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When you Know it Stinks, but it’s Hard to know Why?

Have you ever known that something is just off, to the point that it stinks, but you just can’t seem to pinpoint why, or where it’s stinking from?

It can be just so annoying to see or be in such a situation.

So, what can be done, if you see, or find yourself in such a situation?

Forgive … ???

I am actually being serious here.

If there is a stink, then it can start to affect us, to the point where we can start to be led, by the stink, so that we can then end up doing all the wrong things, such as, … (well, I’m not going to list them, but I hope you get the idea.)

I’m going to be repeating myself here a little bit now, but if something works, then it can be good to go over it again.

Rather than let the stink be the driving force behind our actions, can we make the choice to forgive, so that we can try to get past anger, in order to try and find understanding. Forgiving, can be the key to the door, that makes room for the heat, or stink, to leave, and invites Jesus into the the situation in a better way, so that we can then hear His words to us, that much more clearly.

Instead of holding onto the wrong end of the stick, we can then put it down, quench our hand, and then pick it up by the right end. Then, we have a hot stick, that we maybe able to use in a more positive manner that may bring about a change to the situation???

If we can just start the process, by forgiving.

With that in mind, I’m going to ask for you to forgive the parking person who put the parking penalty notice onto our car. I’m also going to ask that you forgive the authority who set the trap, that we fell foul of.

(The next bit can probably be considered a bit of a rant, but hopefully there’s enough good stuff above, to make this a worthwhile post??? Hopefully normal service will resume, for next week’s post. 🙂 )

Yes, we got caught out by some crazy terms and conditions, that meant that the advertised “Free Parking”, turned out to be, not quite as free, as it was displayed.

In the London Borough of Havering car parks, and certainly the one we used, there is some supposed “Free Parking”. There is a ticketless ticket machine, where you need to input your number plate, so that you can be entitled to the, supposed “Free Parking”. Failure to enter your number plate, is very likely to result in a penalty charge notice (parking fine) being issued, for the “Free Parking” that is displayed. I was missing this small print detail until I saw the letter that someone had attached to the display board highlighting the said small print that I had been missing. (Thank you to that person, you saved me from getting a parking fine for that reason.)

Now, I do think that the above small print detail is bad enough, when we are talking about some supposed “Free Parking”, but there’s more to come.

My wife is disabled, as such she has a Blue Badge, so that means that we can park is the designated Disabled Parking… ??? …

Well, she can actually, … if she follows ALL of the terms and conditions, as specified by The London Borough of Having.

What this means is, if my wife is with me, in her mobility car, which is tax exempt, then she is permitted to use the designated Disabled Parking… ??? … (Provided that we comply with ALL of the terms and conditions of …) (Yes, there’s still a bit more to come to this bit.)

But, if my wife is with my Mum in her car, which is not tax exempt, then my wife, who would be in the car, with my Mum, may Not be allowed to make use of the designated Disabled Parking… ??? (Confused, so am I.)

In the terms and conditions, on London Borough of Havering’s web site, it states that only a tax exempt vehicle is permitted to use the designated Disabled Parking… ???

So, if my wife is in her car, she is allowed to make use of the designated Disabled Parking, but if my wife is in a different car, such as my Mum’s car, then she shouldn’t make use of the disabled parking, as she could get a parking fine???

Why!!! … ???

(I will offer some of my thoughts into the Why, in a bit, but first… there’s a little bit more. … 🙂 )

Any how back to what happened. So, me and my wife were at said car park. We were parked in the designated Disabled Parking, we were complying with the terms and conditions (so we thought), as we had entered our number plate into the machine, and had obtained the ticketless ticket, (in the future we will be taking a photo of the ticket that is displayed, and I’d suggest that it could benefit you, if you did likewise) that logged our arriving time and gave us a time that we should have left by, which was longer than the three hours that her clock dial says she is limited to. So, we didn’t need to display the said clock dial, … as we have the ticket less ticket instead… ??? … (So we thought…)

So me and my wife, went for our walk around the park, and on this day, we were trying to be a bit more brave and was giving out a few of our, “Gift from God” gifts, which meant handing the people we came across, a sum of money, which was wrapped up with a message of “God Loves You” on it. (We have been leaving them in random places, to be found.) We had been rather successful, and had successfully handed out a few said gifts. So, we were feeling really good about things, having had a pleasant time in the park, successfully telling a few people that, “God Loves You”, to then come back to our car. Where we then saw the Parking Penalty Notice… ???

