September 2011
Katie Turner
Katie is a dynamic, attractive bundle of energy. She is always on the go, working part-time as a secondary school teacher and looking after her seven year old twins, as well as supporting her busy husband. If you popped round to her house, you would usually find the teapot brewing and something delicious cooking. Katie
You are not special.
Adverts, t-shirts and car stickers bombard us with messages – so many that often we don’t take them in. I was struck recently when I saw a truck with a large bumper sticker telling me – “You are not special”.
We are so used to positive affirming statements that it was a shock and I looked at the truck driver, as we waited at the traffic lights, wondering what had happened to make him display such a sticker. Maybe it was a joke, a reaction against too many cheesey meaningless massages. Or maybe the driver does not feel special, there is no one in his life who makes him feel valued and unique.
I wish I could share with him that God created him as a unique being, that there is no one else like him with his gifts, talents and personality in the world. That God loves him and wants him to be in relationship with Him. That Jesus thought he was so special that He died for him.
Well, he drove off and there is little chance that I will ever see that truck again or that he will read this article!
But as I head out the door this morning there will probably be someone who does need to know they are special who crosses my path today. Perhaps a friend who needs to hear that I value them. Or a conversation will arise about faith. Maybe someone who is working hard in an un-noticed job needs a passer by to make eye contact and say ‘thank you’. Whether by my words or actions, I pray that today I will let someone know that they are special, to me and to God.
You are not special. Read More »
Change, change, change!
“Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have- and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up”
James Belasco and Ralph Stayer Flight of the Buffalo (1994)
Not change again!
Yep- it’s all around us, in the news, in our jobs, in our churches and in our families. It’s inescapable.
It’s in the air for me too as I prepare to move in a new direction with my counselling career.
Still awaiting my results to confirm I will be a bone fide Counsellor, I am conscious of my struggle with letting go of the old and embracing the new.
As I read this quote, I had a light bulb moment: Change isn’t about what we are losing, it’s about what we might gain as a result.
Whether it be our career, our home, or in our family, change is a matter of perspective. It’s about the lens with which we view it.
As a christian woman, I want to be flexible so that I can change my thinking, my habits and my behaviour, The bible talks about the old having gone and the new being in its place. But how can this happen if we are resistant to change? As we focus on what God can bring about in and through us, we are able to let go of the old and focus instead on the fresh experiences he has for us.
What are you overestimating the value of by hanging on to it?
And are you underestimating how much God has for you?
Lets be couragous together as we let go of the old and embrace God’s next installment for our lives!
Change, change, change! Read More »