted to see if I could actually put it into practice and quite unexpectedly...I ended up having loads of fun!

So, here is my funny, belated and somewhat silly way of wishing you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY and HEALTHY New Year!

 

This video was ample proof for me that sometimes you just gotta do something out of your comfort zone, whether you are below 50 or above! There really is no age restriction on fun!

But I did also make a rather sober observation during the process of making this video. You see, this little video only took me about 15 minutes to record at the gym (perhaps not a very professional effort, but remember, it was only meant to be fun) and another 60 minutes to create and edit afterwards. However, it took me almost a whole day to share it on social media! So it appears to me that the time effort of making it stood in stark contrast to the time effort of sharing it and I just wondered...is technology saving us time or is it actually stealing it? Are we gaining time with all these new "smart phones" and "smart technology" or are we loosing it rapidly without noticing? I certainly don't want to make any judgments or point fingers at any particular social media platform, but I can't help wondering...

Wasn't all this new technology supposed to make our lives easier and perhaps even save some time? But from my observation yesterday, it appears to me that it's doing quite the opposite! Just putting this little video on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram clearly took longer than actually making it. You could certainly say that perhaps I am just not practiced enough and that I didn't need to post it on all three platforms, but I must admit that doing so was quite tempting and I can't help feeling that somewhere along the way, at the cost of my own spare time, I might have been over-communicating? What do YOU think? What are your thoughts on social media? Are you giving it as much time as you want to over this Festive Season or is it somehow "taking" more?

Perhaps my thoughts are best summarized by a greeting card that I once held in my hands. I remember it so clearly. There was a curious looking little man with blue pants and a green jersey on the front page of the card, staring up into the night sky filled with twinkling stars. But the text below the little man read as follows: "I do not believe in contacting beings in outer space..." and on the inside of the card it finished with: "...I have enough troubles staying in touch with my friends here on Earth." Don't you love it?! I think that is what I experienced yesterday. I loved making the video and communicating with the "world at large", but it left very little actual time for my own family. 

I suppose we all get to choose what we spend our time on and creating this video definitely was great fun, but it also reminded me of the value of time. So if you have better things to do - don't comment! Rather spend time with your family. But if you have a minute or two to spare, please leave me a comment below. Either way, I hope you enjoyed my video and I once again wish you...

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HEALTHY and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

(Feel free to share my video!)

Out of my comfort zone! HELP!!!

Hi, this is me...I'm Hammy!

Ahhh, I've got to introduce you to my new best friend. Him and I have so much in common, except of course, that he is a lot cuter than me! This is "Hammy", our hamster, and though he is such a small and seemingly insignificant creature, he has taught me a lesson or two!

This is my home when it's being cleaned...

Recently, when my daughter was cleaning his cage, he was being his usual restless self again. He doesn’t seem to like this cage-cleaning-procedure at all. I suppose it is understandable from his point of view since out in nature, he wouldn’t exactly do a spring clean every Saturday afternoon. But the problem is that by the end of a week he tends to start smelling a little bit more than we can bear and so he has no choice but to succumb to the unwanted procedure at least every second week.

...and this is where they put me while I wait.

For the duration of the clean-out he usually gets transferred to a temporary housing facility (a bucket) and is given a blanket for comfort and some food. This is a decent solution in our opinion, but it’s an opinion he doesn't seem to share. He actually gets quite frantic after a while and doesn’t seem to understand why he has been relocated. In that moment, he is not able to recognize that his predicament is only temporary.

Ahhh, I am getting some much needed TLC!

Nonetheless, we have to do what needs to be done and in order to help him over this stressful time, I occasionally hold him in the palm of my hand. He snuggles in and I give him a gentle back massage while I whisper to him that it's all going to be ok. He seems to LOVE that and it always helps a great deal to calm him down and he often just dozes off in my hand. When his cage is finally finished and ready, I set him down in the middle of it and watch him as he eagerly runs around the cage and sniffs on everything, as if to reassure himself that it is all back where it ought to be.

Not Hammy's but MY comfort zone...