But, we have a Blue Badge, and we have a ticket from the ticket less ticket machine, and we are parked within the bay? …

WHY!!! ??? …

You may have guessed the Why already by now. No valid Clock Dial was displayed???

At least that’s what I’m thinking the reason is. The parking notice just stated, …

Parked in a designated disabled person’s place without displaying a valid disabled person’s badge in the prescribed manner

Code: 87

…

Well, we were not so happy. We couldn’t understand it. We have a valid Blue Badge, and we had a valid ticket. So Why would we need to display a valid Clock Dial as well???

Because it’s listed in The London Borough of Havering’s terms and conditions, which I found out about, when I searched for them online, when I went home to try and find out how I could appeal against it. (It’s not on the car park notice board’s terms and conditions though, if anything, the notice board points you to use the ticket less ticket machine.) (It’s the clause at the bottom of the board, as seen in the blog post photo.)

When I saw that term and condition on the web site, I just thought, “it’s going to be easier to just pay it, so that we can then just pay the reduced rate.”

I know that it’s wrong on so many levels to do this. That it just Stinks!!!

But, as a carer of my wife, who is disabled, we have enough battles to face, so this is one, we just need to let go of. (Other than write this blog post, in the hopes that others maybe better informed about the trap of the terms and conditions, and then be able to avoid them.)

But the question still remains.

Why!!! … ???

Why would they do this?

Why would they take something that is meant to make life easier for those who face extra troubles and hardship, and turn it into a trap, that means that those who are more vulnerable in society, could fall foul of, and then need to pay a fine, for not knowing ALL of the terms and conditions that they should, quite rightly known about (???), and should be following???

I’m thinking that the answer to the “Why” is quite obvious, when we have just a little think about it. … “and then need to pay a fine” … ???

London Borough of Havering. Really???

Are your funds so short, so that you need to be so sneaky, and set up these traps, that are catching out how many people???

How many people have been caught out by the supposed “Free” parking, because (like me, for a while), didn’t realise that you Must enter your registration plate number, when you go to use the said “Free” parking?

How many people have been caught out by the, using a disabled parking space, with a valid disabled badge, hopefully with the correctly displayed clock dial, but by being in a vehicle that wasn’t tax exempt?

How many people have caught like us, by having a vehicle that is tax exempt, that has a valid Blue Badge on display, that also has a valid ticket, which then meant that, as I thought incorrectly, the parking dial clock wasn’t needed, as we had a valid parking ticket instead?

It makes me wonder, if you had a valid parking ticket, that gave you a parking entitlement for longer than three hours, and you had the parking dial clock correctly displayed, which time do you then go by???

Do you go by the parking ticket which could be longer than three hours, or do you go by the three hours of entitlement that the dial clock displays??? Is this yet another trap that has been set? If yes, then how many people have been caught out in this trap? If yes, then would that mean that if a disabled person wanted to park for a period of longer than three hours, that they would be better off if they then just used a standard parking space???

I don’t have the answers to these questions, and by now I’m starting to get a bit bored with this myself now, so I’ll try to not go on for too much longer.

But, I do feel that it needs to be said.

It Stinks!!

And as such …

Shame!

Shame on you, London Borough of Havering!

Shame! … Shame!! … Shame!!!

And because I’m actively trying to Forgive you for what has gone on, me personally, I’ll try to leave it there.

If you think that the authority in question has acted in a less than respectable manner, then would you like to have some kind of say about the matter?

You could possibly share, like, or even make a comment about this post on any platform that is available to you?

Doing so, might just be a a little bit more productive, than just being upset by it.

Getting the word out, might possibly help someone else to, Not get caught out by the, such Stinky Terms and Conditions, that appears to be in use???

