The Armour of God - from a female perspective!

Events of the last week or so have left me reeling, emotionally and physically as well as spiritually. I got up on Saturday morning and decided I was going to need make-up on to be able to face the day and the world of people out there wanting to know ‘How are you?’ If I was going to have even the smallest of chances of getting through the day without another meltdown I needed to at least look like I was fine! How many of us have done this at some point in our lives? There are A LOT of things we use to ‘shore ourselves up’, not all of it not good for us.

Now I happen to be very firmly in the ‘less is more’ camp when it comes to beauty products and the wearing of make-up. God definitely made us all beautiful, regardless of what the world and its horrendous attitudes will have us think. We do not need to plaster ourselves in anything to be worthy of love, and there’s a whole other blog just right there!

I also know that there are times when we need to protect our own sanity by building (albeit temporarily) a wall around us that protects us from the ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’: the rubbish that life hands us! For me Saturday was one such time. As I applied my make-up it struck me that I was donning armour, and that I ought to apply it with prayer…

So, Lord Jesus as I put on the Foundation of righteousness, the Concealer of faith and the Powder of truth, may I remember your promises to me; as I apply the Eye-shadow of  peace, the Liner of salvation and the Mascara of the Spirit may I be ready to battle through the day in Your name. May this armour provide me with the faith I need to stand in your Holy Presence today and receive your protection from those who would seek to undo my defences.

I’ll bet that Paul never thought of it like that!

PS: Our fight against the enemy is not to be trivialised, please do not read that here. I love the Message version of Ephesians 6…

A Fight to the Finish

 ^10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

 ^13-18Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Ten Things to be Thankful for on a Tuesday!

(with thanks to a new friend who started me off www.beccaislearning.com)

1.       1. My family: 2 small boys who are truly delightful and a husband who loves me lots. Along with a whole load of other wider family who are fantastic.

2.      2.  TV shows that make me giggle: Friends; How I Met Your Mother amongst others.

3.       3. My food processor that makes cake-making a doddle!

4.      4.  Watching Veggie Tales: these guys have such creativity in making the Bible relevant to my kids (and other kids too!).

5.       5. Our beautiful house, made possible by a fantastic God and a wonderful Grandma.

6.      6.  Sunshine and rain! Our veggies look amazing despite the lack of rain, being a new gardener means I get as excited about the rain as I do about the sun these days!

7.     7.   My washing machine. Sometimes our other Grandma offers to do washing for us, whenever I thank her she says ‘It’s not me that does it dear, the machine does it all for me!’ I’m SO very grateful to live in an age and a place where we don’t have to wash clothes by hand.

8.       8. Grandmas. I didn’t really have Grandmas growing up, one died before my parents got married and the other went when I was small (much missed!). When I married my hubby both his Grandmas were still with us and took me on as their Granddaughter, it has been lovely to have Grandmas again and to have lost ‘Big’ Grandma a year ago is still a great sadness.

9.      9.  My job. Another one directly attributable to God (but then they all are really!). I love my job, despite all the frustrations of the nitty gritty, I know I’m where God wants me to be right now.

10.   10. The NHS and in particular the Eastbourne District Hospital, who have been utterly brilliant in the last year!

A lot to be thankful for, and plenty more besides. Phew, just about finished on Tuesday!!