A very warm welcome to my blog. It has been a while since my last post. In honour of Thanksgiving tomorrow I thought I would write a post about giving thanks.
I'll start with this quote I saw tonight:
"It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy."
And this bible verse:
"Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
No matter where you are in life, no matter what you doing, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in, you can always find something to be thankful about. What are you thankful for?
I am thankful that I have a God that loves me and is always there for me guiding me along the way and everything else I am thankful about is all because God gave me my life and everything in it, it's all thanks to Him! I am thankful for the people in my life, the friends and family I have who give me reasons to smile every day and that they're all different and each have special things about them. I am thankful that I have a good job. I am thankful for all the travelling opportunities I have had seeing places that I used to dream about. I am thankful for food and shelter. I am thankful for the things I have. I am thankful for beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I am thankful that I have lived in such a beautiful area for over two years. I am thankful for all the laughter I have with the people I love. I am thankful for so much choice in music. I am thankful for the country I grew up in and what I learned there. I am thankful for life's lessons. I am thankful for my mother and grandmother for showing me the beauty of being kind and helping people.
Those are just a few of the things I am thankful for. I am very thankful for all the kindness I have seen in people I know and have met over the years.
I never grew up celebrating Thanksgiving. It isn't a holiday in Africa. I do like the idea of giving "thanks" around the table every Thanksgiving. It's nice to give thanks for what we have to the one who gave it all to us. Look at how God has blessed us in our lives. It's not about having everything you want, it's about appreciating what you have in this moment and it's not about giving thanks on one day, you can give thanks any day!
You can be thankful but it's another thing to express your gratitude. Have you thanked God? Have you thanked your friends and family? Do you give thanks enough?
It's something to think about. Whatever your answer is you can start today, giving thanks.
I'd like start by thanking you all for taking the time to read my blog post. I love to write and thank God that He gave me a love for writing. I have lots of other posts on this blog on different topics and another writing blog too (links are on the right hand side). If you have twitter, you can follow me there - @nicolahill7.
Thanks to all my friends and family for their encouragement, love and laughter and making my life full.
Mostly thank God, for as I always say "Everything I have and everything I am is all thanks to God for giving me the life I have." EVERYTHING good in my life is because God is a part of it.
Until I write again,
Nicola Hill
Wednesday 21 November 2012
Tuesday 18 September 2012
Forgiveness
This is going to be a long post. I could feel it before I even began to write. There is a lot to cover on forgiveness. It's the one thing in life that sets us free and sets others free. It's the act of letting go and moving on. I even have a song that will fit perfectly in this post which I'll add near the end.
There are 4 situations where there can be forgiveness:
1. God's forgiveness
2. Forgiving yourself
3. Forgiving others
4. Being forgiven by others
In each of them the type of forgiveness is the same. For there is only one type of forgiveness. The Wikipedia definition of forgiveness is this:
"Forgiveness is the renunciation or cessation of resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, disagreement, or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution."
Forgiveness is letting go, you release your grip on what you've been holding on to. When the anger is gone, the hurt can heal. Unforgiveness is pain and forgiveness is healing. It's finally allowing your wound to heal. You will heal, your relationships will heal and your life will heal. You know the relief you feel when any pain you have is gone, that's the kind of relief you feel when you've forgiven. You feel whole again because forgiveness has a 100% recovery. Nothing is stirring inside of you. You're free.
An example of the greatist forgiveness is when Jesus was nailed to the cross. He didn't want revenge. He didn't hate. He didn't hold a grudge. Luke 23 :34 - And Jesus said, "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do." Jesus asked God to forgive man for putting Him to death. He was betrayed by man. People wanted Him dead and while He was nailed to the cross the only thing on His mind was to ask God to forgive and then He died to save everyone's sins. He died for us so that we will have a chance. He died so that when we sin and we feel bad about our sin we can ask for God's forgiveness. God always forgives.
Jesus also said something about forgiving.
Matthew 18: 22: Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do say to you not seven times, but seventy times seven."
When you're thinking about whether you should forgive or not, think of this:
Colossians 3: 13 "forbearing one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive."
How do we forgive? Do you want to know how to let go of everything someone has done to you? Do you want to know how to forgive yourself? How do we feel forgiven? Look up. Not at your ceiling. At God.
It takes faith to forgive. Putting your faith back in a person. As our faith grows we can forgive. As we grow with God we learn to forgive. We can be hurt by someone who doesn't want to forgive us, we can hurt ourselves by holding on to what people have done to us. God doesn't want us to to hurt or be hurt. That's why when you turn to God with all the things you want to be forgiven for or for help on how to let go, He will forgive you. He will give you a clean slate. It's not about other people forgiving you so you can heal, God can heal you on his own. Remember we answer to God not man. Of course other people may also one day find it in their hearts to forgive you too and that's when the healing of your relationship will begin. Whether they do or not, you are already been forgiven by God and that's the most important thing.
I found this quote on not forgiving, “In fact, not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die.” ~ Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies. Poison only makes you feel worse the more you drink. The person you are hurting the most by not forgiving someone is yourself.
