Shifting the Saviour complex.

In our family, a favourite before meal time grace is the Superman grace. This involves singing the Superman tune as well as a nice little ditty about our thankfulness for food. Standing on chairs and Superman poses are optional. Grandma, in particular, is a seasoned pro at this form of thanksgiving. The Ashfords are just cool like that ;)

Why am I writing this and why does it matter?

Because this year, I’ve learnt a huge lesson. In our wonderful, hilarious, colourful, broken and hurting world, there are often so many issues, complexities, problems. You don’t have to look very far to come across someone you know and love struggling in some way at some point with something. Bit depressing but this kind of has been my experience this year and I see it amongst my friends and others I know.

I began this year wanting to solve the problems of other people. Without wanting to sound big headed or super spiritual, I’m quite a pastoral person and that’s just how I roll. Maybe I was hoping for some magic formula, some jackpot idea or for certain situations just to miraculously and immediately turn around. Just maybe I wanted to see myself as some relational superhero who, with all the good intentions in the world, sorted out a few issues and generally made the world a better place (cue Incredibles theme tune.) I wonder how many of us can identify with this? I know I do.

I’m ending this year remembering that there is a Saviour and it is not me. So often, I feel as if I need to have all the answers and all of the solutions. But the beauty is, I don’t. In fact, it’s pretty arrogant to assume that I may even come close. I guess that links in to where our identity comes from – I just finished Graham Beynon’s book, Mirror Mirror, on this and it may have just blown my brain and heart to bits (in a good way!). Read it! What I’ve learnt and what I’m learning to love is that my role is simply to point others towards the one true Saviour – my incredible Jesus – who took care of our biggest need and deepest problem – our sins that separate us from God. Surely He is big enough to take care of any other issues, problems and concerns that we face?
  

As Psalm 27 so brilliantly says,

‘Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord’.

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In a very weird way, I’m so grateful for what this year has been and am looking forward to the one to come!

Have a beautiful summer!

And here it begins...

So it would seem that my blog posts come like buses...not for ages and then all at once. I am technically supposed to be revising but my brain is buzzing with an idea for a post, inspired by a conversation with a housemate, and I just have to whack it out. You just got an insight into how my brain works. You're welcome.

Recently, I've started to think a bit about this time next year and the fact that I'll be entering the big wide world. I have no immediate plans to continue studying so will most likely be looking to get a job or get involved in a scheme. Crazy, exciting stuff.

Earlier, in the midst of a mind saturated revision state, I casually exclaimed how little I enjoy meetings.

DISCLAIMER - If I've ever been in a meeting with you, the chances are that it was great! I get that,
                            sometimes, they are really important and really useful. I have been in meetings like
                            this!

I guess, perhaps like you, I've also just been in meetings that are dull, boring, way too long and way too time - wasting. Also, whilst being able to vaguely organise myself to some extent, I'm not really a details girl. The minute details of organisation don't really interest me and I'm not very good at them! That's not to say that I'm not grateful for all of those great people who love detail and are great at working all of this stuff out - where would people like me be without you?!

On reflection, what I said was probably a bit immature as my housemate wisely pointed out that almost every job is likely to contain some form of meeting. True dat. I'm not completely adverse by any means and do know that I can't go get a job in a happy, meeting - less world. However, through thinking these things through, I have realised that I want to be in a people focused job, on the frontline, dealing with people and their problems and issues and not just talking about them. I know that meetings are often going to be helpful in this but, on the flip side, I don't want to have a job predominantly behind a desk at a computer or where I spend the majority of my time in meetings but I want to have a job that engages with people face to face, building relationships with them and helping to support them.

This job stuff really excites me but if you could pray anything for me right now, it would be that I'd not let it consume my thoughts and that I'd remember that there is One who is definitely a better planner than me and has got it covered (Jeremiah 29:11)

x

Once a words girl, always a words girl...

I've been meaning to write a proper blog post with a semi serious message for a while but it kinda just hasn't happened. I'm that 2am 'need to be in the mood' blogger and, to be honest, I haven't been up at 2am (explanation = I like sleep!) and I haven't really been in the mood to blog (explanation = I haven't had any burning ideas for posts!). Boo.

Anyway, have you heard of love languages? My guess is that, if you hang in Christian circles, you've either heard of them a gazillion times or they're coming your way soon! Not that they're exclusively Christian or anything but as a topic, it tends to come up! The basic idea is that we all like to be shown love in different ways; some of us appreciate physical touch, others gifts, acts of service (like washing up!) and/ or quality time with the person we love. Without a doubt, mine is words of affirmation or just words in general. I mean, present me with the Mr Darcy proposal from Pride and Prejudice and you're guaranteed to make me smile! Errrr really? Embarrassingly yes. Recently, in times when I feel a bit down or tired, I've been Googling some of my favourite quotes and shoving them around my room because I know they make me smile. Don't worry...I've edited the cheesy ones but I thought I'd share some of them with you!

Enjoy x