Clouds of Confusion

the clouds over the sea this morning

And now… This morning waking up with a storming wind… There had been a night of rain and thunder and storming. Today just crazy wind and clouds that look disturbed over the sea, seeming rather depressing….

 

Make Time

We all have a thousand excuses for not doing the small things in life which we seem to take for granted. Usually ‘we don’t have time.’ But today, I feel like saying – make time!

If you want to know what is important to someone, just spend some time looking at what they spend most of their time doing…and you’ll quickly learn what are the most important things in their lives or what the root issues may be as to why they spend so much time on whatever it is…

But if people are important to you and there are dear and close people to you, whom you find really special – even if you don’t have time, make time. Take just a few minutes every now and then to let them know how important they are to you.

I’ve learnt how important these things are especially in my relationships with my parents, friends and family.

So wherever you are, whatever the circumstances, try take a few minutes to share with a loved one or close family member or friend or someone(whoever they might be). Just let them know they are important and share a little – it makes a huge difference and you’ll never fully understand just how much they appreciate it!!!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s day to everyone!!! For those who are in a relationship or not! Remember the amazing love of God and how much He loves you! He gave up His Son for you – because you are worth more than anything to Him! Either way, remember He loves you and you are His special daughter or son and one amazing princess or prince!
Have a great day filled with love and blessings! And include adventure into whatever relationship you’re in! Be it with your family, boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, fiancé, friends, God or just with yourself! Be adventurous and remember TRUE LOVE CASTS OUT ALL FEAR!

Anyway have a beautiful day and lovely love-filled weekend!!!

Lots of love xx

A Restless Heart

Something I’ve struggled with the most over the past weekend that has left my heart unsettled… Is not only people’s words but also what is not said and the body language that is left to fill in the blanks. Suddenly I can see why people struggle when I refuse to say something or take my time before just responding…

In general, people have expectations or even have a lack thereof, both having ripple effects that can be positive or negative…finding the balance can be tough… Expectations that have been put into words or not… But the ones that do the most damage are probably the unspoken ones. Before this weekend in general and this weekend, by people I am close to or not, unspoken standards and expectations have left me unsettled the most. Not only by others but those I have myself… It has put me under a lot of pressure and made me reflect a little on what I do too… Asking myself, whether I have any unspoken standards or expectations of others and what they are and who are under them? And whether or not it is fair on whomever is under it?!

It is something that really has broken me and left my heart in an awkward space as I try figure out how it influences the way I think and feel as well as my perspectives and relationships… It really has left me upset – quite challenged and insecure and disappointed all rolled up in one…

This definitely is a time to seek the Lord, as I look inward in an effort to find some solution and comfort in His words…

Let’s Think Differently

Guys and girls, sorry that I’m only posting links at the moment, but these blog posts are so incredibly true and have come as such a blessing. They should be shared and some fresh perspective is always good to get.

This is a post done by a guy, Matt, which is great especially for us ladies to hear a little male encouragement and some perspective from some godly men. Have a read, I’m loving reading this blog, especially with some hot tea and the rain that is pouring outside like we’re experiencing some sort of Monsoon. The post is about relationships and just finding our identity. Couldn’t have said half the stuff any better than the way it has been put:

http://agirlikeme.com/2013/03/29/thinking-differently/

Enjoy 😉

xx

Michelle

‘The Vow’ of Love

I watched the movie ‘The Vow’ for the second time the other day. What a great movie! Whether you’re in a serious relationship with someone or not, it really seems to apply to any relationship you have with any other person on this planet – be it family, your colleagues, your friends, or your partner.

There are a few really amazing themes that stood out for me.

Moments & choices:  In the movie Leo, talks about ‘moments of impact’. Our lives are made up of many moments, moments which can end up defining exactly who we are and who we become. Many times we hang onto them, some good and some bad. But we have to learn which to hang onto and which to let go. Because sometimes, it isn’t what happened in those moments that is of importance, but what we choose to do with them and from that moment onward, that is. We get to choose whether moments will bring us closer in our relationships with others or with God or whether they will completely tear us apart or come between those relationships. But in the end, we make that choice.