I read a few quotes on forgiveness tonight and some of these below I posted on my @sayingsoftheday twitter:
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” ~ C.S. Lewis
“A broken friendship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger than it once was.” ~ Stephen Richards
“Forgiveness, which is the place that every story turns, the chance we give each other.” ~ Beth Kephart, Undercover
“He forgives without any strings attached.” ~ Jestoni Revealed
One of the best ones I liked was this one:
“You should never hate anyone, not even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You had to find the redeeming quality and love the person for that.”
~ Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle
I said that after forgiveness comes healing and I found this quote:
“Healing Follows Forgiveness”
~ Pat Bluth
Not forgiving isn't just about holding on to something someone's done to you and refusing to let it go, it's also about what that holding on does to you. It doesn't just stay put inside you, it grows inside you and the resentment and the hurt multiplies. It can get to the point where you're consumed by it. You don't want to forgive. It's not easy to forgive. Well forgiveness is not easy but it is necessary. Until you let it go, it'll have a hold on your life. It'll be something you carry with you wherever you go. Your load will be heavier. There's always a way out. You can lighten your load. Let it go and move on, move forward. Not forgiving will hurt you more than anyone you don't forgive.
I'd like to add another quote I saw the other day at this point:
"Any barrier you build around your heart to protect it from pain also blocks out love." ~ Pst R. Warren.
This is my final quote I will put in this post that I wrote:
Let forgiveness into your heart and watch the love that heals flow.
While you think I've got some music for you. We'll take a pause. I actually think I've written most of what I wanted to write, I may only write a bit more below this song. This is the song I spoke about in the beginnning of my blog post:
The key to forgiving is you've got to forgive yourself too. Whatever you've done or whatever you've held to for however long, forgive yourself. God will forgive you, it's ok. Everything will be ok.
It's almost 1am here on the 18th of September 2012, I've been writing for over an hour. I'm not publishing this blog post yet because there may be something I want to add later today. This topic has given me a lot of think about. I'd like to hear your feedback too. You can always comment on my blog or write to me on twitter @nicolahill7. There's a link to my twitter on the right hand side of my blog.
This is my new poem on Forgiveness that I wrote today as I continue this post...
Forgiveness
One heart, to be free again,
One healing, to take away the pain,
One life, full of forgiving,
This is the life we should be living.
One hope, forgiveness of the past,
One chance, free at last,
One day, is all it will take,
To let go and let the bonds break.
Written by Nicola Hill (18/09/2012)
I've been re-reading what I wrote and I think I've covered what I wanted to write. This blog post on forgiveness can also go with my earlier blog post on "Love." For you cannot have forgiveness without love and love without forgiveness.
There is where I end, I think this blog post has everything it needs, I may write more on this topic again someday.
You can subscribe by email to my blog too to know when I post something, I always have more blog posts in mind.
I thank God for my writing, everything about my life and all the glory goes to Him.
Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
There are 4 situations where there can be forgiveness:
1. God's forgiveness
2. Forgiving yourself
3. Forgiving others
4. Being forgiven by others
In each of them the type of forgiveness is the same. For there is only one type of forgiveness. The Wikipedia definition of forgiveness is this:
"Forgiveness is the renunciation or cessation of resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, disagreement, or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution."
Forgiveness is letting go, you release your grip on what you've been holding on to. When the anger is gone, the hurt can heal. Unforgiveness is pain and forgiveness is healing. It's finally allowing your wound to heal. You will heal, your relationships will heal and your life will heal. You know the relief you feel when any pain you have is gone, that's the kind of relief you feel when you've forgiven. You feel whole again because forgiveness has a 100% recovery. Nothing is stirring inside of you. You're free.
An example of the greatist forgiveness is when Jesus was nailed to the cross. He didn't want revenge. He didn't hate. He didn't hold a grudge. Luke 23 :34 - And Jesus said, "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do." Jesus asked God to forgive man for putting Him to death. He was betrayed by man. People wanted Him dead and while He was nailed to the cross the only thing on His mind was to ask God to forgive and then He died to save everyone's sins. He died for us so that we will have a chance. He died so that when we sin and we feel bad about our sin we can ask for God's forgiveness. God always forgives.
Jesus also said something about forgiving.
Matthew 18: 22: Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do say to you not seven times, but seventy times seven."
When you're thinking about whether you should forgive or not, think of this:
Colossians 3: 13 "forbearing one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive."
How do we forgive? Do you want to know how to let go of everything someone has done to you? Do you want to know how to forgive yourself? How do we feel forgiven? Look up. Not at your ceiling. At God.
It takes faith to forgive. Putting your faith back in a person. As our faith grows we can forgive. As we grow with God we learn to forgive. We can be hurt by someone who doesn't want to forgive us, we can hurt ourselves by holding on to what people have done to us. God doesn't want us to to hurt or be hurt. That's why when you turn to God with all the things you want to be forgiven for or for help on how to let go, He will forgive you. He will give you a clean slate. It's not about other people forgiving you so you can heal, God can heal you on his own. Remember we answer to God not man. Of course other people may also one day find it in their hearts to forgive you too and that's when the healing of your relationship will begin. Whether they do or not, you are already been forgiven by God and that's the most important thing.
