The one with the toilet queue

Last week I met up with two very good friends whom I hadn't seen in a while.  The sun joined us as we walked around Christchurch to find a good coffee shop to sit and catch up properly in.  Christchurch is lovely, but it doesn't have a Starbucks!  So, after much deliberation, we decided to enter Neros, as at least they serve Chai Tea Latte.  The three of us chatted merrily, filling each other in on several month's worth of life.  Much needed and thoroughly enjoyed - thank you ladies!

Following much sipping and chatting I could no longer ignore nature's call to pay the 'ladies room' a visit.  So I made my way upstairs to the balcony and joined the queue for the toilet, and there I waited for a very long time!!  A long queue?  Surprisingly, no!  When I got there an older couple were discussing the toilets,  and as I sat down on a leather chair to wait, I overheard the lady telling her husband that the lady's room was obviously out of order, as it had been locked for a very long time.  I continued to sit patiently, albeit slightly frustrated, as I was missing out on important conversational time.  After a while, one of the toilets became free and the queue decreased by one.  Again, I waited, and just as the toilet door opened, another lady joined the queue (actually - she pushed in front of me!)
Not wanting to miss my slot - I jumped up and casually told her that only one toilet was available as the other one was locked and obviously out of order.  To my surprise, the lady responded with a firm 'well, we shall see about that' and walked over to the toilet door.  Well, guess what?  It wasn't locked at all!  It was just a little difficult to open!  I had been waiting ages for nothing - all because I overheard something in someone's conversation!

Yes, I felt silly.  I felt a little embarrassed.  I also felt cheated!  I could have been downstairs with my friends instead of waiting on the balcony.  And yet, I really had no one else to blame but myself.  I had overheard that the toilet must be out of order, and hadn't thought to check for myself.  Would you have done the same?

When I finally rejoined my friends, I told them of my mistake, and as I did, I began to wonder whether I fall prey to the same mistake in other areas of life.  How often have I simply taken someone else's word for something and not thought to check or work it out for myself?  Sadly, the answer is far too often!

Maybe I am not the only one?  As a child, negative words from teachers, or responsible adults, may have stopped you believing you can do something.  When a Careers Adviser told me that I wouldn't get into teaching, I believed her.  I had no reason not to, she was the expert after all.  Disheartened, I chose a different college course and considered an alternative career path. As it happened, my college tutor saw something different in me and encouraged me to apply for a teaching degree.  Had I not been encouraged to rethink my abilities, I would never have thought it possible that I would be accepted to study teaching.  The words of the Careers Adviser several years earlier had stuck in my mind and I absolutely believed them.

You can't achieve those grades

You can't win that race

You wont succeed in that career

You will never get married
You can't do that because you are too young
You can't do that because you are a women (yes, I went there!)

God will never use you

You are not good enough to be a Christian

Perhaps you have had something similar spoken to you, that you just accepted?  If it is something you really want, can I encourage you to check it out for yourself.  You do not need to believe everything that has ever been said about you.  Sometimes other people do not get it right and do not know best.


Let's look at it another way.  What if you had been told that chocolate tasted horrible when you were younger, and took their word for it, and therefore never tried any.  Can you imagine what you would be missing out on?!!  We all know that wouldn't really happen though!  It would be crazy to accept someone else's opinion on the taste of chocolate, right?  We are smart enough to try it for ourselves and reserve judgement until then?


And yet, many accept other peoples opinions on something far more important and life changing than chocolate.  I did when I was younger.  I was told God wasn't real and I believed it.  That is, until something happened that nudged me to work it out for myself.  And when I did, I realised how foolish I had been to accept someone else's opinion on the reality of God. I am not saying that everything became clear straight away, but I started on a journey to discover God for myself.  Maybe one day I will share that journey here.

In the Psalms we are told to 'Taste and see that the Lord is good' (34:8).  Just as with the taste of chocolate, we can never gain a realistic and true understanding of God unless we find out for ourselves.  It is something far too important to merely accept the words of other people.  We have to 'taste' and 'see' for ourselves.  In all honesty, I was a little afraid when I began to 'taste' God for myself - but now, over twenty years later I know it was the bravest, and the most awesome life-changing thing I have ever done.  I really did 'taste and see that the LORD IS GOOD'.

If you are still living under the shadow of other peoples' words and opinions, whether it's regarding your abilities, character, options, or, more importantly, regarding the reality and goodness of God - please can I encourage you to begin to work it out for yourself. Your life is too important not to.

Don't wait pointlessly in the queue like I did at Neros -  Get up, walk to the door and check it out for yourself!  You could be missing out on something amazing if you don't.

The one at the beginning

It was a perfect setting: a quiet corner in an old traditional pub with a log fire, drinking tea and chatting with a good friend. As always, the conversation was amusing, interesting, challenging and much appreciated.  The topic?  Life!  Yup - we discussed everything from pea soup (yuk!) to prayer times, from cold tea to cloudy thoughts and from past experience to future hopes.  We covered a lot!

During several cups of tea we both shared a little of who we really are - and with that - who we hope to become.  You see, the more I go through life, the more I realise what a journey it really is.  Contemplating the past is good, because it reveals how we got to where we are today.  However, it should never stop there.  For dwelling too much on our past does not benefit us.  We need to choose to learn from it today and allow it to positively influence our future.

Where did these thoughts come from?  Let me explain ...

I decided a few days ago that it was time to give my bedroom a good sort out - and ventured into the back of my cupboards.  As I pulled out all sorts of hidden and forgotten things I came across a box containing my writings from the past: journal entries, prayers, letters etc.  Forgetting the mess of my room, I tentatively began to read.  I say tentatively - because I really wasn't sure what I would find!  However, what I did find encouraged and excited me.  I learned several things during this little trip through my past:

Firstly - God really has placed people in my life at the right time to support, encourage, challenge and develop me.  I can see this now and am thankful for the people who have positively impacted my life. God knows who our paths need to cross with at each junction.  Do I always allow people to speak into my life, or do I slow down, or change direction in order to avoid people crossing my path at certain times?  Do I allow God to use me to cross other people on their journey - and support, encourage and develop them?  I hope so. 

Secondly - I have moved on in my journey with God.  All too often I feel as though I have become stagnant and stopped moving on in my relationship with God and in my ministry.  However, looking back at past prayers and journal writings I can see that this isn't the case at all.  God has moved me on.  I have enlarged my tent, and stretched my comfort zone.  Sometimes we need to reflect on our past in order to see how God has moved in our lives.  However, we have to remember it is a journey - and our journey has not come to an end just yet!  Realising and understanding our growth in God should inspire and encourage us to continue growing!  He has greater things in store for us yet :)

Thirdly - (and finally - as I have now been waffling on for far too long) - writing somehow allows me to express myself in a way that makes sense - to me at least!  As someone who finds expression difficult in word - I seem to be able to put my true thoughts and feelings down through pen and paper (keyboard and screen!).  Which - I guess - is ultimately the whole point of attempting this blog.  I hope writing this will allow me to explore and express!  That is for me.  For you?  I hope that through my ramblings you will somehow be encouraged and empowered - to explore your life - and all that God has planned for it :)

Life!  Best shared  - with laughter - and lattes - (Starbucks anyone?!)