Tag: Student Christian

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How Are You, Really?

How are you? Everyone says these three little words on a daily basis and the typical, easy answer to reply is, “I’m fine.” There is never a need to elaborate on that.  Many of us are private and reluctant to tell others about the issues going on in our lives. We have become such a private culture that even our family and friends are unwilling to ask us too many questions or to answer them when we ask. So many of us feel reluctant to disclose too much about ourselves particularly if it involves troubling issues. It has been researched that even when we go to the doctor, we may minimise or fail to mention the problems we are having. But why? Are we afraid to be helped or admit that we have problems just like everyone else? Do we really believe that no one really cares about what we say?

Offering Our Anxieties Up To God

This post goes out to all those who are anxious and feel like they have to constantly hide behind the “I’m fine” answer. But you’re never alone. God is in control. The Bible itself is filled to the brim with helpful and calming verses in it. “Put your trust in God…” (Psalm 56:3), “Cast all your cares on the Lord…” (Psalm 55:22) and the one I spoke about last week; “Do not worry about tomorrow…” (Matthew 6:34). For some of my Christian friends in the past have been told that anxiety (or any mental illness) is a sin and that they had to have more faith, believe or pray more. Anxiety is NOT a sin and you are not a defective.

For many of us, our anxieties, our fears and our feelings aren’t things we can control on our own. At least, not straight away. It usually shows up unannounced, unwanted and takes up residence, like a stain you can’t get out of a pristine, white shirt. It’s a medical condition that needs care, intervention and management that goes beyond quoting a few Bible verses and saying a lovely prayer, thinking that they’ll be quick fixes. When it comes to anxiety and other overwhelming feelings like grief, fear and anger, our first port of call, particularly as Christians, is to shove them away as hard and as fast as we can push them. We use all manner of things for that to happen; prayers, scriptures, declarations. We play worship songs at full volume in our attempts to drown the thoughts out. But, as much as we try, we can’t change the thoughts we have.

Jesus Shifts Our Focus

In the Bible, in Matthew 6.25-26, Jesus starts the discussion about understanding the fears and anxieties buried deep in mankind, that we can all take hold of:

“Do not be worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they don’t sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they are?” (NIV)

Look up. There are five hundred million hungry birds flying around. They don’t sow, reap or gather into barns and yet your Father in heaven knows their need and feeds every single one of them. If God feeds animal, essentially His pets, will He not feed you? Jesus, in these verses, shifts our focus to the “more” in life – what our hearts crave. There is a different kind of life we experience in fellowship with our God that is supernatural. That’s where our lives become more than “food and clothing.”

These verses go on to say, in Matthew 6.27, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” God is in control! The minutes, hours, days and weeks we spend being anxious amount to wasted, stolen time. Concerns from health, to money, to the future of the human race are all matters for God. He will be concerned about them  because He cares for you and wants to guide you into living a fruitful life.

Using Anxiety To Your Advantage

Breathe. trust. Transfer your anxiety to God and place your concern where it belongs; on the things of God. I used to hate having anxiety. Now I don’t mind it as much because in those moments when I wake up at three in the morning in a cold sweat, my mind racing with concerns of money, the past and the future. I roll of my bed to sit on the floor and pray… especially hard to do when you’re at your parent’s house and you sleep on a bunk bed. I ask God to transition my anxieties from the things of this world into the things that God is concerned about.

Thanks

Don’t Fear, Only Believe 

If you fancy reading any of my latest projects, please visit dontfearonlybelieve.wordpress.com 

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How Much Does Your Life Cost?

Worth.

It’s such a powerful thing. The word is used to indicate how valuable something is, usually the value of an expensive car or your dream house. But also, commonly, it is used to describe a person’s life. We are constantly yearning and seeking to be worth something to someone else. In society, we are constantly told to live your life, your way – your worth being meaningful only to yourself. But you are worth more than anything to a guy called Jesus…