________________

A few days after I wrote this, I was cycling through the park, when I came across some parking attendants in the car park. Yes, I did have a conversation with them, and hopefully I didn’t get too hot under the collar. But someone else was speaking to them, and it appeared that there might have been a fault on the ticket less ticket machine.

The need to take a photo of the ticket less ticket, is all the more apparent to me now. If the machine displays a ticket, but doesn’t register it, then how are you meant to prove that you had a ticket???

So, if their system isn’t working correctly, and you do all that you are meant to do, and you still get a parking ticket, and you can prove it, you still have the hassle of challenging it.

Is there any compensation in place, for incorrectly issued penalty charge notice’s that should not have been issued?

If not, should there be?

If London Borough of Havering could loose money from incorrectly issued penalty charge notices, then would they take a bit more care over issuing them?

My final thought on this today is, If London Borough of Havering, is using the “Penalty Charge Notices”, just to raise revenue, instead of encouraging good behaviour, then, doesn’t that just … Stink!!! … ???

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I may not be strong enough, But You Are!

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In many ways, this is a direct follow up to last week’s post of, Is All, as it Appears?

In last week’s post, I touched on the subject of, there can be a weakness on the inside, that can just go unseen.

This week, I believe that I was given the thought of, “I may not be strong enough, But You Are!” (The one who I’m referring to, in the “You”, is, My Lord God Almighty.)

My weaknesses maybe very real. (At times, more real to me, than they should be.) But, if My Lord God Almighty is with me, then what can prevail against me?

If after going out and blessing people who I met in the park with my wife with a simple message of, “we would like to give you a gift of “a sum of money”, just to say that God loves you.” To then go back to our car, and then find an unfair parking notice attached to the window screen…

(Details of the unfair parking notice, will be appearing in a future post.)

Then the need to forgive, comes running right up to the forefront, yet again. (I can’t be sure at what point I came to realise this need, but I did get there in the end.)

There I was, blessing people, and my reward appears to be… An opportunity to practice, yet more Forgiving! … ??? … 🙂

I may not be strong enough, But You Are!

My Lord God, Is Able to lead me to a better path to take. (Such as possibly writing it out, and finding a fun angle to things, instead???)

I may feel as if I’m about to fall apart from any external pressure that might be applied. But, My Lord God is with me! (That statement is all the more true, as I’m following the promptings of My Lord God.)

I may feel that I’ve got nothing left on the inside, and that the outside may just come apart at the slightest touch, But, My Lord God, Is Able to inject a strength, that is stronger than the original internals, that I think has rotted away, so that what is left, has a strength that isn’t reliant on me, but on What My Lord God Has Done!!!

I may not be strong enough, But You Are!

Thank You My Lord God, That You Are Enough, for what I’m facing. Thank you that You Are With me. Please help others, who also need You. Please, be the help to them, that You Are for me. Amen.

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Is All, as it Appears?

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As I was going for a walk through a country park, a lesson from a film I’ve seen came back to me. It was, “You don’t step onto a fallen log, in order to go past it.”

When I first heard this, I just thought, “Really? Why is that then?”

The answer is simple, it’s dangerous to do so. If a tree has fallen down, it can rot from the inside, whilst the outside can remain intact. So, if someone steps onto such a log, it can suddenly give way, causing the foot to get trapped in the rotten log, and the unfortunate person can then fall over, from their footing suddenly disappearing. Which could lead to a serious injury, as they fall over, with their foot trapped.

In the film that I was watching, this scenario happened, leaving the unfortunate one to be airlifted out to a hospital.

No, I didn’t step onto any logs as I was walking, and come to such a sticky end.

But as I was walking, I did step onto a few small branches, that looked as if they should have had some strength to them, to hear them just snap, under my foot. It surprised me to find that, something that looked as if it had a strength to it, was actually, so close to breaking, so that a little bit of load applied to it, caused it to, just break.

As a mere human, the only way that I can tell the difference between what has a strength to it, and what doesn’t, is to test it and see if it can take the strain, to see if it can be relied upon.

