Waiting

Waiting....it's not fun. Yet there's so much to be waiting for. Your friend to meet you at the cafe for coffee, someone to pick you up and drive you to an event, money to transfer through the bank, love, pay day, a chance to travel and the birth of a child, just to give you a few examples. Sometimes it's hard to wait for these things, especially if they're the 'bigger' or more long-term things in life. We can get fixated on these things and wonder if they're ever going to happen. I wonder if by now some of the things I'm waiting for have happened to you.



Despite all of the things that we wait for, there is in life ultimately one thing worth waiting for that's much bigger and much more important than all these things put together. That's the return of Jesus Christ our Saviour and King. One day He will return to this earth. For those who trust in Him there will be joy and deliverance from the punishment we deserve, but for those who don't trust in Him, there will be sadness and the punishment we deserve. Although this is a foreign concept to many people, I hope that this is something that you still know. Whenever you are waiting for something to happen, remember this and fix your eyes on Him who is to come.

Dreaming of travel

My brother and his partner are heading overseas in April to explore the wonders of Europe. I'm so happy that they have this chance to go and see a part of the world that neither of them have seen before, but at the same time I'm totally jealous. Since spending a year in the Netherlands in 2006, then heading to West Timor in Dec 2007 for a 2 week mission exposure trip, I've been hit with the travel bug. Unfortunately I haven't been anywhere since West Timor, meaning I haven't been anywhere in over 3 years. That may not seem like a long time to many people, especially those who are not inclined to travel, but for me, it's a lifetime. I'm not saying that I want to leave everything that I'm doing here in Adelaide, because I believe that this is the place that God wants me to be and I'm doing the things that I believe God wants me to do. The thing is that I keep dreaming about heading overseas and I just can't seem to get there.

Now I've started a job which I'm locked into for 2 years, with no chance of overseas travel. I'm hoping that in this time I can have some holidays around Australia and see a bit more of this beautiful country. I'm excited about that, but it's just not the same. There are so many places around the world that I want to go to, and so many things I want to see. At the moment though, I guess I'll just have to keep dreaming and maybe even start planning some travels for 2013...

What to do with a life

ok so I was thinking today. Big step I know, especially since I've been sick for a week. Anyway, I was thinking about all the things that I would like to do with my time and the things I would like to change. I've realised that I have no idea what I do with my time and that I need to use it more efficiently. The question is, what do I do with this time? There seems to be many things to do, but what is really of any benefit? I see people with neat houses and the dishes always done and think 'I should really spend more time doing housework, so that I'm not living in a dump'. Then I see people who are really great at making time for other people and really investing in their lives and i think 'I should really spend more time investing in relationships with other people'. Then I go to people's places and they've prepared an awesome, healthy meal and I think 'I should really cook more and eat healthier'. Then I hear about people who are so well read that I can't imagine having read that many books and think' I should really spend more time reading, especially books with meaning'. Then I see people who haven't got weight issues and think 'I really should exercise more if I want to loose some weight'.

The though occured to me today that it's really not at all possible to do everything, so what is it that we should be focusing on? Is it possible to do a little bit more of each of these good pursuits? Is that even a realistic option? And then there's the question of what things I would rather be doing? I would take catching up with a friend over the dishes any day, but those things still need doing. Also, what do I spend my time on, if not the things that I want to be better at/have more time for. Sometimes I just feel as if my head is going to explode with all of the issues and ideas that are going around in it. That's why I procrastinate so much and end up doing nothing, or things that really don't matter, such as writing this blog...

What's on your mind?

Some times I wonder what's on my mind. Quite a lot of the time I wonder if there's really anything at all on my mind. What is it that I think about in the quiet times, reflection times, thoughtful times. Thinking about it (pun not really intended) I'm not really sure that I have 'quiet times'. My life is so busy with so many things in it that I just don't sit down and think. I don't contemplate the day, I don't meditate on God's word, I don't think about things. I'm not saying that I never think and everything that I do is purely by chance. I think about relationships, what I'm going to be doing in the next few days etc. I just don't think that I think enough about the things that really matter. I want to be someone who thinks about life, who thinks about God and how His love, mercy and grace affect my life and the lives of those around me. When I have 'free time' I seem to spend it on the computer mindlessly on facebook or checking emails. Alternatively I watch movies/tv shows which makes me think about things in an escaped reality.

Can I really change that? Can I really become someone who thinks more? Maybe with my new job it'll give me the chance to focus on God's word and how it relates to University students. Maybe it will give me the chance to think about how it relates to me and my life. That's something to think about. What do you think about?

Changes

wow. it's been a while. Clearly I've been caught up in my life and have not bothered to write down any thoughts. So I thought when's better than now? Having finished uni I'm thinking about all the changes that are happening to my life and the lives of those around me. The change that's really getting to me is the change that's happening in other people's lives. Good friends are moving away for work and becoming respectable people, like teachers. Friends are getting full-time jobs and are no longer going to be so flexible with their time. I'm finding it hard to say good-bye to people and not knowing when I'll see them again. I should be used to this kind of thing, but I'm just not.

I guess I too am going to have a job this year. Hopefully it will be one job full-time and I'm looking forward to it, but it stills seems so far off. Plans are coming together and are being made, but there's still so much uncertainty. I guess that's why it doesn't seem that real. I think there's some part of me that just doesn't think that I'll ever get a job, especially one that I want. But I know that it's up to God and I know that He will be working in my life to give me the job He wants, and seriously, what more can I ask for?

At church today I was reminded of what the cost of following Jesus is, as well as the cost of NOT following Him. I'm so lucky to be a follower of Jesus, yet sometimes I think about what this means for me and think 'am I really living this out in my life?'. I guess leaving my life in its entirety, meaning my relationships, career, finances and time, in God's hands is following Him and letting Him be the one in control of my life.