How big is your family?

I come from quite a small family; I have my mum and dad, one brother, two aunts, one uncle, one cousin and one grandma. 

But I was realising today how lucky I am. I am a Christian, and that means that I am blessed with an extended family. Not just with my present church family, but also with members from my previous churches. The blessing that you receive from God through your church family does not necessarily end when you move on from that church. I have lost count of the number of Christians I include in my own "family", and the love that I feel, the support as I'm making decisions, fighting battles etc. 

Currently, I am looking at quite a big career change, I'm keeping details vague at the moment until things are a little more set in stone. But I found out today that the church that I grew up in is supporting me, praying for me, that I am still part of that family. This is the church that has helped me to this point, from becoming a Christian, helping me through some tough times whilst I was growing up, praying for me as I left for University, and through-out my university years, then supporting my decision and feeling to move on to a different church, with their blessing. And now, four years after moving on, they are still involved in my life, praying and supporting. 

This has all gone a little waffle-y, it made sense in the car home. But I guess what I'm trying to say, is that, no matter how large of small, normal or dysfunctional, your family is, you can always find a family in Christ, a group of people that God has lined up for you. And yes, there will be some "family" members that you never see, that you get together with for Christmas, or that you vaguely follow on Facebook or Twitter, (I do follow two of my family on twitter, one non-immediate family member). But accept the blessings that God wants to pour out through your family in Christ, because, more often than not, it will exceed your expectations, but meet your needs, as I mentioned in the last post. 

That's it now, I think.

Take care,

God bless,

Ruth x

Needs

I know that it has been forever (well nearly!) since I last posted, but I felt prompted to come home and write this, so we'll see how far I get before I have to go to sleep!

I was driving home from the youth club that I help at tonight, praying and chatting to God. (I have no idea what other car drivers think of me!) Rain started falling on my windscreen, and I said, out loud "why is it raining again?", when I had a thought. 

It's raining because God knows that plants need water, that birds, animals, us, all need water. Without water there would be no life. God is providing for the plants. He made the sun shine today so that the plants could create food. He made it rain today so that the plants had water. He made the bees and other insects so that the plants could reproduce, so that there would be more plants, more food for us, for animals. He provides what the plants need. A plant doesn't have to worry, to forage, everything is provided. 

So it is the same for us. Our God knows what we need, no, not the Ferrari, the millionaire husband and the jet set life, but the food, the water, the companionship and friendship, the shelter, the many, many other needs that we have. Two Bible passages came to mid the more I thought about it. The first is incredibly well known, from Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

The second is from Matthew 6:

 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

With need, can come worry, the direction the second passage goes towards. Where am I going to get..., what about..., but God tells us to trust in Him and he will provide. As he was providing the rain for the plants this evening. 

And so I have seen it in my life. We were rejoicing at church tonight, that a family had found a house in the area that they wanted to move into, and that offers had been accepted on their house and this new house. God wanted them to move, so he provided for their need. 

God willing, I am hopefully moving on this September to start a full time training course to become a youth worker. But this means giving up all the roles that I am currently in. I am trusting the God will provide for me needs. But he doesn't just provide for my needs, but for the needs of families, friends, and Churches. Where there is need, he meets it. And he was showing me this again last Sunday. Someone who has been at our church for 6 months felt prompted to start with the children's work. Without either of us knowing it, she has been moved to a position where she can fill the role that I will be leaving in September. God was moving in this situation, moving people to fill needs, without us talking about it, worrying about it, he was there and provided. 

I know, deep in my heart that God is always going to be there for me. He will fulfil my needs, and will guide me to where I am needed, as part of His Church. I acknowledge that there will be times when worry and doubt may creep in, but I trust my God. He is in control, he sees the bigger picture, he sees needs I haven't even though of yet, and will be there with provision ready for me, for us, as one body. 

Sometimes we are the answer to need. Something we have, a skill, a possession, a situation, is the answer to another prayer. God can create something out of nothing, but He chooses to use us, and if we listen, and trust, he can use us to fulfil a need, just as he fulfils ours. 

I'm going to leave it there for now. This is more sermon-y that a lot of my previous blogs, but it is what I believe God wanted me to write.

God bless,

Ruth