Who am I?

'Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin

Would look on me with love, and watch me rise again?

Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea

Would call out through the rain

And calm the storm in me?'

Really, who am I to deserve this sort of love? I'm a sinner. And yet this wonderful, Holy, Almighty God cares about how I feel, feels my pain, and comforts me. He forgives me when I deserve it least, and carries me through when I need it the most.

Psalm 139 v 1-5


' 1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.'

He knows everything I've done, and everything I'm going to do. Things I'm not even aware of yet, and things I might never understand. What's more, He knows why I do what I do. He knows my weaknesses, and He knows who I am.

I am a lot like my Mother. I look quite a bit like her, and I have the same sort of sense of humour. I also share her passion for chocolate. I'm a lot like my Dad, too. I love reading, and word puzzles. And sometimes, people say we look alike too. But just how alike am I to my Heavenly Father, the one who created me?


Psalm 139 v 13

'13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.'

I believe that God is Love. To me, this next quotation really reminds me of that. Sometimes, it becomes so easy for us to forget that God isn't just a big presence in the sky, but a presence within our hearts, too.

I Corinthians 13:1-7

'If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. '

Let's try replacing the word 'love' with the name God...

God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Yeah... Now that sounds like my God. The God who gave me free will, who forgives me for doing things I know I shouldn't, even, at times, when I struggle to forgive myself. He protects me, loves me, and has promised He will never leave me.

Psalm 121 v 1-3

' 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber'

If I trust in God,and do what He tells me is right, then it will work out the right way in the end.

Proverbs 3:5

' 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding'

Shoes

I know, shoes are a bit of a girly subject, as pointed out in the IT crowd :

Jen walks into the room, emphasising her new shoes. Roy and Moss look puzzled.

Jen: (looking angry, and storming from the room)The shoes-ah!
Moss: What was all THAT about?!
Roy: Well, like all women, she's shoe mad.
Moss: That's a bit sexist, isn't it?
Roy: Do you know one woman that isn't obsessed with shoes?
Moss: No, but I only know one woman- and she just left the room shouting "The shoes-ah!"

Do you have a pair of favourite shoes? Not favourite, at the moment, but all-time favourite? They could be jelly sandals from when you were a toddler, they could be the shoes you wore to your sister's wedding. They could be the shoes you longed for, then saved up to buy all those years ago.

When I went to Auschwitz, the thing that upset me most was walking through a corridor lined with shoes of the people from the concentration camp. Shoes are a very personal thing. You chose those shoes for a reason, and whatever the reason might be, they mean something to you. You wouldn't be happy if you lost them, or worse, if you lost one. (I've done that before, it's really annoying- I still haven't found it.)

But eventually, you won't be able to wear them anymore. They might get too small, if your feet are still growing, or they will wear out. Throwing shoes away is something I find really hard to do. They hold so many memories, and no matter what, you won't be able to get the same ones, exactly the same ones, ever again. I don't remember many shoes from when I was growing up, but I remember my purple trainers, and a pair of vans I had for a few years. I remember throwing both of those pairs of shoes away... And part of me didn't want to. But they were worn out, and I didn't have any use for them.

There are a lot of things that the same rules apply to really, like friendship... Sometimes the shoe doesn't fit in the first place, and we need to try on some more. We don't give up though, we keep on trying. In the same way, we get on so much better with some people than we do others. Some shoes last a long time, the shoes that are made well, but some are flimsy, and fall apart very quickly.

But even the best of shoes can fall apart if we don't look after them... They should be cleaned, polished and above all, not dragged across the floor. Now, I'm not suggesting you get out some polish, and try to make your friends shiny... That probably wouldn't work out too well. I'm also guessing that your friends can clean themselves, so I'd let them take care of that. Still, don't drag them across the floor, I can't imagine that would help matters.

Smile at them, (your friends, not shoes) look after them, help your friendship stay supple enough to withstand the traumas of everyday life by praying, spending time together, and looking to the best example of friendship there ever was;

John 15:13 "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Superheroes

If I say 'Superhero' or 'Hero', what springs to mind? For me, Hero reminds me of chocolate, and dog buscuits from Asda. Superhero makes me think of a cape rippling in the wind, amazing powers, emotional distress and the struggle of separating right from wrong.


What do superheroes do?

They help save people. They serve a community. They strive to separate good and evil. They have amazing gifts to use for others' benefit. They often remain anonymous. They drop everything to help someone.

Doesn't that sound like an amazing Christian to you?


Helping people be saved, serving people, being completely Holy by removing sin from their life, using their gifts to help others, having humility and being there for other people.

You could be a hero
Heroes do what's right
You could be a hero
You might save a life
You could be a hero, You could join the fight
For what's right.

(Superchick- Hero)

Through Christ, we are all called to join the fight for what's right, and good.

Phillipians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Spiritual warfare has no weapon but the word of God. We're called to follow him, which is easier than it sounds sometimes. We, as Christians, are to fight the good fight.

Soldiers of our God, arise!
The day is drawing nearer;
Shake the slumber from your eyes,
The light is growing clearer.
Sit no longer idly by,
While the heedless millions die;
Lift the blood-stained banner high,
And take the field for Jesus.

The real Heroes in this world are the single mothers who manage to raise a child well. Or the person who has the courage to ask if you need some help. The ones who accept people for who they are, and refuse to judge them. But the biggest superhero of them all is Jesus. He fought the ultimate fight, and triumphed over death and evil. As cool as his spider-suit is, I don't think Spiderman can do that alone.

Jesus- The Reason That Outweighs The Cost.

The only thing that God asks in return for joy, a new life, stainless and free from sin, is the old life. The broken heart. For us to take it upon ourselves to strive to follow the commandments He laid out for us. The ones there to protect us. For us to take up our cross, condemn ourselves in the world's eyes, and follow Christ.


Mark 8:34 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."


How many times have you denied God? Like Peter, you may say you wouldn't, but you don't have to speak to deny Him. Ignoring what you know is right, in favour of what you want, or what others expect of you. In this 'adulterous and sinful generation', it's easy to feel ashamed for doing the right thing, when others might laugh at you, or reject you. But being ashamed of perfect love is ridiculous.

What good is it to gain the whole world, yet lose your soul?

Why do we cling onto the things that cause us so much pain? We torment ourselves by thinking we can fix it. We keep using sellotape and pritt sticks to piece our lives back together, when God is standing next to us with the blood of Christ, a substance far stronger, to bind us back together. But we dismiss him, because, of course, we know ourselves better than anyone else ever could. Wrong.

'You've known me, and You've loved me, since before the world began.'

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

This piece of scripture isn't just talking to the prophet. It's as relevant today as it was then. As relevant for you as him. God had an amazing plan for your life, whether you know it yet or not. He knew you far better than you know yourself now before you were even born. And nothing you can do can change the fact that He loves you, because He loves you, because He loves you.


It's difficult to trust in someone who you can't see. Without wanting to sound cliched, I'd say that God is like the wind. You can't see Him, but you can see the changes He causes. You can hear Him, and You can, above all things, feel His presence. It's difficult to trust in something without definite proof, I know.

' Its so hard to touch what is out of our hands
To know and to trust what the heart understands'

When you're truly at one with God, your heart will understand things that you can't explain. Peace that passes all understanding, love uncomprehendable and joy unbounded.

' Everyone suffers some loss
Still we have faith in it
Childlike hope
Theres a reason that outweighs the cost'

The reasoning behind this is Jesus. If God didn't love you, why would He sacrifice His own son, a part of Himself, to save you?