I found this quote on not forgiving, “In fact, not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die.” ~ Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies. Poison only makes you feel worse the more you drink. The person you are hurting the most by not forgiving someone is yourself.
I read a few quotes on forgiveness tonight and some of these below I posted on my @sayingsoftheday twitter:
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” ~ C.S. Lewis
“A broken friendship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger than it once was.” ~ Stephen Richards
“Forgiveness, which is the place that every story turns, the chance we give each other.” ~ Beth Kephart, Undercover
“He forgives without any strings attached.” ~ Jestoni Revealed
One of the best ones I liked was this one:
“You should never hate anyone, not even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You had to find the redeeming quality and love the person for that.”
~ Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle
I said that after forgiveness comes healing and I found this quote:
“Healing Follows Forgiveness”
~ Pat Bluth
Not forgiving isn't just about holding on to something someone's done to you and refusing to let it go, it's also about what that holding on does to you. It doesn't just stay put inside you, it grows inside you and the resentment and the hurt multiplies. It can get to the point where you're consumed by it. You don't want to forgive. It's not easy to forgive. Well forgiveness is not easy but it is necessary. Until you let it go, it'll have a hold on your life. It'll be something you carry with you wherever you go. Your load will be heavier. There's always a way out. You can lighten your load. Let it go and move on, move forward. Not forgiving will hurt you more than anyone you don't forgive.
I'd like to add another quote I saw the other day at this point:
"Any barrier you build around your heart to protect it from pain also blocks out love." ~ Pst R. Warren.
This is my final quote I will put in this post that I wrote:
Let forgiveness into your heart and watch the love that heals flow.
While you think I've got some music for you. We'll take a pause. I actually think I've written most of what I wanted to write, I may only write a bit more below this song. This is the song I spoke about in the beginnning of my blog post:
The key to forgiving is you've got to forgive yourself too. Whatever you've done or whatever you've held to for however long, forgive yourself. God will forgive you, it's ok. Everything will be ok.
It's almost 1am here on the 18th of September 2012, I've been writing for over an hour. I'm not publishing this blog post yet because there may be something I want to add later today. This topic has given me a lot of think about. I'd like to hear your feedback too. You can always comment on my blog or write to me on twitter @nicolahill7. There's a link to my twitter on the right hand side of my blog.
This is my new poem on Forgiveness that I wrote today as I continue this post...
Forgiveness
One heart, to be free again,
One healing, to take away the pain,
One life, full of forgiving,
This is the life we should be living.
One hope, forgiveness of the past,
One chance, free at last,
One day, is all it will take,
To let go and let the bonds break.
Written by Nicola Hill (18/09/2012)
I've been re-reading what I wrote and I think I've covered what I wanted to write. This blog post on forgiveness can also go with my earlier blog post on "Love." For you cannot have forgiveness without love and love without forgiveness.
There is where I end, I think this blog post has everything it needs, I may write more on this topic again someday.
You can subscribe by email to my blog too to know when I post something, I always have more blog posts in mind.
I thank God for my writing, everything about my life and all the glory goes to Him.
Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Defining
I looked up the meaning of define in the dictionary and one of the definitions of it was "to make or establish the character of" and that's what my blog post is about.
I saw these quotes today that said:
"People will always judge you, don't let what they say define you."
"Judging a person doesn't define who they are, it defines who you are."
When it comes to people defining you or you defining other people before I even dive in to the topic the first thing I'm thinking about is what does God say? The first verse that came to mind was this; "Judge not, that you not be judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"
Therefore firstly before anything God doesn't say it's our right to even start have a definition. Any character no matter how they are is not ours to define. People cannot be put in a box of "who they are." I'm sure you're thinking, yes they can but defining someone is like saying they can never change. Well how do we know? People can't be defined because there's always a chance for change. A person's character is not written in a permanent marker. God changes people's lives.
If you're on the receiving end and worried about how people are defining you, well what's to worry about? Do you not know who you are? Better yet, God knows who you are. People's definition of you is like a 4 year old trying to do a University degree. Excuse my comparison but what I mean is they're not capable of defining you, no one is. They can try but whatever they say, you know the truth and God always sees the truth.
The only opinion you should be concerned about is God's opinion. God loves you and He will always lead you in the right direction. I read another quote today (can you tell I like quotes) that said "God's word trumps man's opinion." If you're looking for direction in life and what to do in any situation - open up your bible.
Look to God,
Until I write again,
Nicola Hill
I saw these quotes today that said:
"People will always judge you, don't let what they say define you."
"Judging a person doesn't define who they are, it defines who you are."
