Morning Cuppas With Glenys

We have to live through the bad times

Every day is precious no matter how much you ache or hurt. Life has to be lived rather than endured.

Realising how short life really is should encourage us to live it with courage, taking hard times as a challenge.

Not every day will be sunshine and roses, but those days will help us appreciate the days that are.

Remember too, we have to live through the bad times to get to the good.

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17

Choose to move on

There is much wisdom here. Going back is often impossible, but moving forward is a must. Pray and ask for God's help.

Just don't stand still and get nowhere. Your attitude will effect your next step. Your action will effect your day. Each action on a daily basis will become your life. Determine to be happy in the LORD

To a great degree, you are in charge of your ending. God has great plans for you. Choose to move on.

" For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

It's all good

I have always sought to live my life according to God's Word, and I have tried to encourage other Christian women in their walk. Over the five years that I have written of God's wonderful plan for us as wives, mothers and homemakers, I have been impressed with how the 5 areas of priority in our lives overlap so much that at times I have had to categorise them by adding all the 5 areas to each post. Let me explain.

Just a quick recap of the five areas of service for the Christian woman and wife in order of priority:

Husband

Children

Home

Church

We must serve God and have Him first in our life. "He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8

Because everything is spiritual in our life, I have discovered that when we serve our husbands, we are serving Christ. " Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as is fit in the Lord " Colossians 3:18 "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy" 1 Corinthians 7:14

When we look after our home, we are serving God, our husband and our children. "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully." 1 Timothy 5:14

Serving in church or serving in God's Name is important but should not come before all the other 4 priorities are in order. (widows) " well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work" 1 Timothy 5:10

I have found that often I cannot place a post under just one category because it is so closely correlated to the other categories of service. This is because everything in our lives is spiritual. When we consider the umbrella of God's protection as well, we can see that God's plan for our lives is amazing. We have everything here to guide us as wives, mothers and homemakers. We can be sure that we are living our lives in a way that is pleasing to God and in keeping with His Word.

It is not only comforting to know that God's Word guides us in our daily living, but it is also amazing that we can know with a certainty that God not only approves of us being wives, mothers and homemakers, but that He calls most of us to be that!

If God has called us to be a wife with all that entails, then let us rejoice in His plan for our life. In doing so, we can be partners with God in His greatest creation: people who will love Him and live for eternity with Him! And we will live an abundant life full of blessings as Christ has promised.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

From the only true God

Once we are born again, everything we do comes under the watchful Eye of the LORD. He does not bestow luck on us nor is our fortune- good or bad, by chance or the universe.

It is not controlled by how the stars are aligned or if you crossed your fingers or wished upon a star. It is by God's grace and favour that we are blessed- and even that which we don't see as a blessing is permitted by Him in order for us to grow closer to Him and seek Him.

Jodar the mythical god of luck has no power, and God Himself will not share His glory with another. We are blessed, not lucky. Blessings are from the only true God.

"The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.” -Proverbs 16:33

Save Jesus Christ alone

When we once moved house, we had an introductory chat with our new neighbours. I was delighted to learn that the whole end of our street were Christians. This was an answer to prayer because I had been hungry for fellowship.

Whilst we were chatting, my new neighbour told me of the people next door. They were of a different denomination to them. She told me they considered their denomination the *only* real church and that they came across as feeling superior to them. She then went on to discuss the other denominations represented in the street who happened to speak in tongues. They too felt superior to other denominations and Christians who didn't have the gift of tongues or the Baptism of the Spirit. In fact in the next 10 months we were there, they didn't even acknowledge us in the street!

In looking for a new place of worship, we discussed her Baptist Church. I felt that I would like to check it out until she mentioned the factions within about introducing charismatic practices. Sadness flooded over me.

Denominations, factions and superiority ought not to be within the Church. Unfortunately, we all know it is... we all have done it at some time or another. No sooner does one learn that one is a Christian than the judgment starts to raise its ugly head.

Christian, Catholic, Baptist, Spirit-filled, Charismatic, speaker of tongues, christened or baptised by immersion all juggle for precedence in our estimation of a Christians' worth and suitability to befriend and have fellowship with. When in fact, all that should matter is that the person is truly born-again and sees Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Him crucified. There has to be a common bond for Christians and that bond is Jesus.

Because judgments of a persons' church and worship preferences so colour our fellowship, I prefer to see myself as a Christian rather than as a Baptist, Protestant, Charismatic or whatever. Without that willingness to accept each other firstly as Christians, we aren't going to have true fellowship! I mentioned that to my new neighbour and she agreed. So there is still the possibility of ongoing fellowship with her.