One inspirational woman who I have had the honour of seeing her legacy left behind, has been Lilias Falconer. The Falconer home has a special place in my heart and my family’s hearts, and I’m sure I’ve touched on this subject before in a previous blog. I got the amazing opportunity to visit this amazing orphanage a few years ago in Zambia. But this woman clearly showed why Jesus is worth it all! Lilias was born in 1915 in my home town, Manchester, and at the age of 15 she was telling her family that the call on her life was to go to Africa and to look after babies and children. For her to fulfil this mission, she applied for medical training to train as a nurse. All these applications were refused. In 1939, at the start of World War II, she was accepted into nursing training with the Salvation Army, and after a course in tropical medicine she travelled to Africa to a leper hospital in Zambia. There she saw the plight of little babies left to die when their mothers passed during childbirth. From this, she agreed to look after one baby but soon five babies were brought to her and one her own, she went further into the bus, establishing her Children’s home and Orphanage in the small village of Kabulamema. She died in 1998, and her grave is situated behind the house, in a beautiful lone building, signifying a constant connection to her work. This is a woman who gave up her whole life for Jesus.

The “Waste” of Expensive Perfume

The work of missionaries and people who give up their ordinary lives for extraordinary lives reminds me of a story from the Bible that shows us why Jesus is worth it all…

Clutching the jar tightly in her hands, the woman stood in the doorway and looked into the room. Her heart beat intensely. Her eyes darted back and forth. Her anxiety was at its peak. The room was packed with me, most of them who knew her for the job she did. A prostitute. She consider running away. At that moment, she saw Him. Everything else vanished, the world stopped. Nothing mattered anymore. Running into the room, she fell to the ground, tears forming in her eyes. Breaking her jar open, she poured the expensive perfume in it all over the man’s feet. She loved Him. She was a sinner. But this man, this Jesus, had shown her forgiveness. Everyone else stared at this random woman, shocked by her actions.

“Why have you wasted all that? You could have sold it it and given it to the poor,” the disciples shouted. Then Jesus spoke above the fuss, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done something beautiful for me. You won’t always have me, but you’ll always have the poor. This woman is preparing me for my burial. Listen to me, when the gospel is preached, the memory of her will also be told.” (Matthew 26.6-13).

The Reaction

Imagine if you were one of the disciples. Would you have been angry at the woman? She would have wasted perfume that had cost millions of pounds. But then again, much like the woman in the story, how do we respond to the story of Lilias Falconer? Too often we would respond as the disciples did. When we hear about people giving up their lives in rich, western countries to honour and serve God, we question their choices. Too often we see it as a waste of potential. We may never say it in words but in reality, we are asking the same question the disciples asked, “Why this waste?”

As Christians, we are taught to present our lives as living sacrifices, demonstrating God’s perfect will. Many people, and many Christians, would say if you presented your life in such a way, that you would be vulnerable to the devil and forces of evil. But Paul in Philippians 4.19, clearly states:

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

So, in answer to How Much Does Your Life Cost? I think it costs an infinite amount. We have worth because one man spent His worth for our all and so it is never a waste to give Jesus anything. And looking at it this way; it is our only reasonable response.

Thanks for reading.

Don’t Fear, Only Believe 

Photo credits – unsplash.com

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Be An Ordinary Radical

"Don't be afraid," he said, "For you are very precious to God. Peace! Ne encouraged! Be strong!" As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, "Please speak to me, my Lord, for you have strengthened me." Daniel 10:19 (NLV)

One 16 year old girl has been my inspiration to show strength and courage over the past two weeks. She has stood up for what she has believed in, being an even louder voice in a loud crowd. She has spoken in front of the UK Government and the United Nations. And when people have said, "You're too young" or "You're voice won't be heard", she has proved her critics wrong. If you guessed correctly, I'm talking about the Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg. If you've never heard of her, you really need to check her out. The first time I watched one of her lectures, I was blown away with her resilience. I constantly wish that I can show a strength like hers in what I believe in; God. 

She is an ordinary radical.

Each day, every one us has choices to make when we wake up. The option that most of us take, often unconsciously, is to continue with the status quo, grinding it out in the way expected to us by family, friends and colleagues. Over the past few days, I have found this pretty hard, to be perfectly honest. This week I have got BUCS Regatta, the biggest university rowing regatta in the world. But leading to this, requires a large amount of training and a unchanging routine. Get up, row, work, row, sleep, press stop and then repeat. I'm sure for a number of you, you have a constantly repeating timetable that you wish for one day you could break free from – a timetable that usually leaves you frustrated or down approaching the weekend. But do you ever get the feeling you were made for more than going through the motions on autopilot? Is there something missing from your day-to-day life?