When it comes to people defining you or you defining other people before I even dive in to the topic the first thing I'm thinking about is what does God say? The first verse that came to mind was this; "Judge not, that you not be judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"
Therefore firstly before anything God doesn't say it's our right to even start have a definition. Any character no matter how they are is not ours to define. People cannot be put in a box of "who they are." I'm sure you're thinking, yes they can but defining someone is like saying they can never change. Well how do we know? People can't be defined because there's always a chance for change. A person's character is not written in a permanent marker. God changes people's lives.
If you're on the receiving end and worried about how people are defining you, well what's to worry about? Do you not know who you are? Better yet, God knows who you are. People's definition of you is like a 4 year old trying to do a University degree. Excuse my comparison but what I mean is they're not capable of defining you, no one is. They can try but whatever they say, you know the truth and God always sees the truth.
The only opinion you should be concerned about is God's opinion. God loves you and He will always lead you in the right direction. I read another quote today (can you tell I like quotes) that said "God's word trumps man's opinion." If you're looking for direction in life and what to do in any situation - open up your bible.
Look to God,
Until I write again,
Nicola Hill
Friday 1 June 2012
Chances
At long last I begin the blog post I have been thinking about for a while now. The blog post on chances.
My first idea for this blog post came when I considered a time in my life and times in my friends lives where we were given a chance and without that chance we probably wouldn't be where we are today. Someone took a chance on us. This is what I wrote down when I wanted to write a blog post on Chances a few weeks ago:
"You will never know what someone can be until you give them a chance.
In other words you may think someone cannot do it but if you don't give them the chance to prove themselves then you will never truly know."
On the day I first thought about this blog post, I was also thinking of the phrase "Diamonds in the rough." I know this phrase has another meaning which online is this - "Someone who is basically good hearted but lacking social graces and respect for the law." Although the meaning I have and reason I thought of it and it's stuck with me are people who are capable of more but they're at a place in their lives where they haven't been given the chance to prove they're a diamond. With that chance then you will know that they are actually a "diamond in the rough" and can do it.
You may know already or you're just finding out but I am a big music fan and when I was thinking of this blog post, the song I thought about for it was Abba's - Take a Chance on Me. I know the song is a romantic song for relationships, my blog post on chances applies to all aspects of life where you can be given a chance but I thought of this song because of the title "Take a Chance on Me". Now I'm going old school and you're in for a treat too because here it is below ;):
"Take a chance on me". That one phrase can apply to all human beings. Everyone wants that; to be given a chance. Will everyone always give you a chance? No. Oh I mean to say yes - everyone will hand you chances on a silver platter. Seriously, no they won't. Life does not work like that. There are so many people around the world that haven't been given a chance. However where in some instances you will not be given the chance but in others instances you will be. Maybe you didn't get a chance on X and X was your dream but later on in life you were given the chance on Y and Y will never be X but Y turns out to be greater that what you even imagined X to be. Losing X hurt but gaining Y is a new dream come true! That is how the course of my life and many people's lives I know and have read or heard about have turned out. No matter how your life goes whether it goes according to plan like an X or changes course like a Y either way there is great life out there for you! You know how I know this because God says so in Jeremiah 29:11. From my bible: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
I have mostly covered being given chances. That was where my intitial ideas came from. With my writing I don't have my blog posts planned out from day one. I get a small idea and I think about it and grow it and then when I start writing I start building it... The next part of my blog post on chances is "Second Chances."
Do people deserve a second chance? The verse that came to me as I thought about that question is this:
Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord how often shall by brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven."
70 x 7 = 490. It does not mean literally 490 so it's not a suggestion to keep a tally of how many times someone sins against us until we stop forgiving them. What that means is no matter how many times someone sins against us God asks us to forgive as He forgave us. Jesus was nailed to a cross, they wanted Him to die and this is what He said:
Luke 23:34: And Jesus said, "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do."
He didn't say Father strike them all with lightning bolts they don't deserve your forgiveness. It wasn't about deserving or undeserving it was about love. He loves us so much. Romans 5: 8 says "But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."
I just got an idea this is exactly the right point in my blog post to share this picture I downloaded about a month ago. I downloaded it because the words were the same words I had on a laminated copy that was on a shelf in my room for most of my childhood. It always reminded me of how much God loves us.
Above I am talking about the second chances that apply to relationships - all kinds of relationships from friends to family to someone you're married to or with. It doesn't mean that we must hang around people that put us down because we must be forgiving and loving. It doesn't mean keep giving someone chance after chance but they make no effort to change. In some cases sometimes you have to forgive and move on. You don't feel anger towards that person anymore but they're not someone you want to be around anymore. It doesn't mean you don't forgive them for what they did but if you keep spending time with them they'll keep doing more things to you. That is where you can't keep giving chances if someone makes no effort at all to change.
Now I'm going to write about where you can give a chance. First thing we've got to realise is that we are all sinners. Although because we are all sinners that is not an excuse for doing wrong. You can't say "oh well I am only human." You are accountable for what you do. If you make a mistake you have to acknowledge it and accept the blame for it and of course confess to God what you have done and ask for His forgiveness. Yes we do all make mistakes but that is also not an excuse. If we do wrong, we should apologize for our wrong. We swallow our pride and admit it. That is the way to recovery. If someone does wrong to you but they are willing to change and trying to make a change, if they are coming from a good place and keep trying to change their life for the better that is where we can trust someone and give them a chance.