Change: There is ALWAYS potential for change. Although we can’t always see the potential for change, it is there and we have to believe in it and hope for it. No relationship, no situation – is static.

Glass half full: There will be times of immense closeness and also times of being far apart. But just because things spin a little off, doesn’t mean those can’t be great opportunities & ventures. Things can be worse than ever but there is also a chance that it can be greater than you ever expected. You can find treasure in the most unimaginable places you just have to be willing or open to exploring & letting God show you what He needs to.

Control: You can’t always, no matter how hard you try, control every situation you land in or how it affects you. Only God can. But you can choose how you deal with it and how you respond to how it affects you. You can choose what effects will come after how it affected you.

You have to let God take control, let the beans spill where they may. Go on the journey. Take things as they come and roll with the waves. Until God chooses to bring it all back together/put things back together again.

It’s kinda like that wait between waves…. That period when the water is just flat for ages and you think nothing is coming. In that wait, you have gotta chill out and just enjoy it…feel the water. And suddenly when you can feel the ripples and the vibration that there’s a wave coming, you turn and prepare yourself for when that wave comes…and when it does, you ride it again. It’s the same with waves, you can’t make them come. You just gotta wait it out and make the best of that wait.

You can’t change people. Only God can. You’ve just gotta go on, wait it out, until they’re ready. All you can do is get ready and prepare yourself for when that change comes. Things have to happen naturally, you can’t force them.

It starts with me (or for you, it starts with YOU) – it starts with US: To be able to love people, and I mean truly love them..we have to love ourselves first. To bring out the best in others, we have to be or try be the best versions of ourselves.

We have to be willing to accept ourselves, love and accept all forms of ourselves. Be comfortable in our own skin. We have to love all forms of others, accepting every version of them. We can’t love and accept pieces of people. God didn’t do that with us, so why should we or why would we do that with others? We have to accept people completely. Although we may not like all of them or even all versions of ourselves, we still need to accept them and ourselves, love all of it as a whole.

Love is a CHOICE, more than just a feeling: Truly loving another human being (no matter the type of relationship), is a CHOICE. Not merely a feeling. You choose to love someone despite your feelings at that particular moment. You choose to love despite the bad versions of themselves. You choose to forgive their wrongs. You accept the whole human they are. If you had to lose all your memories about that person, like Paige does in the movie – if you had to lose all those moments, what would happen? You’d have lost all records you’ve kept of anything they ever did, including their wrongs. It would be a clean slate. Exactly like what Christ did for us on the cross. He accepted us for who we are and who we are not and who He knew we could be. But never forcing what He believed we can be down our throats, but giving us the freedom of choice. He gave us an undeserving clean slate. Another chance. If you truly love, you do not keep record of wrongs and do not abandon that person for the wrongs, but rather love and forgive, staying for all the reasons and things done right, hoping in what is right.

My last point is just how much this movie showed me about acceptance.

Accepting others for who they are, is so much more important than accepting them for what we want them to be. That is truly loving and putting their needs first. In that also, wanting them to be happy even if it would mean we won’t be a part of that.

God accepted us for who we are and not for who He wants us to be. That’s why He died on the cross, wiped the slate clean of all the wrong. And because He knows who He wants us to be but accepts us for who we are and truly loves us, He gave us FREE WILL.

It truly is a great movie, but the lessons that lie within it, are amazing treasures that are even greater.

 

Friendship Blooming Like a Rose

Today I had coffee with Liela…my special friend. We went to Tribeccas on our University Campus. As always, our coffee date didn’t disappoint. I haven’t seen her in a month so doing some catch up time like this is a whole session of DMCs. Anyway, it was great chatting and catching up.

Campus is extremely peaceful this time of year with exams and all, and so beautiful in the summer time with the trees and flowers, so our setting was perfect. 

