While elephants are still babies and they need to be trained, their trainers tie them to a steak in the ground with rope that they cannot break free from. As the elephant grows, they are still tied with the same type of rope, only this time, they could absolutely snap the rope and go free. Why don’t they break free? Because, after so many attempts when they couldn’t break free because the rope was too strong, now they just believe that they can’t.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and, if you’ve had a conversation with me this week, you’ve probably heard me share the elephant story!

One of the things that we have been conditioned in is Covid. Today (Thursday 24^th March) marks two years to the day that we were ordered to stay at home for three weeks!? – I know, right! I heard someone call it the ‘good lock down’ and I understand what he meant. It was new, novel and gave us all a chance to live life differently, no-one would ever have thought that we would still be living with it today.

Please understand that what am I about to say is regarding the BIG picture, so don’t take it personally and don’t take offense. Only you know your own body and what is needed when sickness strikes.  But I must say what I find interesting now is, we’re no longer being ordered to stay at home, wear masks or even self-isolate if we test positive, yet so many people are still doing the things that were once mandatory. We were tied to a steak in the ground two years ago and, many people don’t believe or don’t want to believe that we are no longer tied. Is it fear? Is it conditioning? Is it wise? Of course, in some instances, the right thing is to stay at home, we all know our own bodies and what we need, plus no -one wants you coughing or sneezing over them! Please stay home! Haha!

Covid is just one example of many that we can use in this analogy. A fear of flying, driving, heights, lifts, shyness, sickness, habits, barrenness and on and on we go.

All these things are genuine ropes, but in Christ, they are breakable. If we are conditioned to a belief system that tells us that our rope isn’t breakable, we stand tied – possibly for life.

Let’s flip it on its head, what if your rope is something you’d like to do or should be doing but you don’t think you can – eating well, exercise, bible study, prayer – you’ve tried to break free from ill-discipline and apathy, you’ve tried it so many times and failed that you’ve just accepted that you can’t move.

What do we do? We must be transformed in our thinking. So, if you’re fearful of driving in the dark or on a motorway. Ask a friend to go with you, just do it. If you’re scared of getting in a lift, ask a friend to go with you, just do it! You will be amazed, and you will never look back. Once a barrier is broken, it is broken forever. Once you snap the rope, it will be snapped forever. If you’re longing for a baby, believe, then act (I won’t go into detail with the acting here! Suffice to say, you’re not going to have a baby if you don’t act! I have prayed with many couples to get pregnant and can testify to results, after I have prayed, I always say, now go and practice!

Once you believe, you will act. It happens that way round. Believe then act!

You have 2 paths to choose from – the wide path where you let all the ropes you have keep you pinned in one place or the narrow path where you’re making decisions to cut the ropes and enjoy the life that Jesus died to give you. Which path is easier? The wide one! It’s much easier to stay tied to the steak than it is to go on a journey to break chains. Which path is freer? The narrow one! It’s on this path that you will fly in all the freedoms that are yours in Christ. Which path are you on? If you need to switch lanes, just do it.

Until next time, D xx

What is a blueprint? It’s a plan that is complete and fixed and prepared before a foundation or a brick is put in place. A house, for example, is ‘built’ on the drawings of a blueprint before a brick is laid. I only found this out recently and it got me thinking.

Imagine a room – a very large room filled with filing cabinets from floor to ceiling and in these filing cabinets are the blueprints for everyone’s life, written up by God Almighty. Complete, fixed and prepared.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

You are not a mistake.

My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

It’s not how we were conceived, but why. Everyone has a blueprint from God. Unfortunately for most, if not all, humans, it takes us time to get on the same page as God. Some of us come to him as children and some as adults. The older we are, the likelihood is, that we’ve messed up our original blueprint and there is serious clearing up to do. It’s also sad to say that even when we do get on the right page, in other words, get born again, we sometimes still ignore our blueprint and do our own thing – wrong choices; sin; adultery; pornography; apathy towards spiritual discipline and so on. We inadvertently say to God, thanks, but no thanks, I’ll make my own blueprint.

Man began this journey thousands of years ago:

For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh

We said, ‘no thanks, we’ll do it our way.’ Look where that got us.

God has a blueprint for you – have you screwed it up and shoved it in a drawer somewhere? Are you trying to work it out yourself? Get back to the blueprint. Go and get it out of the drawer. God’s blueprint is dependable and perfect for you.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

You have a 100% chance of making it in life, if you follow His blueprint. He’ll be there for the bumps in the road too. So, if you took a pen and changed his plan, go and get an eraser – rub your plans out and stick with Him.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^[a]
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.

P.S Thanks to Bill Green and Josua Omo for bringing the blueprint words into our church which helped me write this blog!

Please feel free to share and subscribe to my blog – if you enjoy it!

Until next time, D x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’ve read much of my stuff before, you will know that I am a big cheerleader of the John 10:10 life. Of course, I believe that Jesus died ultimately for us to spend eternity with him – no tears, no pain, no death, no sickness, no lack, ever, ever again!! Do you ever think about that day? It’s going to be incredible (that word doesn’t do it justice) I, for one, will do cartwheels, who’s joining me? 

But, I also believe that Jesus died for us to have an adventure before that day comes. If not, he’d have whisked us off to heaven on the day we said ‘yes’ to him. If you’ve ever watched adventure movies, you’ll know that the adventurous life isn’t a life without storms, fighting or drama – it’s not just about the romance, the happy ending and that ‘at last’ kiss that we girls long for (Pride and Prejudice comes to my mind!). 

The point is, it’s full, exciting and not dull. I think it should be the same way for those of us who have put our faith in the Son of God, in the creator of the whole universe who chose to live in us, by his Spirit. Beware though, the adventure might mean you have to make saying, ‘goodbye’ a regular feature in your life. For us, we have had that life, and, to a lesser degree, still do. Our family lives in the South and we live in the North East because this is where God has brought us for our adventure to continue.

We began the ‘goodbye’ journey back in the late 90’s when we first moved to Tanzania with our six and seven-year-olds in tow. Everyone was fine until the moment came to leave for the airport, then we all lost it! It was tough. 

When we went back to Tanzania in 2014, we had to say ‘goodbyes’ to our kids and their spouses and, to be honest, every time, got a little harder!  Of course, modern technology made it easier for us to be in touch, plus the fact that we were mostly only away for a few months at a time, but even so, it was still difficult. 

We’ve just returned from a few days at Center Parcs with our kids and grandkids, and it prompted this blog as I couldn’t help but remember the following story! 

One of the last times we said goodbye to our kids was around 2018 and we’d just had a great few days at center parcs, and within a few days we would be back in Africa. The tears came before I’d even got to the car. It was tough. However, when we landed in Tanzania,  I felt God talking to me about this side (the goodbyes) of the adventure and that it’s all part of it. If we’d never said goodbye to familiarity back in 1998, we would never have experienced the 1000’s of hellos that we have since that day. 

If we want new ‘hellos’, it might mean some ‘goodbyes’. I’m not suggesting for a moment that you should all up and emigrate, (unless you want to, then do it), but I am encouraging you to find some new ‘hellos’. Ask yourself the question, when was the last time you said ‘hello’ to someone new? If it’s been a while, then I think you’re missing out. Get out there; there are a whole host of people to meet and to influence. We met and continue to meet some great people that we never knew existed, but we already know many of the people that we have met along our journey are life-long friends. Increase your circle and you will increase your life. Don’t let the thought of goodbye, hold you back. 

There are adventures to be lived.