Even though someone may have good intentions and a good heart and they are really trying to change their circumstances they will not always be given a second chance. What you realise is God ALWAYS forgives, people do not always forgive. Second chances or however many chances do not always happpen. However even if someone never gave us a true chance again like we hoped they would, you have to know you answer to God and not man. God knows your heart, He knows where you are coming from. He knows you are truly sorry for what you did and you want to make a change but not all people will see what God sees.
Whatever side of chances you are on whether someone is asking you for a chance or you've asked someone to give you a chance, remember all those chances God gives you all the time. Mistake after mistake and He still gives you one more chance. Also remember that when someone is down and drowning in their sin and not looking for God's salvation, God can help them out of it but no help will come from Him until they ask and turn to God. They may need to reach a turning point before they get given chances or they will drag you down with them.
I found this song online a few weeks ago and I listen to it almost everyday. If you're a boy, just imagine the lyrics to apply to you, you will see what I mean.
God can put anyone back together again!
I literally spent the whole afternoon writing this blog post! It is a long one but it's been a while since I wrote something on this blog so I guess this does make up for it in a way!
I am going to end my blog post with this song because of its lyrics! This is another song I have been listening to a lot! It's AWESOME! If you listen to it you will be amazed, it is actually a Christian song and it's got a great beat! As I've said before not all Christian music is gospel.
As it says in the song, "Life just ain't the same when I'm with You" meaning we just aren't the same when we're with God because He brings out the best in us and gives us a chance at life that makes our lives incredible!
With that I shall love and leave you,
Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
My first idea for this blog post came when I considered a time in my life and times in my friends lives where we were given a chance and without that chance we probably wouldn't be where we are today. Someone took a chance on us. This is what I wrote down when I wanted to write a blog post on Chances a few weeks ago:
"You will never know what someone can be until you give them a chance.
In other words you may think someone cannot do it but if you don't give them the chance to prove themselves then you will never truly know."
On the day I first thought about this blog post, I was also thinking of the phrase "Diamonds in the rough." I know this phrase has another meaning which online is this - "Someone who is basically good hearted but lacking social graces and respect for the law." Although the meaning I have and reason I thought of it and it's stuck with me are people who are capable of more but they're at a place in their lives where they haven't been given the chance to prove they're a diamond. With that chance then you will know that they are actually a "diamond in the rough" and can do it.
You may know already or you're just finding out but I am a big music fan and when I was thinking of this blog post, the song I thought about for it was Abba's - Take a Chance on Me. I know the song is a romantic song for relationships, my blog post on chances applies to all aspects of life where you can be given a chance but I thought of this song because of the title "Take a Chance on Me". Now I'm going old school and you're in for a treat too because here it is below ;):
"Take a chance on me". That one phrase can apply to all human beings. Everyone wants that; to be given a chance. Will everyone always give you a chance? No. Oh I mean to say yes - everyone will hand you chances on a silver platter. Seriously, no they won't. Life does not work like that. There are so many people around the world that haven't been given a chance. However where in some instances you will not be given the chance but in others instances you will be. Maybe you didn't get a chance on X and X was your dream but later on in life you were given the chance on Y and Y will never be X but Y turns out to be greater that what you even imagined X to be. Losing X hurt but gaining Y is a new dream come true! That is how the course of my life and many people's lives I know and have read or heard about have turned out. No matter how your life goes whether it goes according to plan like an X or changes course like a Y either way there is great life out there for you! You know how I know this because God says so in Jeremiah 29:11. From my bible: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
I have mostly covered being given chances. That was where my intitial ideas came from. With my writing I don't have my blog posts planned out from day one. I get a small idea and I think about it and grow it and then when I start writing I start building it... The next part of my blog post on chances is "Second Chances."
Do people deserve a second chance? The verse that came to me as I thought about that question is this:
Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord how often shall by brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven."
70 x 7 = 490. It does not mean literally 490 so it's not a suggestion to keep a tally of how many times someone sins against us until we stop forgiving them. What that means is no matter how many times someone sins against us God asks us to forgive as He forgave us. Jesus was nailed to a cross, they wanted Him to die and this is what He said:
Luke 23:34: And Jesus said, "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do."
He didn't say Father strike them all with lightning bolts they don't deserve your forgiveness. It wasn't about deserving or undeserving it was about love. He loves us so much. Romans 5: 8 says "But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."
I just got an idea this is exactly the right point in my blog post to share this picture I downloaded about a month ago. I downloaded it because the words were the same words I had on a laminated copy that was on a shelf in my room for most of my childhood. It always reminded me of how much God loves us.