I so feel for the little chap, because I can definitely relate to this kind of behavior. This is so me! I stress too when my home gets disrupted, perhaps to a lesser degree now then I used to, but I display the same sort of behavior when, for example, an unscheduled “handyman” rocks up at my door in order to fix some or the other thing in my home and inadvertently almost always upsets my whole daily routine and leaves me with a grand mess to clean! Or when my car, which I sorely depend on, goes for a service and unexpectedly takes much longer than it was supposed to. Such unwelcome surprises always leave me feeling very displaced and they can create anxious emotions in me. This is when I need a little reassurance, just like Hammy, in order to get me through these stressful times.When I struggle to see the "bigger picture" and I have a rather desperate need for "order" around me, I retreat into my quiet time chair. Just for a little while until the emotions settle. A couple of minutes of solitude can already do wonders for a restless soul! My quiet time chair is my place of comfort and I do hope that you have such a place too! This is where I get a little TLC from God and I hear that everything is going to be ok. Sometimes it helps to read some Scripture and sometimes I just listen to my own thoughts, but I always feel better afterwards!

Hammy is undergoing food therapy... ;)

Hammy and I both stress and both of us need someone to help us through these stressful times, but most importantly, I have realized when I was holding him, that sometimes it is perfectly ok to take a break and get a little TLC - wherever and whenever you can! When everything is over and Hammy is once again settled in his cage, he likes to indulge in a blueberry, which by the way is my favorite fruit too! So, now you know my new "quiet time buddy" and I would love to know how YOU cope with stressful times. If you have a moment, please leave me a comment below! As always, wishing you...

A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL WEEK!

(All photos are my own.) 

Frozen Free Fall Devotional - NOW on my Facebook Page!

I have launched a weekly devotional based on the gaming app "Frozen Free Fall". I hope you are enjoying it! 😄 Believe it or not, I really did learn some valuable lessons from this gaming app. 😉 Here are some sneak previews and if you would like to read the devotional, just click on any of these pictures:

Enjoy...and HAVE A GREAT WEEK! 💕

Frozen Free Fall Devotional - soon on my Facebook Page!

Starting this Sunday 19th June 2016, I will be launching a weekly devotional based on the gaming app "Frozen Free Fall". You didn't think you could learn something from a gaming app? Oh, I believe you can!! 😉 Curious? Be sure to pop over this Sunday and every Sunday to check it out! Here's the link:

Enjoy...and HAVE A SUPER WEEK!

Life lessons from a Rubik's Cube - SERIOUSLY?

My Rubik's Cube devotional message from this blog is NOW on YouTube, but whether it is any good will be up to my viewers. 😉 

You can view it right here and let me know what you think:

              

I would love a thumbs up 👍 if you like it!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Solar vs. Nuclear - mom BEWARE!

This month, for whatever reason, a song from "way back when" has been popping into my head quite frequently. It is titled "Hiroshima" and if by any chance you remember the Beatles then you might remember this one too. It was recorded by a band called "Wishful Thinking" in 1969 in rememberance of the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima at the end of the Second World War. It's not the bomb though that I have been pondering about, it is "nuclear" things in general. Especially nuclear plants.

Nuclear plants are only one type of many different kind of power plants in the world and I would like to take a closer look at nuclear and solar plants with you. Why? Because I have been both! I used to be a "nuclear plant" and recently migrated my energy source to "solar" and perhaps you might be able to relate to what I have been pondering about.

A nuclear plant, as you might know, works from "within". I don't want to go into too many technical details, so for the purpose of my blog it will hopefully suffice to say that a nuclear plant is fueled by its uranium core. The uranium atoms are split and since the process is very delicate it needs a very reliable cooling system and constant monitoring and balancing. Nuclear power plants, if not controlled stringently, are prone to get out of control. 

Chernobyl sarcophagus (right, cracked) and new dome (left)

In 1986, in a nuclear plant in Chernobyl, a systems test got out of control and the result was a massive and widely spread "fallout" with long lasting effects in the Soviet Union and Europe. Experts later found that there were deficiencies in the operating instructions and the design of the plant. After the fires had been put out, their only solution to contain the smouldering radiating core was to enclose it in a sarcophagus made out of concrete. They covered it up. But the sarcophagus subsequently started to rust and is now showing a massive crack. Almost all people must have been evacuated from the area by now, but the plant is still radiating today and there is a new project underway to completely enclose the plant with a protective dome. Chernobyl, sadly, is not the only disaster we have had in the world. Fukushima, a nuclear plant in Japan was severely affected by a massive tsunami which caused various equipment failures and a disastrous loss of coolant in 2011 and their fallout might have lasting consequences for many years too. Now, I know that nuclear power stations are meant to be rather safe and are producing a massive amount of energy around the world, but they scare me, despite their benefits.

