promise...

"He who promised is faithful." - Hebrews 10.23

.....may wait a day, a week, a month, a year, a decade, a century, a thousand years.... but He who promised is faithful. That's enough to sustain a tired heart.

Smile

Picture by Mandy Sutcliffe; an illustrator who is inspired by children and sells her work in a shop named 'millymollymandy'! This picture is entitled 'smile' and quite simply, i like it.

broken waves

"The small forerunner, swept by the wind out of the ocean's heart, falling back, shattered into that heart without having apparently achieved much. But the tide is the ocean heart itself, moving irresistibly to victory, yet needing the broken waves, every one of them, to achieve it's aim.... All that matters is that we let ourselves go to the driving force behind, to be sent just as fast and as far as God wills and then to fall back content as the wave that has spent itself, into that ocean of love from whence we came, waiting there to see the hour of God's high tide."

-Lilias Trotter-

Light

"The glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is it's lamp.."
Rev 21.23

"... nought of beauty is left when light is gone. Without light no radiance flashes from the sapphire, no peaceful ray proceedeth from the pearl; and thus all the beauty of the saints above comes from Jesus. If He withdrew, they must die: if His glory were veiled, their glory must expire." - Spurgeon

"... in the presence of light, a kaleidoscope forms coloured glass fragments into endlessly varying and startlingly beautiful patterns, each one unique.." - ICC

A complete genius

My posts often greatly divert from my original theme: tenderness which is found in unusual places.

I was, however, thinking again today about how my seizures are in fact an example of that; kindness demonstrated in the most abstract way! I don't often write about my epilepsy, but i do often think how completely amazing it is that God still pours out such goodness in the midst of my fits - so much so that the fit is almost nullified and made irrelevant. It is overwhelmingly astonishing sometimes. Even if i physically still fit, i think God still always conquers; by reigning in tenderness and grace and kindness and mercy instead. It is a mystery to me - I do nothing to merit it, that really is the truth. I just convulse and shout and lay there unable to help myself - i am simply weak and a big disruption, but still God always helps me. There is a verse in the bible which says about how the way to overcome evil is with good. Although i haven't been healed, i feel like i have been shown such goodness from God, through other people, that He has still overcome. I know there will be a day when i am fully healed, even if that's not until i die, but until then i know God has His plans and His ways of still always reigning. It is incredible. He is a complete genius.

A gun and a pipe

I love people and life. This photo is of a coal miner's child entering his house with a gun in one hand and a pipe in the other! He is climbing through what could be a cat hole, wearing work overalls. The walls of his house are covered in newspaper - now there's an idea for cheap and inventive wallpaper! It was take by Marion Post Wolcott in 1938 and i saw it on a website called Shorpy - it's a blog of photos from about 100 years ago. Quite interesting.

It's a shame that there is no more information about this child than what the photo shows - is that gun just a toy?! does he grow up thinking guns are good?! Although the surroundings suggest they are far from a wealthy family, that doesn't indicate what kind of a life he actually lived..... is he having more fun than a rich kid? although he climbs through a hole to get into his house he could still know real love.... but who can tell, he could be desperately sad and lonely instead. It's all a mystery.

tenderness

"He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart." - Isaiah 40.11

I take my hat off...

I take my hat off to all housewives. Quite seriously.

I mean i always knew there was a lot of work involved in looking after a house and a husband and kids, but since i've spent more time at home these last few years i've grown to appreciate even more all that mothers and wives do. It genuinely is a full-time job, and much more than that! - I don't think i need bother going back to university if i'm ever going to get married and have kids... how would i fit in a job as well? I don't think i would. I don't know how so many parents manage it. I salute them all. In fact, right now i salute anyone who is a wife or a husband, or a mother or a father, or gives their time for others, or does, well, anything really...

I hereby commend them all.

The face inside the coffee beans

In this image there is a man's face. Can you see it?

I came across this picture on my friend Gavin's blog and thought it was worth a mention. Being the slow person that i am, it took me about 10 minutes to see the face - in fact it frustrated me so much i concluded that it was all a joke and there was no face to be seen at all... but then after a little clue from Matt (who found it much quicker than i), i saw it and felt a fool for not having seen it sooner!

As is a habit of mine, the picture prompted a train of thought. It made me think how easy it can be to think something doesn't exist or isn't true just because you can't see it immediately, or because you don't take the time or have the patience to really look for it. But even then you may never see it, unless your eyes are opened by someone else. Hmm. Yes. What lessons you can learn from coffee beans.

I like this card

Hannah's birthday card to me (chosen by myself). Also found at www.beaumonde-cards.com

dishonour > glory

"It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory"

-1 Corinthians 15.42-44

beyond

'O joy that seekest me through pain

I cannot close my heart to Thee:

I trace the rainbow through the rain,

And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.'

- Photo and quote from my Parent's birthday card to me -

A white mug

A few days ago i spent the evening with Debs and we attempted to do some mug painting. I say 'attempted' because we did not altogether succeed. Or i should say 'I' did not succeed. Debbie painted a beautiful mug, but the challenge was too much for me. The mug painting set was designed for 4-8 year olds. I am 24 years old. I could come up with the following argument: It was not designed for my age group, so how could i succeed? It's like asking a 4 year old to decorate a house... he's only 4, how can he do that?.... Except i know this argument is flawed. The harsh truth is i failed to do something that even a 4 year old can do. I sat there for 2 hours, and i'm not exaggerating, and looked at my mug. But i couldn't paint anything. I am too much of a perfectionist and was afraid i'd get it wrong, even though it's just a mug!

The reason this is distressing is because i claim to be creative. Clearly i'm not. I also greatly admire children and think the whole world should look at things through the eyes of a child. Yet i was reminded i am far from being like a child anymore. I don't have that same freedom to just paint without caring. I know that i am an 'adult', and it would be foolish to try and be like a child, but still!.......

I could also argue that there is nothing wrong with a plain white mug! It's got that simplistic look to it which i quite like. In fact according to Japanese principles which Hannah taught me about, i think it is even a little Wabisabi... maybe i should be the one who moves to Japan, then i can take my mug with me and it wouldn't be a problem. I know that these arguements are not really valid either and i just need to face the fact that i couldn't paint my mug!

My sister sent me the 'thumb test' this morning. Apparently if you clasp your hands together, then according to which thumb goes over the other, you can tell which side of your brain is most dominant and hence whether you are more of a verbal or a visual person. According to this test, i am more verbal and logical and language-based. Well, there we go.... something else which has shattered my illusion that i am a visual person. The mug incident would seem to prove this test right. I am perplexed. However, it is very evident that i am not a verbal person either. Anyone who has heard me talk will know that. I have the worst ability in the world to express myself with words, which is why i normally use pictures on my blog.

I think i will continue to use pictures though, simply because i've bored myself with all these words....

Just as it says

"He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul." - Psalm 23

Everyday life in Tokyo

Hannah sent me a link to this amusing photo of everyday life in Tokyo. I felt the need to put it on my blog simply because it made me laugh. I fear that it is becoming apparent though that my dear sister is in fact the source of several of my pictures and quotes.

The Rose of Sharon

'I am the rose of Sharon' - Song of Songs 2:1

"Whatever there may be of beauty in the material world, Jesus Christ possesses all that in the spiritual world in a tenfold degree. Amongst flowers the rose is deemed the sweetest, but Jesus is infinitely more beautiful in the garden of the soul then the rose can be in the gardens of earth. He takes the first place as the fairest among ten thousand. He is the sun, and all others are the stars: the heavens and the day are dark in comparison with Him, for the King in His beauty transcends all." - C.H.Spurgeon