Above I am talking about the second chances that apply to relationships - all kinds of relationships from friends to family to someone you're married to or with. It doesn't mean that we must hang around people that put us down because we must be forgiving and loving. It doesn't mean keep giving someone chance after chance but they make no effort to change. In some cases sometimes you have to forgive and move on. You don't feel anger towards that person anymore but they're not someone you want to be around anymore. It doesn't mean you don't forgive them for what they did but if you keep spending time with them they'll keep doing more things to you. That is where you can't keep giving chances if someone makes no effort at all to change.
Now I'm going to write about where you can give a chance. First thing we've got to realise is that we are all sinners. Although because we are all sinners that is not an excuse for doing wrong. You can't say "oh well I am only human." You are accountable for what you do. If you make a mistake you have to acknowledge it and accept the blame for it and of course confess to God what you have done and ask for His forgiveness. Yes we do all make mistakes but that is also not an excuse. If we do wrong, we should apologize for our wrong. We swallow our pride and admit it. That is the way to recovery. If someone does wrong to you but they are willing to change and trying to make a change, if they are coming from a good place and keep trying to change their life for the better that is where we can trust someone and give them a chance.
Even though someone may have good intentions and a good heart and they are really trying to change their circumstances they will not always be given a second chance. What you realise is God ALWAYS forgives, people do not always forgive. Second chances or however many chances do not always happpen. However even if someone never gave us a true chance again like we hoped they would, you have to know you answer to God and not man. God knows your heart, He knows where you are coming from. He knows you are truly sorry for what you did and you want to make a change but not all people will see what God sees.
Whatever side of chances you are on whether someone is asking you for a chance or you've asked someone to give you a chance, remember all those chances God gives you all the time. Mistake after mistake and He still gives you one more chance. Also remember that when someone is down and drowning in their sin and not looking for God's salvation, God can help them out of it but no help will come from Him until they ask and turn to God. They may need to reach a turning point before they get given chances or they will drag you down with them.
I found this song online a few weeks ago and I listen to it almost everyday. If you're a boy, just imagine the lyrics to apply to you, you will see what I mean.
God can put anyone back together again!
I literally spent the whole afternoon writing this blog post! It is a long one but it's been a while since I wrote something on this blog so I guess this does make up for it in a way!
I am going to end my blog post with this song because of its lyrics! This is another song I have been listening to a lot! It's AWESOME! If you listen to it you will be amazed, it is actually a Christian song and it's got a great beat! As I've said before not all Christian music is gospel.
As it says in the song, "Life just ain't the same when I'm with You" meaning we just aren't the same when we're with God because He brings out the best in us and gives us a chance at life that makes our lives incredible!
With that I shall love and leave you,
Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
Monday 23 April 2012
Fireproof your life!
Dear all,
This title came to me tonight and for a few days I have been thinking about how I'm going to write this post. I thought it's a great place to start because I've been thinking about the word "Fireproof" lately. Fireproof is my favourite movie of all time. I would encourage you to watch it. I watched it again a couple of days ago.
Here is the trailer:
I have not written any posts in a while. I can only write when I am at peace. When my heart is feeling peace. The peace that comes from God. Sometimes fires come in your life and life's problems can make you feel isolated and alone. I've written a post on Mountains of Lessons before in this blog and what trying to climb a mountain by yourself and with no experience is like. Everyone goes through different types of trials. It's not only you. I know a lot of people struggling and there are lots of people all over the world going through things. The only thing is when problems arise is how you deal with them. Here is where the title "Fireproof your life" comes in!
The question is "How?". How do you Fireproof your life? Please leave your comments below, I'd like to know too. I am only joking because the answer is very simple. You do know why things get to you and why you feel down and depressed. If you're still confused I will tell you what you're missing -> God. God must be at the centre of your life!
God is the way! The only way you are going to get out is if you trust Him. It's no use just saying "God help me" - you have to trust He will and believe He will because He will. I don't know how, I must have clicked something on my facebook but somehow I ended up with this Christian website on my screen tonight and in the post it said that God never leaves us. He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." ~ Hebrews 13:5. It said something along the lines of the reason we feel alone is because we withdraw from God, God never withdraws from us. We are focusing on the problem and not on God.
There is sin in the world. There are bad things that happen. There are struggles in life. In Romans 3:10 it says, "under the power of sin, as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one." Although people can hurt us and we can hurt ourselves, God is a forgiving God. We had Easter this month where Jesus died to save our sins. In Romans 5:8 it says "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus died and rose again for our sake! So that we would have a chance in life! He gave us this chance!
Everyday is a chance to build your life with God. To walk in Faith with God. Matthew 6:21 says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If your treasure is with God however difficult your surroundings and things you're facing, God will carry you through. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." ~Romans 12:2. Faith is like a flower. It has to be grown. You have to grow it everyday. You have to water it! If you don't water it, it will wither.
I want to write out a bit of the beginning of Romans 5 because I think it is a very good chapter for this blog post. "Therefore since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5
The reason I am calling this blog post Fireproof your life is also because of my favourite quote from Fireproof too which can apply here, "Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." It's the not the reason I put the quote on my facebook the ideas for this post came to me as I'm writing it. For all my writing and everything all glory belongs to God. The only way you are going to withstand any fires in your life is with God! That is how you Fireproof your life! A life with God isn't problem free, remember there is sin in the world, sin was let into the world but Faith in God is how we will Fireproof our life!