Solar plants, on the other hand, don't scare me at all. They seem so peaceful and I have never heard of a fallout created by a solar plant. That's because they don't have an unstable core. In simple terms and very much as a summary, they soak up the sun, store up the energy received and then give it back in the form of electricity. Much safer! There is no risk of toxic radiation and no delicate cooling system required either. On cloudy days, they still work, just on a slightly smaller energy output and in places where there is not enough other energy to go around, solar paneling is the new up and coming thing!

You might rightfully ask by now...what is she talking about?? Nuclear? Solar? On a mother's blog? Here is my point: I don't know what drives you in life and where you are getting your energy from, but I used to be somewhat of a nuclear plant. I too was driven by my own inner core, which I perceived to be rather safe at the time. But using my own energy to make everything happen as a mom often felt as if I had to split myself into too many pieces and my cooling system was just not adequate to cope with this. It might work, if you have granny and a series of friends nearby to take over once in a while and let you rest. That's what I would call a good cooling system! But in my case there was no granny at hand and I did not want to trouble my friends. Perhaps that was my mistake. I drove myself to a point of "fallout", I lost my cool more than once or twice and sometimes I wonder about long lasting effects on the family vibe. You could say that my family management plan at the time was flawed. I needed help. Fortunately, like in Fukushima, my personal "fallout" was fairly soon contained, but I have learnt a thing or two about power moms.

If driven by our own inner core, which more often than not is aggravated by insecurities, we can become dangerously unstable quite easily unless...we decide to swap the power source! It took a major incident in my life for me to allow God to turn me from Nuclear to Solar and I am so glad that he did! I used to be a perfectionist, always trying to run at 120% power and occasionally, I still try to be a "nuclear plant" (working from within my own strength, desperately trying to balance things) and that's when, fortunately now in a much smaller way, I usually still blow. But on most days, either in the morning or throughout the day, I sit for a moment and soak in God's love. Like the solar plant in the picture above, I just sit there and do nothing at all other than soaking up the sun. I soak up the peace and quietness of the moment into my heart and then and only then do I have enough "safe" energy to give off all day. You could say that much like the solar paneling on our roof, I first fill up my batteries and then use the "overflow" to energize the appliances respectively the people in the house. No more struggling and no more instability! All it takes is...a good quiet time!

So, now you know why I have been thinking about nuclear plants and the question from me to you is - what kind of a power plant are you? You are most welcome to leave me a comment below and share your own thoughts on what might be "safe energy". I would love to hear your ideas! For now...

 I wish you a GREAT and energized week!

(Photo is my own.)

Survive your fear!

 
Are you facing FEAR? The kind of gut wrenching fear that comes with a very bad medical diagnosis or maybe with impending financial ruin? Perhaps you are about to loose your house and you really don't know how to make it till the end of the month? I suddenly faced fear when I was given a cancer diagnosis six years ago. At first it was paralyzing me and it literally felt as if it wanted to "eat me up", just like this tiger would if he really was alive and standing in front of you! But I survived, not only the cancer, but also the fear! I have now created a very short video of my story and posted it on YouTube in order to encourage anyone else who struggles with fear.

Click here to watch

This video is my personal testimony and explains, with the help of the movie Life of Pi, how I survived the fear I was facing after I received my "bad news". It really doesn't matter what the cause if for your fear, Life of Pi will hopefully inspire you, just like it inspired me, to face and overcome your fears. I made it and I am sure so can you! Please share this video with anyone who you think might need it. I believe that facing your fears is one of the biggest steps you can take towards healing and restoration and I can honestly say that I am healed today in every way!

There is a longer version of the same video on YouTube and I will put both links below, but it is the shorter one that I have posted recently. Here they are:

Survive your fear!  (3 minutes version)

Survive your fear!  (9 minutes version)

I hope you will watch either one and find it inspiring!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

(Photos are mine.)

Getting through my day with the help of a "Rubik's Cube"...

Who will join me on a quest for "right living"? I need it and if you could use some help to get through your day, then allow me to use a Rubik's Cube to show you how!

Do you remember or even know this ever popular colorful toy? It has a way of getting all muddled up and it can take quite a while to get it resolved and sorted again. Some people can resolve this cube in a matter of minutes, but for others it takes a whole lot longer. There is a system to this seeming madness and I had been exploring it for a while, when it occurred to me, that life - my life - seems to resemble a Rubik's Cube! Curious? Then accompany me on a few moments of "pondering" here...