Judging Christians by their denomination or manner of worship short-circuits all possibility of developing strong bonds in the Body of Christ. If we do not accept each other purely on the basis of what Christ is and has done, we rob ourselves of the opportunity of fellowship and live outside the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3

Let's choose to see nothing else but Jesus Christ and what He has done for all of us. Surely that would be a very firm foundation to build a friendship on whilst strengthening the Body of Christ. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2

The verse that comes to mind for this post is simple: Jesus wept. John 11:35

There's no other way!

No matter how badly you mess up or how hurt you are. No matter how confused or how sick you are- when you give your broken life to God.

He will help. heal. guide. love. forgive. restore. honour. love. and give you a reason to be glad that you are alive and His Child.

Why would you not give your brokenness to God to heal? after all, He created you in the depths of your mother's womb..

Don't run from the One Who loves you warts and all. Don't delay but run to Him now. Let Him fix your life.

Come as you are- there's no other way!

" For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Guard your thoughts

We are always self talking.. and what we entertain in our head shapes us and becomes actions. So it's crucial that we learn to recognise God's Voice as opposed to Satan's Voice.

I wish I knew God earlier than I did in my life because for the first 3 decades of my life, I was buffeted about by listening to the devil's voice.

Knowing now that God loves me and constantly is with me and wants me to live a peaceful life, I realise that I wasted so many years in misery, doubt and self-hatred.

As it says in the meme, God is a God of love and order. If the voice you are hearing doesn't sound like the encouragement from God, then they are not from Him.

Remember, God loves you. He is for you. He will guide you. He has your back. Hear a verse that gave me hope over a very sad chapter of my life. " For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Guard your thoughts as they will direct your life. © Glenys Robyn Hicks

We are so grateful!

We are so happy to be celebrating our silver anniversary today.

It's been the best 25 years of our life and we are very grateful that the LORD arranged our chance meeting with a very happy ending..

Today is not the day!

Have you ever looked forward to something so much that you inadvertently wish your life away? You find yourself wishing that it would happen today and it almost becomes an obsession.

You find your thoughts are racing with envisioning how it will be and how you will feel and impatience becomes the order of the day.

Often we find that we can't really focus on the job at hand for the day as we daydream and plan. Our motivation can dwindle as well as our peace.

I have been like that, and now that I am a woman of a certain age, I realise that all my pining and planning and energy has actually robbed me of living in the moment.

It is at times like that that I have to bring my thoughts to bear on what needs to be done now. It takes time to train yourself, but it is the only way to actually live productively whilst you wait.

There's nothing wrong with joyful anticipation, and our life would be pretty dreary without something to look forward to, but we must not let it rob us of the joy of today.

I have learned to allow myself some time to dwell on the whatever I am looking forward to and than to bring it under control by telling myself, "yes, when this happens, it will be amazing! I can hardly wait! but today, you must focus on the here and now and live in the moment."

One thing I have found in 70 years of life is that it will come soon enough and I cannot afford to wish my life away. So I open the box of dreams, visualise it, look forward to it- and close the box.

Then I tell myself, "yes, that's so exciting and God willing, it's going to come to pass, but today is not the day!" It's nice to feel the peace and calm in my heart once again, whilst looking forward to that day- and God willing, it's going to be beautiful!

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11a

Poppycock!

We gave such a lot happening today in this world that is frightening. It's no use trying to pretend that we are not at all concerned about what's happening: we would be fools not to be concerned about it.

I won't lie and pretend that I haven't been fearful, but I make myself remember God's promises to be with us no matter what, and I can bring the fear into the captivity of Christ.

We must cling to God and His promises if we are to have any peace about world events. We have to run to Him and not from Him.

Some people feel that if a Christian is afraid that they are not truly saved. That is a lie from Hell. It is just another way that the enemy gets to us when we are down. God does not turn away from us if we feel fear. He wants us to run to Him. He's a loving Father.

In running to Him, we will be comforted and have peace and that is something the evil one does not want. Those who judge the fearful Christian by saying they are not saved because of being afraid are doing the evil one's bidding: causing defeat, misery and false guilt.

The Word says that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd.

And our Good Shepherd laid down His life to save us. He's not going to turn us away because we are afraid.

To suggest that a moment of fearfulness means we are not saved is dangerous. It denies our humanity. It presumes to judge. It spreads falsehood. It negates the work of God. It upholds the work of Satan. It seeks to nullify the Blood of Christ.

I am sure that God would approve of my judgement of this false teaching by using one word to describe it: poppycock!

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23

Make peace a priority

As we grow older, we often find we cannot handle stress as well as we did when we were young.