Whatever fires you're facing in marriage, friendships, jobs, decisions whatever you're up against remember you are not alone. I started reading Karen Kingsbury's book Loving yesterday (she's a Christian author) and the reason I am telling you this is because everytime I read one of her books now I always remember a quote that she wrote that stood out to me. "Remember, when you can't take another step, God will carry you." ~ Karen Kingsbury, from her book Learning.
I was reading through my emails yesterday and in one of them I saw this picture too:
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day." ~Matthew 6:34.
I know I've written this quote before in a blog post somewhere but I want to write it here too, "Hakuna Matata, God's got it." It means "No worries, God's got it."
Wow I just looked now and there is actually a book called "Fireproof your life" too! On the cover of it is says, "Building a Faith that survives the flames."
FIREPROOF YOUR LIFE :-)!
Love and God Bless,
Until I write again,
Nicola Hill
This title came to me tonight and for a few days I have been thinking about how I'm going to write this post. I thought it's a great place to start because I've been thinking about the word "Fireproof" lately. Fireproof is my favourite movie of all time. I would encourage you to watch it. I watched it again a couple of days ago.
Here is the trailer:
I have not written any posts in a while. I can only write when I am at peace. When my heart is feeling peace. The peace that comes from God. Sometimes fires come in your life and life's problems can make you feel isolated and alone. I've written a post on Mountains of Lessons before in this blog and what trying to climb a mountain by yourself and with no experience is like. Everyone goes through different types of trials. It's not only you. I know a lot of people struggling and there are lots of people all over the world going through things. The only thing is when problems arise is how you deal with them. Here is where the title "Fireproof your life" comes in!
The question is "How?". How do you Fireproof your life? Please leave your comments below, I'd like to know too. I am only joking because the answer is very simple. You do know why things get to you and why you feel down and depressed. If you're still confused I will tell you what you're missing -> God. God must be at the centre of your life!
God is the way! The only way you are going to get out is if you trust Him. It's no use just saying "God help me" - you have to trust He will and believe He will because He will. I don't know how, I must have clicked something on my facebook but somehow I ended up with this Christian website on my screen tonight and in the post it said that God never leaves us. He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." ~ Hebrews 13:5. It said something along the lines of the reason we feel alone is because we withdraw from God, God never withdraws from us. We are focusing on the problem and not on God.
There is sin in the world. There are bad things that happen. There are struggles in life. In Romans 3:10 it says, "under the power of sin, as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one." Although people can hurt us and we can hurt ourselves, God is a forgiving God. We had Easter this month where Jesus died to save our sins. In Romans 5:8 it says "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus died and rose again for our sake! So that we would have a chance in life! He gave us this chance!
Everyday is a chance to build your life with God. To walk in Faith with God. Matthew 6:21 says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If your treasure is with God however difficult your surroundings and things you're facing, God will carry you through. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." ~Romans 12:2. Faith is like a flower. It has to be grown. You have to grow it everyday. You have to water it! If you don't water it, it will wither.
I want to write out a bit of the beginning of Romans 5 because I think it is a very good chapter for this blog post. "Therefore since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5
The reason I am calling this blog post Fireproof your life is also because of my favourite quote from Fireproof too which can apply here, "Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." It's the not the reason I put the quote on my facebook the ideas for this post came to me as I'm writing it. For all my writing and everything all glory belongs to God. The only way you are going to withstand any fires in your life is with God! That is how you Fireproof your life! A life with God isn't problem free, remember there is sin in the world, sin was let into the world but Faith in God is how we will Fireproof our life!
Whatever fires you're facing in marriage, friendships, jobs, decisions whatever you're up against remember you are not alone. I started reading Karen Kingsbury's book Loving yesterday (she's a Christian author) and the reason I am telling you this is because everytime I read one of her books now I always remember a quote that she wrote that stood out to me. "Remember, when you can't take another step, God will carry you." ~ Karen Kingsbury, from her book Learning.
I was reading through my emails yesterday and in one of them I saw this picture too:
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day." ~Matthew 6:34.
I know I've written this quote before in a blog post somewhere but I want to write it here too, "Hakuna Matata, God's got it." It means "No worries, God's got it."
Wow I just looked now and there is actually a book called "Fireproof your life" too! On the cover of it is says, "Building a Faith that survives the flames."
FIREPROOF YOUR LIFE :-)!
Love and God Bless,
Until I write again,
Nicola Hill
Monday 2 April 2012
A little bit of what I feel when I write
Words across a page. The thrill of them forming together to create a piece of writing. The source - your heart. Sometimes jotting ideas down. Writing in a moment of inspiration, a moment of peace. It is only in that moment where your writing will blossom. Looking back and reading what you wrote. A mix of ideas all blended together. Fine tuning and then completion. Ready to be shared.
That's a bit of what I feel when I write. A mix of ideas that are in my head and some that I've jotted down and thought about and when they're put on paper they form something to read. It comes together when I feel that inspiration to write. Where thoughts, learning, creativity and imagination take flight.