Hold up! There's another way. The way of the ordinary radical. Ordinary radicals are around us every day, but they often go unnoticed. They tend to go under the radar and that's the way they like it. Ordinary radicals seize each day as an opportunity. "Do small things with great love" as Mother Teresa once said. They don't need huge amount of money, loads of spare time, tons of resources and energy to make a difference. They're like you and me – full-time jobs, bills to pay, to do lists to complete. But these ordinary radicals, as Shane Claiborne once explained, are set apart by their ability to see and understand the opportunities presented to them every day to bless those around them, to speak up for the voiceless and to comfort the hurting. These people are rarely thanked, applauded or shown in the media. One of my favourite books, and minor prophets, in the Bible is Daniel. I would describe him as an ordinary radical who didn't bow down and worship an oppressive dictator but instead stayed true to his God even if it meant being thrown into a den of lions.

Closing a Lion's Mouth

The Bible story of Daniel teaches us about the promises God has for us all but, in turn, talks about Daniel's refusal to bow down to man and instead persist in something he believed in. If you've never heard the story, go and read it, but I'll break it down so you have an idea of what's happening…

King Darius was the ruler of Babylon at the time and had appointed several men to help him govern his land. Daniel was one of these, the lead advisor, who believed in God and followed the Lord's commands, But the other men didn't like him one bit and didn't want him in charge so they hatched a plan to get rid of Daniel. These men knew that Daniel believed in the God of Israel, in a society that didn't. A bit like today. They convinced the king to make a new law that meant that the people could only worship and pray to the king and if they worshipped and prayed to anything else, they would be thrown in the lion's den. The lions would eat the one that broke this law. Daniel knew this law but committed to remain strong in his prayer and praise to God. He prayed in front of his open window three times a day. When the men saw Daniel praying, they brought what they had seen to the king. King Darius was devastated. He highly favoured Daniel. But he knew he couldn't change that law and Daniel was thrown into the lion's den.

To cut a long story short, God sent an angel who kept the lion's mouths shut, leaving Daniel unharmed because he trusted God. This showed the king and the people that God is real. The king then threw the accusers in to the den, a pretty gruesome end. If you think about it, Daniel was just an ordinary guy who persisted with courage for the God he believed in. He didn't need to be famous to live life differently. An ordinary radical.

Today and tomorrow, you have a choice: Will I take the everyday opportunities I am given to live my life as an ordinary radical? What will you choose? 

Thanks

Don't Fear ,Only Believe 

To check out my latest blog posts and projects, please visit dontfearonlybelieve.wordpress.com 

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Teenage Pregnancy

Pregnancy

Well pregnancy is not a sin. Teenage pregnancy is also not a sin. In fact, Mary, the most revered woman in the church, was pregnant as a teen.

The Church cares a lot more about why a teen is pregnant. Regardless of why though, the Church recognizes the life of the child in the womb and advocates against abortion. The life of the infant can also be seen in the case of Mary when she visits her cousin Elizabeth and John leaps in Elizabeth’s womb at the presense of zygote Jesus.

Here are some reasons that the Church finds to be acceptable for being pregnant as a teen:

  1. You didn’t have sex, but instead God told you that you’ll have a child, and that child is the Son of God. Unsurprisingly, this one is a little rare.
  2. You are already married (young marriages can be a thing, they’re just not common in our culture)
  3. You got raped. Rape is one of the most horrifying crimes that a person can commit against another. But if a woman is pregnant because she was raped, then she is not at any fault. Of course, society has the unfortunate masogynistic tendency to disagree, even within the Church.

There is only one unacceptable reason, but this is the most common today:

  1. You had consensual sex outside of marriage. If this is the case the Church strongly desires that both the father and the mother go to Confession and work to amend their lives to be lives of virtue. Two requirements of that new life of virtue include a renewed committment to chastity and a committment to care for the child to the best of their ability.

Regardless of the circumstances of the child’s conception, the Church urges all involved to acknowledge the child that is coming into the world as a gift from God and not as a problem. True, there may be some difficulties associated with his or her entrance into the world, but ultimately it is good. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, and it’s one thing that is uniquely exclusive to women. Pregnancy doesn’t always happen in the best of circumstances, and can be a product of sin, but is in and of itself a beautiful thing which should be met with joy and not condemnation.

 

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