Showing posts with label John 13:34. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John 13:34. Show all posts

Wednesday

Please Do not Tell Me What To Do! - A Dose of Encouragement


Throughout his career my husband has travelled a lot all over the world but I have very seldom travelled with him.

Most people who know that he travels will at some time or another ask me why I don't go with him or presume I have gone several times or they tell me I should go.





Over and over I find myself explaining that I do not like spending so much time alone in strange places because not only will I be on my own during the day while he is working but also there are evening work dinners and other meetings out of the "normal" hours for discussion or report writing etc.

Most people then proceed to advise me or tell me what I should do when I go with him; how I should go shopping in these different places or how I should go about finding out the best places to go sightseeing.  Some will even find out things for me and tell me where to go and later expect me to have done this.  Leaving me feeling as if I need to make excuses when I don't go.

Firstly, shopping is ok for a day for me but not for days on end but also I find that most places now have the same shops in similar shopping centres wherever you travel to.  If I can find somewhere with unique little shops then I will enjoy browsing round for a short time but I am not a great shopper, or one who delights in spending extortionate amounts of money on anything.





Secondly, I am not fond of going sightseeing on my own so it would have to be something spectacular or something that was of great interest to me to make me do that and even then I would prefer to share that experience with Fred or someone else.  Making memories are much nicer when they include others.


If you have read my previous post on Top 10 Things that make a Good Hotel Room then you will know that last month I did travel with Fred for a couple of reasons and during those two trips we stayed in 6 hotels - the problem was we were only away for 8 nights.

Checking out of a hotel by 11am or noon practically every day of your trip gets to be rather annoying not just boring and people who have not experienced these types of trips just do not understand how I feel.

Photo credit:  Pixabay


But then there are many, many things that other people have experienced that I never have and so I will not understand how they feel in those circumstances.  I have to accept that and not presume to offer them advice or tell them what they should do in those cases because I don't have the right knowledge or understanding of their feelings.

There are also times when people want to give me advice or detailed information on things that because they are interested in they assume I will be too.

If you have read this far then I am sure that you are nodding in agreement because you have experienced similar "well intentioned" advice and can understand how it feels.

Having experienced this all of my life perhaps partly because I may be described as an introvert and then people believe I need their help; I have learnt from my feelings so that I hope I do not do the same thing to others.


How should we treat others?





In Love, before we even open our mouths to say anything we should pray about it and make sure we know enough about the person to know that what we say will be edifying, helpful and relevant to them.


In Love, accepting that none of us are perfect but that each deserves from the other the respect and care that God shows to us.






This is not always easy because our normal attitudes are to completely think of ourselves and hence see each situation as to how it affects us.

But everything involving more than one person will ultimately affect more than one person.

Each conversation will affect both people in that conversation.

And we can be the one to make the difference in that conversation.


Everything involving more than one person will ultimately affect more than one person.



The two verses quoted above are commands.

If God has told us to do this then we should do it and it must be possible to do this, even through all the events of our everyday lives because God does not expect us to do things in our own strength.
 He wants us to rely on His.

If this then is possible we have the opportunity to see people as God sees them and to treat them as God would treat them.





The two verses quoted above are commands.

If God has told us to do this then we should do it and it must be possible to do this, even through all the events of our everyday lives because God does not expect us to do things in our own strength.
 He wants us to rely on His.

If this then is possible we have the opportunity to see people as God sees them and to treat them as God would treat them.




Thursday

Who Needs Encouragement Today? - A Dose of Encouragement



A friend of mine needed some encouragement today.


     My husband needed some encouragement today.


          Our oldest son needed some encouragement today.






My friend has been in hospital and just got home today so she needed something to make her smile even though she is still in some pain.


My husband is just starting to get rid of his cold but has a pile of work to do so he just needed a few things to help take his mind off the work deadlines and relax more.


Our son has been ill in bed in his apartment for the last two days so he needed to phone us and have a little chat just for the company and a little moan about the person in the apartment below him who had music playing most of the night even though he was out working a night shift.


If Jonathan were here with us I would be making homemade soup for him - he always likes that and I would probably sit down and watch a Poirot or Lewis DVD with him (we both love detective stories), but he's in a different country so we just have a chat on the phone.


Fred got a little laugh with me fooling around in the kitchen while getting lunch and of course he got a cuppa mid morning with one of his favourite chocolate snacks taken in to him in his office (he works from home when not travelling).


My friend Amanda is often on facebook so posting a video of one of her favourite songs, then later some greetings there and a bit of teasing will hopefully have helped to make her feel loved and cared for.






These are just some of the little everyday types of things that we do to encourage people and help them along when things are a bit difficult and sometimes we don't even feel like we have made any great effort to do them.

Then the phone rang after 5pm and all I had to do was lift it and greet another friend and then just let them talk about a certain thing that is on their mind.  I needed to say very little but just with a caring attitude and maybe more importantly I was willing to sit and listen to their concerns about a relative.


Yes sometimes all we have to do is be the person that listens.
We don't need to have answers, just listen.

Why?  

Because only people who really care will be ready to listen and one of the greatest needs someone can have is to know someone cares about them; 

someone cares enough just to let them talk.
This is someone who loves them.


This is what happens when we are obedient to God's Word.




Little did I know that I was going to need some encouragement today as well.

I never imagined that I was going to have someone make accusations about me and two other people today that were untrue and get so annoyed at us that they had to apologise for swearing online.
All because we didn't want other people to feel inferior or unappreciated.


What did I need then?
To know that there were other people who would listen to how I felt and would care about the situation.

Where did I get that?
From two sources.

Another group of bloggers who are great encouragers.
Yes that's what they are.
They help when someone needs help,  they tell each other when they have found a good blogging tip and they celebrate with someone who has achieved something they never thought they could manage to do.

And also from God.
He has told us He cares for us, He loves us, He wants good for us, He will comfort us, He will always be with us if we put our trust in Him.
I know He cares for me personally and He loves me personally, He wants good for me, He comforts me and He will never leave me.


I also know that if you have put your trust in Him you will be able to say exactly the same things.


So take heart today and if you are in need of encouragement then 
say those same things to yourself 
and 
 be encouraged by God.


This is what happens when we are obedient to God's Word


And in case you would like to hear Amanda's favourite song I've got it here for you.



















Sunday

It's Gods Love #6


This Sunday Series is all about God's Love.

There will be a simple, short post each week
consisting of a Bible Verse around the topic of
God's Love and I would be very pleased if you
would join me each Sunday.










Today we are looking at the Gospel of John



The Apostle John had a lot to say about Love


This seems like a very simple, straightforward verse
with a simple, straightforward command
but it cannot be obeyed without the understanding of God's Love








The full sentence of this verse is


That ye love one another; 
as I have loved you, 
that ye also love one another.



Our love

for others

based on

God's Love

to us.


Oh what a responsibility!