Our Lord God see’s so much more than we do though.

If Our Lord God, speaks to us, “You could do with a bit of help here, seek some help!” Then it would be best for us to seek His help. We can always ask, “Where should I go, or who should I go to with this?” Then try to hear His words to us, and follow His thoughts to us. It will always be better for us, if can hear and follow what Our Lord God is speaking to us.

If Our Lord God, prompts us in some way, and we are just left thinking, “Really, what’s that all about then?” Could it possibly be that things are not quite as well together, as we think they are? Could it be that there is a weakness beneath the surface level, that is going unseen, and that we could be part of the solution, that could stop something from falling apart, if we will just follow what it is, that our Lord God is asking for us to do?

Ultimately, when Our Lord God speaks to us,will we follow His prompting of what He is asking for us to do?

We can only see on the surface level, Our Lord God, see’s so much more. If we do follow Our Lord God’s promptings, then could we be saving ourselves, or another, from a time of grief and troubles?

John 10:27-28

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Isaiah 42:3

3 A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

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To walk, With Someone.

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If two people want go for a walk, then there needs to be some agreement about where to go. It’s obvious really. A shared destination, with a desire to be with each other, as they go on their journey together.

One can be allowed to take the lead or both could just be in agreement for the best way to go.

But what happens if both think that a separate direction is a better way to go?

Who will follow who?

Will both remain together, or will there be a parting of ways?

In order to remain together, there can be a need to make the choice to do so. Without such a focus, could one become distracted, and led astray? Or could one become disheartened, and stop walking altogether?

In order to go on a walk together, there needs to be a conscious choice to do so.

In order to go on a walk with Our Lord God, will we be willing to listen to His instructions, as we walk with Him?

Or will we try to Shout our thoughts, over and above His thoughts?

With our walk with Our Lord God, are we trying to to take the lead, and tell Our Lord God, what the best route to take is?

Or will we be willing to hear and follow His thoughts about where we should head to, and how we should get there, over our own thoughts?

There may well be times when Our Lord God tells us, “There are a number of options in front of you, it’s your choice, for which one you take.”

But there also will be times when Our Lord God says to us, “That way has pain and suffering along it. It would be best to not go that way.” Will we hear and follow His thoughts, at such times?

Will we be able to tell the difference between when we are being given a free choice for where to go, and when we are being given a warning about a path that we should avoid?

When all is said and done, who is walking with who?

John 10:27-28

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

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Do I Have the Strength for This?

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There’s a few things that I’m facing at the present moment, that has me thinking, “Do I have the strength for this?”

Then I read Psalm 107. Verses 1 to 9 are below.

Psalm 107:1-9

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
    finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

____________________

I used to read this, and only notice the, “Give thanks to the Lord” bit. As such, I used to think it was a Psalm about praising God, which it is, but, it’s also a Psalm about suffering. That’s the bit that I just kind of missed, but it’s in there.

This time as I read it, I noticed that, when that The Lord delivered the people, He did so, through a process. It’s in verse 7.

7 He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.

It’s been there all the time, but for some reason, I just focused on the, “Giving thanks to God” bit, because of what He has done. In the past,as I read the scripture, the troubles appeared to be dealt with instantly, but the verse tells us a different truth, if we can see it.

Verse 7 tells us that they went on a journey, before they came to a better place.

Journey’s don’t normally happen instantly, but are a process, that can take some time.

So we can see an end destination, where there will be a time of much more thankfulness. But we can also see that a journey needed to be taken, where the people were led. The “led” bit, speaks to me of help and guidance, whilst they are on the journey to the end destination.

So we can see two distinct times where praise and thanks can be given to God. When we have reached the destination, and things are better, and also when we are on the journey, as we receive His leading, guiding and help, for the journey that we are on.

So, in every situation we can…

Psalm 107:1

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

_________________

Thank you Lord God, that You are there to help us through the tough times. That you do lead and guide us. Help us to see Your help and guidance to us, that much more. Help us to remain thankful towards You, for all that you do, do for us. Amen.

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Do we need to Get Past Anger, to Find Understanding?

