I have come to give them LIFE

It is so exciting discovering what God means when he says 'I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full' John 10:10. There is so much to discover in this little verse. A lifetime of joy in this promise. It's not a life of comforts and pleasures...but then it is...not the comfort of worldly wealth but the comfort of knowing your life is in the arms of a loving Father. The pleasure of knowing you are here because you bring him delight. The joy of discovering more; more beauty, more freedom, more fun... There is a richness and a depth to life that we barely scratch the surface of. You know how its said that we only use some small percentage of our brain? I think the same can be said of our lives. We only enjoy some small percentage of our lives when it is actually possible, with God, to enjoy all of it. Its not that everything is enjoyable, it's some miracle of God that makes it possible. 'The joy of the Lord is our strength' It's his JOY that gives us strength. I have found that when I choose to enjoy and celebrate God in my day I do become stronger, I am able to do more, to embrace more, give more, laugh more, I LIVE more. It doesn't make sense, but it happens. When his word becomes the TRUTH of my life, when I embrace it and allow it to become a reality, LET him live in me; I am transformed.

I liken it to looking at a map. We can discover a great many things by looking at a map; longitude, latitude, heights and depths, population, produce, many facts about a country and its people. Imagine looking at a map and learning about that country... Now, imagine flying through the sky over that same place, over that same area you saw on the map, but in real life and in real time...

With the wind in your face you are soaring over the great blues and hues of blustering waters far below and clouds whistling past your ears. Suddenly, the ocean peels away to reveal a glorious continent of hills and valleys, rivers and lakes, people and places. There are colours and sights and smells you never could've imagined from looking at the map. It defies description. It's exciting, it's adventure, it's beautiful - and it's in 3D!! What a contrast, what a transformation! Of course, there is really no comparison. You could never say you know a country well from looking at a map of the place. You must go there, be immersed in the culture, the people, smelling the air and swimming in the waters.

This is how it is with God. We read his word and often go to church but we take it in at the 2D level, we don't really absorb it into our souls. We don't believe it with all our hearts, let it become our reality, let HIM become our reality. When we do we are transformed, the world is a different place. We are in HIS Kingdom. That is where I want to live. How about you?

Thankful

Let it be known that Christy Rayner is grateful. I am. I cannot count my blessings for they are too great. But I will make the beginning of a list of things I am thankful for, things I do not deserve, cannot afford and am the humble recipient of. I have a loving Father who has given me bread, not a stone. I am not getting into a philosophical discussion about whether or not God is good if I do not have good things. I know he is good no matter what. I do, however want and need to acknowledge the wonderfully underserved and beautiful things he has done for me. Not because they make him good, but because they make me thankful and he has called me to give him praise and so I will.

He gave me life (when he could've made anyone else in my place)
he died and gave me eternal life
he gave me a loving family and a wonderful extended family as a part of the body of Christ.
He has given me a loving husband
He has allowed me to partner with him (and shane ;) in bringing life into the world, in the shape of two beautiful girls; Charlotte and Esther - for this I am overwhelmingly, breathtakingly thankful.
He has given me a lovely home full of all the things I need and more
He has given me wonderful friends to share this journey of life
He has placed me in a beautiful city and a community where he has given me a role to play and things to do
He has given me creative gifts that bring me joy to use and bless others
He has given me the power to bless others with words and to illuminate his truth through them

Oh so many things I have been given. My heart's desire is to know the giver, to know the one who loves me so. To be able to thank him with all my heart, with all my life and all my days. Many names could I be described by; mother, wife, sister, friend... But I am His daughter, I am HIS and this is what makes me most thankful.

Lord, may my life bring you pleasure. I delight in pleasing you.

Weighing in...

Well it's been three months since Charlotte was born, I can no longer use pregnancy as an excuse, time to shed some kilos. I have ditched 85% of my wardrobe as it consisted of maternity clothes, that flattered a pregnant belly but makes a used-to-be pregnant belly look twice as big as it already is. So, I have hardly anything to wear and I really mean that. So I went shopping yesterday...Sigh. Three months from giving birth is not the best time, body image wise, to go shopping. But it is worse than not going shopping and having nothing but unflattering clothes to wear. So I braved the change rooms. Believe me, that is no small feat. It was really thoughtful of K-mart to provide me with a three way mirror to really ensure I was taking it all in. The fluro lighting really accentuated my cellulite too. Love that look. Really, if shops are serious about selling clothes they need to ensure the changerooms are candlelit and there is some positive body image reinforcement going on with the music. Something like Christina Aguilera's 'I am beautiful' would probably do the trick nicely. Although it may backfire as Shane commented, a lot of clothes would be returned when the flattering lighting and uplifting music have departed. I suppose he is right. Better to have the brutal reality and find something that best disguises it...Don't worry I am not as down on myself as I sound. Actually that is the problem! I am too optimistic about my appearance! If I could have poor body image two days in a row I might actually be able to stick to a diet! Well, thats what I used to be like. I am actually doing pretty good sticking to a healthy eating plan at the moment and getting into some more exercise. I am doing ninety sit ups a night! Impressive, I know. I really have Taimi Buchan to thank, my fellow stay at home mum (domestic goddess if you will) and blogger. She too has recently had a baby and is wanting to lose weight. So we are keeping each other accountable online. It's kinda fun. I thought I would take the next step and post up my 'before' pictures for all to see! eeek! and as an extra accountability. Dare you Taimi! So here is my 'before' shots stay tuned for the after... it might be a little while but I will get there! I am 85kg at present and my first goal is 80 and my long term goal is 70-75kg. Well, I think I have just faced two fears that most women have; telling their weight and other people seeing unflattering pictures of them. What a breakthrough. Well, I think my lean cuisine is ready now...