What are you made for?

We often say that God has a plan for our lives but then act as through we don’t know what it is and we are not convinced that God wants to show us.

We sometime excuse our ignorance by making the assumption that Gods plans for us are totally secret and so we end up believing that absolutely everything that happens to us must be Gods will. This belief means we become passive, just waiting for the next thing to come along. Unfortunately when what happens to us isn't what we want , we can become cynical blaming God when our lives don’t seem to be amounting to much.

But how can this be when...

Jesus promised us life in all its fullness which begins now and not in the future and according to Jeremiah 29 v11 God has a plan to prosper us, not to harm us and he wants to give us hope and a future. If God is true and I believe He is then this is what  is on offer and so we can receive it and walk in the good of it, however like all of Gods gifts a faith response is required to activate the reality of the promise.

The gift needs to be unwrapped, the yoke needs to be taken on, the cross needs to be taken up and carried and the vision needs to be written down so that we can run with it.

YES God has provided everything we need for life and godliness but He also requires us to make every effort to add to our faith the daily intentional habits of,  aiming for moral excellence, acquiring Knowledge, disciplining of self,  a dogged perseverance,  godly attitudes,  promoting positive relationships and living out of a loving heart attitude. 2 Peter 1 3-9 

In other words out life purpose is bound up in our relationship with God through Jesus BUT to some extent at least depends on us making every effort to make the most of what God has already given to us in order to make it count in our lives and the lives of those whom we impact.

So.....we have the resources but what are we doing with them?

When you wake up each morning what is your intention, your plan, your purpose that you will live for in order to make the most of what God has put in you?

Ask God today if you don’t already know ....What am I made for? 

Start living with intention today!

Three things I know

Sometimes it pays to keep things really simple and focus on the most important things that we know to be absolutely and infallibly true.

Here are three things that I am focusing on right now

#1. I am broken....
No matter how much personal development I do and how many times I seek to effect positive change in my life I see time and time again that there is a brokenness within me that I cannot fix all by myself. Yes I see potential but right now I see a lot of brokenness.

I am broken because of my past failures, I am broken because of foolish choices, I am broken because of deliberate disobedience to Gods law. I am broken because of hasty words and broken promises, self pity and negative thoughts, lazy habits and selfish desires. I am broken and so I say things I don't mean and hurt people I don't mean to hurt. I am broken and so I let down the ones I love the most, and in the final analysis I don't even live up to even my own expectations.
I know I am broken

#2. You are broken too...
Whoever you are reading this blog you will immediately recognise yourself in the words above because you too are broken for similar and many other reasons. You could be the best person on earth, you could be rich and famous ,  you could be very religious, you could even be the Pope, but you are still broken.

You know it and so do I.

#3. Jesus came to fix broken people...

In the past 12 months in my journey of faith I have seen God do a deep work on the inside of me in areas that I thought  were never going to be fixed. I know for sure that Jesus has really fixed me in a powerful way and I and others can see the difference. There is still much to fix but I am convinced that He who has begun a good work in me will bring it to completion as I continue to follow and trust His words and His ways.

I know that Jesus is the great healer who in his own words said that he had come for the sick who needed a doctor. We all need to have Jesus fix us in some way and his invitation is plain and for everybody who knows they are broken.

Come to me all you that labour and are heavy laden,

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light....and you will find rest for your soul.

Change your perspective, change your life.

Its not what happens to you but what happens in you that really counts.......

After a very difficult period over Christmas and New Year culminating in having to postpone my daughters wedding (which obviously resulted in many tears and much heartache all round) I have been reflecting on how my own individual response to the difficulty made a difference to the immediate and the longer term effects on me and hopefully on my family.


Despite the obvious pain of seeing loved ones going through pain and disappointment and the deep anguish of not being able to fix it for my daughter there was in my heart a quiet confidence that all would be well and that through it all God had a different perspective and a bigger plan that at the moment we cannot see. 


This belief in Gods goodness and kindness gave me a hope filled perspective and allowed me to experience a great deal of inner peace despite the very real emotional pain that was being felt by me and all involved. 
The main thing was that never once did I lose the sense of hope for something good to come out of the experience and that somehow the tears would indeed give way to laughter and the sound of joyful singing. 


However my inner peace often caused me to sound super positive to those around me and occasionally may have given off an impression that I did not care and that I was simply being blaise about everything which added to their own pain. Although this was not true I had to remember that people's perspective is their own reality and therefore their own truth regardless of what is actually true.


Three lessons have occurred to me as I continue to reflect on this period of disappointment and my response to it.
1. The confident expectation of good things from the hand of God is a perspective of hopefulness that can get you through the most difficult situations with a large dose of inner peace that saves you from becoming bitter and cynical about love and life....but
2. Don't judge those who don't appreciate that perspective and might find your approach foolish and unreal but....
3. Don't stop sharing your hope because Hope is contagious....eventually.


The scripture that encouraged me/us most was Lamentations 3 v 20-26
My soul is downcast within me.Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness. 

I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;  therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,  to the one who seeks him;  It is good to wait quietly  for the salvation of the LORD. 

We are still waiting for a better outcome but we wait with Hope.

Why coaching works.

Coaching works, it helps people achieve goals and discover their own capacity to accomplish whatever they want to.............but how and why?


1. Coaching offers an outside perspective. Coaches are able to give us an unbiased look at what we are doing and provide clear recommendations and suggestions for improvement. They have the ability to look at whatever we are doing and see the effects in a way we cannot see. They can see the big picture and offer a fresh perspective. 


2. Coaching holds us accountable. Coaches provide us an outside voice that can drive us to work harder, longer, and better to realize our dreams. A coach helps us set goals and then helps us achieve those goals. Coaches work with us step-by-step through the process of achievement and provide the encouragement and inspiration we need to win.


3. Coaching focuses on the future. Coaches don’t care about psychoanalysing our pasts. They only care about the future. They only care about helping us make the necessary adjustments, improvements, and alignments that we need in order to move forward and succeed.


4. Coaching focuses on our strengths. Coaches are not there to beat us down. They are there to help us raise ourselves up. They work with us to find out what we are good at, what we are passionate about, and what opportunities we can create. 
Coaching can help just about anyone. As human beings, we live complicated and disconnected lives that could often benefit from hiring a good coach to help you achieve your goals. Take the quiz below to find out if you need a coach.

Do you have goals you are not achieving?
Do you know what you are good at?
Do you know what you are passionate about?
Do you know how you could apply your skills and passions to your work?
Are you frustrated with your current career situation?
Do you need a tangible plan for achieving your goals?
Are you happy with your accomplishments? Would you like to accomplish more?
When you do not achieve your goals, do you make excuses?
Do you have a vision for yourself as successful in achieving your goals?


If you answered yes to more than three questions then consider getting some coaching sessions to help improve your effectiveness.