These days, I find that a peaceful home and life is of utmost importance, especially as I deal with chronic illness and pain daily.

I strive to ensure my home is peaceful and I diligently seek to eliminate things and people that cause me stress. Your mental health will thank you!

Let us try to make our homes a sanctuary from the world's trouble and mayhem. So let us deck the halls of our home and heart...

Let us make sure we keep our homes clean and aired.
Let us try to stay to a routine that gives us time to teach our children.
Let us remember that our children will be picking up and hearing fearful information, so let us be particularly loving with them.
Let us make meals that not only fill our family's stomach, but nourish them. Give them something to look forward to at meal times.
Let us be loving with our husband- chances are he has worries about employment and like you, is concerned about how to stretch the finances and keep the roof over your head and food on the table.
Let us try to avoid speaking constantly about the ills of this current state of the world in front of the children. They may be young, but they will take in a lot of fear. If the parents are afraid, then for them, it is the end of the world.
Let us limit watching the news as this is bound to effect everyone. Limit news to finding out directly what you need to know and turn it off.
Let us watch uplifting videos, especially with our children and let's play with them. Make a cubby house and let your children be the Mum and you the child. Use your imagination and delight them.
Let us put our little ones into the bath and sit alongside them, singing songs and telling stories and blowing bubbles with them.
Let us have a sense of calm and peace in our home, for everyone to enjoy.
Let us be particularly attentive and available to our spouse and fan the flames of romance. It works wonders for a marriage.
Let us sit at table and teach the little ones etiquette, and have the table set nicely to make it a time of pleasure and unity.
Let us continue with a daily nightly bedtime routine for the children and keep regular sleeping hours.
Let us pray with our children at night as they go to bed, allowing them to know that God loves them, watches out for them and calls all the stars by name. Invite discussion of any worries so that they can be reassured and sleep better.
Let us keep up with our own appearance and hygiene, for that will make us feel more like we can cope.
Let us use the fine crockery, tableware, cloth serviettes and silver utensils. Drag out the best linen and softest towels and celebrate home and family.
Let us remember to pray for others, particularly for those for whom isolation means domestic violence. Have this link on hand for help if you or someone you know needs protection and advice.
Let us remember to keep close to the LORD Who has gone to prepare a place for us, and is coming to take us Home with Him soon.

Peace is the first casualty of stress. Make peace a priority in your life and home.

For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “ In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15

May God bring one to you!

Over the years, I have been in hospital countless times and I can say that it's nurses who are dedicated to their profession who have made my stays bearable.

I have had many surgeries and illnesses and by far the most of my admissions were for a spinal condition called Sheurman's Disease. I was in traction for two weeks at a time and that happened about every 3 months. It was such a trying time.

Unable to sit up, I depended upon the nurses for everything. Bathing, eating, toileting. It was such a drag. But even so, that drag would have been so much worse if it weren't for the good nurses who attended me.

I got to know those who were true nurses and those who were just in it for the money. The true nurses were compassionate, kind and helpful, whereas the others would just plonk my tray in front of me and leave it until a caring nurse would notice it was untouched and come and help me.

Asking for a bedpan was a guage for this as the uncaring nurse would tut because I had emptied my bladder so many times already and she had better things to do... but Florence Nightingale would smile and breeze through it and leave me feeling relaxed instead of tense.

Bathing was another time the true nurse came to the fore... removing my traction- 7lb water bags on each leg.... no grumbling and her only tuts were seeing the blisters under the adhesive strapping that held them on my legs.

Seeing the blisters bursting and leaving raw skin, she took great pains to clean them and after helping me wash in bed, she doctored them and used crepe bandaging for the traction...

I commented that it didnt sting like the last time the other nurse dressed them with pure undiluted methylated spirits, and after hearing this she spluttered and blew up... exiting the ward to address the nurse who was in it for the money about proper treatment of blisters and the need to check on them. She was disgusted with that nurse and even told her so.

Once again it was easy to tell the dedicated nurses from the opportunistic ones... I was grateful for that kind nurse and I told her so. Her response was typical of a kind heart for she told me it was difficult enough for me to endure without developing blisters that kept on being covered again with the same adhesive that had caused the damage in the first place.

I have heard people say of kind nurses that they are angels, and I believe a lot of them by expressing kindness and compassion, emulate them, for they exude the fruit of the Spirit.

So today, if any kind nurses read this, I would like to thank you for making such a dark time in my life (many times over), more bearable. I am grateful and pray there are many more like you. My prayer is should you need help in hospital, that God brings a caring nurse to you.

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2