Seasons

"For I the Lord do not change..."

Malachi 3:6

Does the sun ever change its brightness?  Not as far as I know.

Our view of it changes, depending on the season we're in, or the time of day.  But as far as I know, its brightness never changes.  Sometimes it can look more beautiful than others.  A couple of weeks ago I went to see the Kings of Leon in Hyde Park with a very good friend of mine (check out her blog too! - http://anordinarylifelessordinary.wordpress.com) and as they were playing, the sun was going down.  It was beautiful.  Outdoor gigs are definitely the best.  But that could be a WHOLE other blog in itself...

You can definitely feel the full exposure of the sun when sitting out in it for a picnic in the summer at lunchtime and when away on holiday somewhere hot and sunny!!

We can relate this to how we can sometimes feel the effects of God in our lives.  Sometimes when we feel that we're in a situation where it's dark and cold and the weather might be like that too, the sun is shining no less brightly than when it was when you woke up.  

"For I the Lord do not change..."

Thank goodness!! If God changed in the same way as we see Him when our seasons and situations in life do, we'd be in trouble.  But He doesnt!!

Our God remains the same ALL the time, regardless of how we feel or see Him according to what's going on in our lives!

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

James 1:17

If you're still reading this, I'm adding a song in which I am loving at the moment!  Give it a listen...(you might need to turn the volume up a bit)

Cover Up

I recently found myself in a challenging situation I wasn't expecting.

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine where we were chatting about things we depend and rely on to make ourselves feel better.  It turned out that without realising, I have built up quite a reliance on wearing make up and struggling to leave the house without it.

I don’t wear a lot of make up; a bit of eyeliner and mascara and my eyes are done.  But I know I would struggle if I needed to go out without wearing any, which quickly evoked a question in my head – “Why?”

After challenging my friend to give up what she was relying on to feel better, I agreed to make the challenge equal, and to not wear any make up one evening, and it had to be an evening I was spending with my boyfriend.  I embraced the trial and was surprised at how difficult I found it.  Thankfully, my boyfriend was lovely and assured me I was still beautiful without it! 

I know clearly that the Bible says we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and this is without cosmetics, but why can this sometimes be hard to understand fully on a personal level? 

The world can throw at us many things including advert after advert trying to sell us the next best-selling mascara, foundation or eyeliner.  Although some products really can do their job, I think it’s important to remember that we don’t need to rely on make up to make ourselves feel that we look better.

In fact, that evening, I had a sense of freedom where I knew others thought I still looked ok and I actually felt pretty relaxed, which was different to how I began the evening!

I still feel challenged by this, although this occasion has made a difference to how I feel about make up and I know that I don't need it to look more beautiful.  But what I do know, is that I’m accepted, loved, and saved regardless of how I look or behave and for that I am very  grateful!!