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Have you ever been angry about something, that has then left you thinking, “What’s going on? Just how can this be?”

I’m facing a bit of this at the moment. (I’m not going to go into the details here, but a previous post called, Extreme Forgiving, may give a small glimpse into my situation.)

If we are in a position of frustration and not understanding, then what can we do? … Take it to The Lord Our God!!! (That’s always going to be a very good first step.)

Then be willing to listen to His words to you, and then follow them.

For me, I know the importance of forgiving those who are causing me pain, in some way. So I do try to do that. When I do, it helps.

I’d love to be able to say that it’s a fully proven way to feel that much better, that much more quickly. Which it is, in many ways, but the process, isn’t quite so easy. It can be tough to forgive, when you are, hurt, upset, frustrated, angry, or whatever negative emotions you are dealing with. But I do know that it works out for the better, for us, if we can follow the process of, forgiving.

A couple of previous posts may help you to understand why I think this way. (If one stands out to you, then please consider reading it???)

When’s the Right Time to Forgive?

Accept Repent and Forgive, There is Power Here!

Try to not pick up the wrong end of the Stick

If I’m not careful, I could loose track of where I’m going with this.

The original thought was about trying to understand what’s happening when anger is taking too much of the stage.

To me, it seems like I’m just stating the obvious, now at this point, but when we are in the middle of something, if the obvious isn’t pointed out to us, then we can so easily miss it.

So, if we do want to try and gain some level of understanding, then do we have a need to get past anger and frustration?

As I’ve reached this point, there is another thought that keeps running round my head… “Are there times when we just won’t ever find understanding, and we need to seek Peace in the Storm, instead?”

Some times we may reach a place of understanding, in some measure, but in other times, we may not. But in order to find that peace, do we still have a need to deal with our anger, in a more productive way, other than just let it burn itself out, or try to bury it? Will we try to hear what Our Lord God’s path is?

When all is said and done, can we, and will we, seek Our Lord God, in all circumstances?

John 10:27-28

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

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The Ugly Truth

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Have you ever known a truth, that you would rather not know? The Ugly Truth could be something personal, or something that is about a situation that that you would rather not know. The next question could be, “What do I do with this Ugly Truth?”

If your Heavenly Father tells you, “This is not for you to deal with. It’s somebody else’s problem.” Then listen to Him! Why stick your oar into a situation, that you are being told to keep out of?

But how do we deal with an Ugly Truth, that we are being to told, “You are part of the solution, to this problem.” ?

Seek Our Lord Almighty, and His thoughts and leading, is always going to be our best guide.

A picture, may help with the next bit. (Even though it’s not a pleasant one.)

How would we deal with an Ugly Truth, that could be something like a Boil?

Ignore it? Burst it? Drain it?

Ignore it? A valid option, if you are told to do so.

Burst it? A messy option. Possibly a painful option, even if it does bring a relief. But, probably, leaving a need to do some cleaning up afterwards. (Which may, or may not involve you.) There would also be a need to do it in the right way, so that a different problem doesn’t occur, such as an infection of some sort.

Drain it? Do you already have the right tools and experience needed? Or will you be provided with the tools and knowledge for what to do, as you step into the unknown, following the prompting of Our Lord God? The issue of doing it in the right way to avoid infection, also applies here.

Before you take any action, do you have permission to take any action? And whose permission do you have? Those involved? Our Lord God’s? Which permission matters more, and are you listening to the right one?

If you have been involved with dealing with the Ugly Truth, then has the source been dealt with?

Without removing the source, will something just keep coming back again and again?

Are we to play a small part in dealing with the Ugly Truth, or a larger part? Will we have the wisdom to know, the part we should play? Then will we be willing to play the part that we should, without overplaying it?

to be checked and pondered Over!

Our Lord God. If we have an Ugly Truth, that we are aware of, please help us to know what the right actions to take are. If You tell us to leave it alone, then help us to do just that. To place it at Your feet, and to leave it with You. If You want us to do something, then please lead and guide us, so that we can follow Your path, for how we should go forward. Help us to not add to any problems, but help us to be part of the solution, even if that means just bringing it to You, and leaving it with You. Our Lord God Almighty. Amen.