Obviously, I got to chat to her sharing deep stories and where I am at now. As soon as exams are done, it will be a more peaceful time for her to spend with Yvotte, which I am extremely happy about. And at the same time, I am busy moving into a more peaceful season in my life now. We spoke for ages about what is happening in our lives and what we’re doing next year. I am so grateful to have her around and to say we will still be in Pretoria together next year. We spoke about seasons changing…hers has changed as Yvotte is part of her life now and she has new things on the horizons. Like me, she has also left TMC and isn’t going to the LIV outreach either. Both of us are moving into seasons where we can say a lot is behind us and we’re walking on into new phases. New chapters are waiting to be written and it is things we have prayed for all year and now it is finally coming together. We both feel like we don’t need to be on TMC (the Tuks Missions Committee) as we have served our time there, and for some people it has just become a status thing, so we’re ready to move on. She also said she just doesn’t feel like God is calling her to go to LIV this year and I can honestly say the same. The only reason I might visit is to see Tich, his wife, the mothers of the village & kids for a day or two and catch up with them as I did earlier in the year and then visit Freddy and them who are finishing matric now. I also spoke about my studies and that I’m moving out of Intentional Living this year. It was one amazing year but I’m glad to be  moving out. This year has been one of the toughest that I’ve seen in all 3 of the years at Intentional Living… Lots has happened and I am ready for a more peaceful season, I too am moving into different relationships, studying phases and strengthening friendships with people like Liela. So we are both at a place where we are moving into special, peaceful seasons that we have been waiting and praying for and now they have come and we are ready for them. 

We’re kind of ready to move on from old things into the new, making new memories. Living positively and just enjoying being alive. 

That being said we also spoke about and discussed our surf trip we would have had this December. Between exams and all that has happened it has been a little rough and has bought plans to a halt. So we have decided to postpone the trip which is a blessing and we’re both really at peace about. It helps because if we wait, we’ll possibly get place to stay for free. We’ll be able to plan really well and only have to worry about petrol and food and have time to save up. So all in all, postponing has been just as much of a blessing. We still need to round up people and friends for this trip and we’ve decided we’d like to do it over Easter in April next year. So I’m really excited as that keeps God in the midst of things and makes the trip a little more special than it would normally be. 

Getting together with Liela doesn’t always happen as often especially with how hectic this year has been so we’re hoping to make the most of the last couple of weeks that I’m in Pretoria before heading home to the coast and then next year. So in this time, she’ll be sending her exam roster so that we can make a time to hit that old bucket list of ours. We’re hoping to have a little sleepover at her house, watch some movies on our bucket list and do a few other activities from our bucket list. So I can’t wait for that either.

Lastly, about this special friend of mine. She has so much love and wisdom in her and it always shines brightly through her. I can share anything with her, we do the craziest things together and we’re both very passionate people. Our friendship is such a pure one that I cherish so much. So, today, as I headed out to see her, I found a rose in the garden and picked it up for Liela. I was just reminded by God through the rose, of how special and delicate our friendship is and how much it is like a white rose. Pure, and beautiful, leaving the aroma of God and His Love behind. There is nothing more beautiful than a rose blooming in the Summer time, and such is our friendship.

Liela’s Step by Step Instructions

Here are Elicia’s step by step instructions as promised….

This incredible friend of mine really cares and just wants me to protect my heart when it comes to any relationship… especially any relationship with a guy.

So here are the 5 golden steps, her words as she wrote them, just translated:

1. Protect your heart

2. Rather be oblivious (not in a bad kind of way, but this is how you will see the difference between a guy that will PURSUE you and one that will just try chat you up)

3. Enjoy every moment of being pursued – ENJOY IT A LOT!

4. Tell Liela EVERYTHING

5. Tell him, that he better handle and carry you gently and with so much care otherwise I’ll punch him….oh and  I want to meet him.

Haha so that’s her advice, to which I just want to add two extra steps.

6. Trust God with it all, leave it to Him to sort out. He knows best.

7. Relax, chill and just BE YOURSELF (that’s how I am oblivious to things I guess, haha)