At the beginning of my life, I probably resembled the little cube on the right. Perfectly sorted and ready for school. Eager to learn new things in life. At that time, I did not know yet that we have an enemy. But if you take this cube and show it to any group of children, you will find them screaming - "Can I mess it up, pleeeze?" Everyone seems to just want to mess these cubes up and occasionally I wonder if the devil might stand at the sight of a newborn child, asking the very same question. Yes, perhaps this seems a little negative, but bear with me for just a little longer! As much as I believe that the devil would love to mess us up, I also believe that God is the Master solver of Human Rubik's Cubes! He can and will straighten out ANY mess...if you let him. All you have to do, is put your life into His hands.

There are three parts to a day - morning, midday and evening - just like there are three layers to a cube. Now, when you start solving a Rubik's Cube you will have to start with the first layer and the first thing you have to set right is the inner cross. I chose the green side as my "morning", so you will see on the picture to the left that my cross is green. Then, only after you have a cross, can you start sorting out the corners. So perhaps quite obviously, the first thing I learnt from this cube is that we should PRAY FIRST before we start our day! I find that once I have gone to the cross, the "corners" of my morning become a whole lot easier to resolve. This first layer of the cube is still fairly easy to resolve and my mornings usually seem quite easy to manage too. But when I leave the house, that's when I sometimes begin to struggle...

After you have completed the bottom layer, it does become a little more complicated and if your intention is to complete the cube (or in my case to get through my day), then you would do best to learn some of the algorithms that are shown in the little manual that comes with the cube. Me personally, I would not be able to complete the middle layer without them, so I did make an effort and learnt them by heart. It paid off. I became much faster at resolving the cube and I realized that the same applies to my life. I believe we are not born into this world randomly, we do have purpose and we do have a manual that gives us the "algorithms" for an easier passage through the journey of our life - the BIBLE. The bible is the manual to all of life's questions and one of my favorite Scriptures is found in Jeremiah 6:16 - "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls." (NIV) So, if you were wondering how to get through the middle of your day, there you go! Stop, pray and do what the bible tells you to do. Read it, if and when you can, so that you will find your answers and eventually learn them by heart. The bible has thousands of perfect algorithms for life and if you follow these ancient paths and keep following Jesus, then you are well on your way to becoming whole. I did and my days have become a whole lot easier!

But we are not finished yet. Having completed the first and the middle layer of the cube (you can see in the picture to the left that I now have two perfect layers of red), you will need to tackle the top layer now. This is "the evening". I suppose it will come as no surprise when I tell you that you have to start with a cross again in order to finish the cube. There is no point in trying to solve the corners if you don't have a cross. It just won't work. I cannot tell you how many times I have desperately tried to finish some incomplete tasks in my day but to no avail. A total overload throughout the day and I just couldn't seem to get finished! But how easily it was then resolved once I spoke to God! He really does want to help us finish our daily tasks! It might seem too easy, but I can assure you it works - take time to talk to God in the morning and at night and throughout the day keep working biblical "algorithms" and the cube (your day and your life) will start looking better and better, but BEWARE...

Just before you solve the Rubik's Cube, when you are busy aligning the last few corner pieces, the cube goes through a phase when it seems to be "totally muddled up" again! The instruction booklet actually warns you not to get distracted by this, as it will resolve itself soon after if you keep going. Wow, I find that so relevant and encouraging! Because how often do we feel completely discouraged just before a major breakthrough?! 1 Peter 5:10 says: "In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation." (NLT) [emphasis added] And that's exactly what is going to happen next! My cube (in the picture above) is only four moves away from being completely restored and perhaps so are you and me. Are you shouting "amen" yet, at least in your mind?! I don't know about you, but it makes my heart jump for joy to know that I can be made whole again and so, at least for today, it will be a bit easier to look at those "muddled up corners" of my life. My record time to restore a Rubik's Cube is 75 seconds and it certainly seems to take a little longer to restore some problem areas in my life. But I believe Jesus has a special heart for muddled up Rubik's Cube people. He wants to help us sort out every piece of our day and our life and I am so grateful that the bible says that God will finish the work that He has started (Phil 1:6).

So, having pondered over the Rubik's Cube for a while now, I have come to the following conclusion: Don't spend time worrying today about all the messy parts in your life...instead give your everyday life to Jesus and know that you too might only be a few moves away from being restored! Jesus is in the business of saving people and you could be His next Rubik's Cube!

Have an AMAZING week!

I am working on a YouTube version of this blog post, so if you would like to see it on video one day, just subscribe to my channel suePONDERS and you will be notified and easily find it when it's there.

(Photos are my own.)

(Just in case you noticed, yes, I did have this post up in August 2012, but I believe it was worthy of re-posting. So this is the new and revised version of it. I hope you liked it!)