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Why Don’t You Just Get It!!??

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The original title was going to be, “I want to be Instructional, Not Judgemental”, but I do think that the above title, gets more to the point.

This post is probably going to cover how we have all felt, at some time or another. My hope is that this will end up being more Instructional, rather than Judgemental…???

I think that a picture would be a good place to start with.

There were two parties, who when they came together, they just got on each others nerves. When they left each other, both would have a need to let go of certain things, that just annoyed them.

Both parties thought that they were being the bigger party, by not letting the other one know, just what was really on their mind.

When both parties met, they would both bring what they thought was water, to their meetings. Unbeknown to both parties, they were actually bringing fuel for the fire, that was always present, whenever they met.

Both parties would try to quench the fire, with their “Water”, to always find that things would always just flare up, right in front of their faces. The more they would try to quench the fire, the worst it would get.

Both parties, sadly came to the point of, “Perhaps I shouldn’t engage in this anymore, as when I do, it just keeps on going wrong!”

End of picture setting.

We may be able to laugh at the above picture, but, it isn’t a laughing matter, if you are ever caught up in such situation. It’s quite the opposite, it can be very frustrating and painful. 😦

If we do find ourselves in such a situation, then how can we do any better?

In the above picture, there was no ill intent, but both parties were bringing fuel to the meeting instead of water.

Can we have a better understanding of what we are bringing with us, if things just always end up going wrong? Instead of just focusing on what the other party is doing wrong, could we ask, is there something that I could do better? (Better might be doing something in a correct way, or it could just be doing something in a different way?)

Could we gain an insight into the situation, that might help us to understand what is happening, which could possibly help us to go to the meeting with something else, other than the “Water” (fuel) that we may have been bringing?

Is there a something that we are doing, or even not doing, that is adding fuel to the situation, that we are just missing?

Trying to spot the something that is missing, or that which we are just missing can be a very difficult thing to do, but if we could see it, could it then be the difference that we are looking for?

Would help from someone outside of the situation, be useful? If that help could come from an unbiased experienced source, then how much better, could that be?

I’m always going to point to Our Lord God Almighty as being the best source to go to, when we are struggling with anything.

As much as we would like to change the thoughts or actions of the other party, can we remember that the person that we have the greatest influence over is, ourselves?

If do have to bring fuel to a meeting, then could we do so knowingly, and then try to measure out as little as possible, at any given moment? Instead of just throwing it all onto the fire at once, could we try to feed it in, one drop at a time?

Even if we are going to be perceived as “Judgemental”, could we still try to be “Instructional” in our thoughts and actions, and hope that we can do this with Grace and Love, taking the lead, instead of letting pain and frustration, take a hold of the reins?

For a better path to take, it’s always going to be that much better for us, if we can take our difficulties to Our Lord God, and seek out His path, for how we should go forward with what we are facing.

Our Lord God, Please help all who are facing difficult situations. Please lead and guide us in the best actions that we can take, so that we can follow Your promptings, for where we should go, and for how we should act. Amen.

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Plugged in, But NOT Connected!

There was this one time when I was using my laptop to do some work, but the power was running low. I was more concerned, focused on the work, that needed to be done. But because I kept on noticing that the power was low, I plugged the power lead in and carried on working. As I carried on working, I noticed that the laptop was still not charging. So I changed the plug to a different socket, to try and give the laptop some power. But it made no difference to to the charge status. As I was more concerned about the work task to be done, I just concentrated on the work, hoping that that laptop wouldn’t give up on me altogether. Fortunately, I managed to complete the task. As I then went to pick up the charger I then found that the lead had come loose from power pack. Hence it was plugged in but not connected.

Power was available, as the plug was connected to a working power socket.

The laptop was ready to receive the power, the lead was also plugged in there. But in the middle, there was a loose connection, which meant that nothing was going to happen.

It made me think, can we sometimes get so many things right, but then make a simple error, that can then stop everything? Can we be plugged in, but not connected?

In the above case, I just had enough reserves of power, to finish the task, but I was stressed that much more by the low battery warning. How much better would it have been for me, if I could have just stopped, properly, and then checked all of the connections? Rather than just do the rushed, plug that charger in, then pay little attention to it?

If we are working on something, and we know that we are running low, then, can we seek out what the right course of action is, that we should take?

If our Lord God tells us to take a time out, to be fed, and recharged, then will we follow His prompting? When Elijah was told to eat and drink by the angel, that was sent to him, he took in the nourishment and rested, as he was instructed to do so. (1 King 19:4-9)

If Our Lord God tells us that we have enough, to complete the task that we are doing, will we carry on? Not letting distractions stop us from finishing the job, trusting that Our Lord God will supply what we need?

Whether we are told to rest or carry on, will we hear what Our Lord God is speaking to us, in our situation, then follow where He leads, for us to go?

2 Corinthians 12:9

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Philippians 4:19

19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

John 10:27-28

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

___________________

When Sacrificially Giving, can we Sometimes Give Too Much?

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My Timing or Focus, was Off.

In order to keep this post, a readable length, I’m going to try to set the scene, by just giving some short bullet points. (Not sure if I want to write an entire book about it, and there would be probably less people who would want to read it. 🙂 )

A Revelation was given to me.

I got Excited!

I had a massive Desire to Share!

I did share, mostly not a problem.

But one occasion, I should have asked, “Father, what do You want for me to share, tonight?” But I didn’t. Instead, I just shared MY latest revelation, without asking the question of, “Father, what do You want for me to share, tonight?” 😦 Did my Heavenly Father want me to share, that revelation, at that time??? …

The results say, …. NO!!!!!

Instead of being carried along, I was carried away. 😦

End of scene setting.

I know that there is a need to keep in step with Our Lord God! I’ve written about it, in many different ways, some of which are listed below.

Don’t Get Carried Away, Instead, Get Carried Along

The Church on the Clifftop

Can you Hear the Beat of the Drums?

So, I know that it matters, and that to there is a need, to keep in step, with Our Lord God Almighty. So why is it that, the moment that I’m given a small revelation, that I then get distracted enough, by that revelation, so that I don’t even ask Our God, “Is it right to share this thought, in this setting?” Even when I’m asking everyone else, “Please bring a thought, that Our Father would like for you to share tonight.”

I was asking others to bring a thought that Our Heavenly Father had given to them to share, whilst I was thinking, “I already know what to bring!” …. ??? I should have asked myself the same question that I was asking everyone else to ask. But I didn’t. I thought that I already had my something to share…. But, was it Our Lord God’s thoughts, to be shared, on this occasion???

I had even shared a picture about a correct word, at the wrong time, can do great damage, with a friend, just recently. So, how is it that I can manage to get it so wrong, by bringing a good word, at the wrong time? All because I didn’t ask myself, (or more to the point, my Lord God), “What shall I share tonight?”

As I’m writing this, I’m kind of thinking, “Aren’t you being a bit harsh on yourself?” But I know that the answer to that one is a resounding, “No.” As I’m very much so, aware that I did get carried away, when I should have been keeping my focus on what, My Lord God, wanted me to keep focused on. Namely, His Thoughts and His Steps, instead of mine.

In a very recent post, I’ve even written…

Will we speak His Words, when they are given to us, or will we prefer our own words, thinking that we know what it is that we want to say? (His words will actually be better.)

It makes me smile, that I’m able to write about a better way to do things, but the question to myself, is, “Am I able to do the things that I write about?” I’m hoping that the answer to that one is a “Yes”, or at least that it will be.

For now, I’ll just have to say,”OK, ball dropped, now try to learn from it, and do better, next time.”

I feel the need to cry out, please help me to try, to not be like the army that kept wanting to keep going back and forth over the same ground, over and over again. But instead, help me to ask the questions of, is it right to share this here and now? Is there a something different that You would like for me to share? Is there a new something to take hold of, or step into? Ultimately, can I please hear Your words and thoughts for what I should be doing, so that I can then follow Your ways, that much better. My Lord God Almighty.