~Nicola Hill
That's a bit of what I feel when I write. A mix of ideas that are in my head and some that I've jotted down and thought about and when they're put on paper they form something to read. It comes together when I feel that inspiration to write. Where thoughts, learning, creativity and imagination take flight.
~Nicola Hill
Saturday 10 March 2012
Challenging yourself!
Recently there was something I wanted to do. I looked at a few options and a few days later I saw something I liked and I decided you know what I'm just going to do it and within that moment my plans came together very fast! Before I knew it everything was organised and I was due to leave in a couple days. I'd barely told anyone about it.
I challenged myself to go for it. I wanted to see what the experience would be like and refresh, relax and think. It was about a 3 day trip from the 4th to the 7th of March by myself and how it unfolded was incredible. I went there without a plan, just accomodation booked in a hotel and the only plan was to have no plan. Just to discover see where it would take me.
I found myself in the same hotel that Agatha Christie had her honeymoon in which I did not know until I arrived there. I was also in the same area she was born. Funnily enough with the timing the fact that I coincidentally found myself in the midst of where another author came from was incredible. I also visited a village she used to go to and she'd sit by the lakes there and gain inspiration for her writing.
In the morning I was walking along a path and it was my first full day there. The sun was shining, it was beautiful weather for England. The sun actually shone almost everyday except my last day when it rained. I was walking along the sea front path and I walked right till the end and came across a zoo. I wasn't aware there was a zoo there. I knew there was a zoo in the next town which I really wanted to visit but I didn't think I'd have time. Then suddenly there was a zoo in front of me. Straight away I paid for admission and went in. It was my first time going in a zoo in England.
I learnt about the animals and I saw penguins up close for the first time in my life. I think it was the first time, I may have seen them before but I can't remember. I learnt a Macaroni penguin lays two eggs, one is fake and the other is the real thing. It's to lure off predators and to protect the real egg. The African penguin also lays two eggs but both are real.
I saw a seal napping on a rock. He looked very comfortable and I took a picture but the way he was lying I could only see the side of him. I then got an idea and made a noise as if I was calling a dog, whether it would work I did not know but he looked up and I snapped a picture of him quickly.
There were birds with crooked beaks, another type of bird that could lay 12 eggs but there was no male in the enclosure for her. There was also a monkey, a fake one that gave me a fright as I was through one of the sections indoors a light came on and suddenly there was a monkey in the corner.
I went to the tourist information centre at somepoint during that day, I can't remember if it was before or after the zoo and they told me about another place I could take a bus and visit that was not too far from there. So the next day I did. I took a bus there and explored it's coastlines and went on it's cliff railway. I also went to the model village there - an entire little village made completely of models of houses and buildings, power plants, castles, people abseiling and all sorts. I even caught a picture of a rainbow there!
In the afternoon when I got back, I went for a swim and relaxed in the hotel jacuzzi. The day before I had been to the gym, swimming and went in the jacuzzi but this time I was too tired for the gym. I sure did get plenty of exercise on my trip with all the walking I did. I don't think I stayed motionless at all for very long. Afrer that I was in my hotel room but I suddenly felt the urge to visit the village again that Agatha Christie used to visit. I had visited it the previous day and taken pictures. There was a particular part of it that gave me this incredible feeling that I had once before when I was in another country. So I did, I walked there again, it wasn't too far from the hotel.
After that I ended up walking from there to the town centre for my last night and I had dinner there. It was my first dinner out, for the previous two I had dinner in the hotel and loved their food, so incredibly tasty! The place I ended up having dinner in had unlimited soft drinks, unlimited salad and even unlimited ice-cream. I didn't know that when I walked in but when I found out, it was amazing. I even found myself sitting under the speaker in the restuarant so I could hear the music clearly and I absolutely love music.
I also found the same type of restuarant in the town centre that was my favourite restuarant in the city nearest to me in England, I didn't go there but it was interesting to know it's also in another place.
Where I stayed, the hotel and the sea front were very colourful at night with all the different colourful lights everywhere.
That's some of the details of my trip that I went on. A trip that just unfolded itself. Just because I decided to take a chance, challenge myself and go for it. That's what I did. I just did... and it worked out wonderfully. I also met interesting people and had interesting conversations. I learnt so much in just a few days.
Although I do prefer travelling with people and to visit people. This particular trip though was an experience I will never forget and I would do it again.
It's amazing how anything can happen if you just let it and go for it. Challenging yourself! My challenge was with travelling.
Have you ever travelled alone?
Until I write again,
Nicola Hill
I challenged myself to go for it. I wanted to see what the experience would be like and refresh, relax and think. It was about a 3 day trip from the 4th to the 7th of March by myself and how it unfolded was incredible. I went there without a plan, just accomodation booked in a hotel and the only plan was to have no plan. Just to discover see where it would take me.
I found myself in the same hotel that Agatha Christie had her honeymoon in which I did not know until I arrived there. I was also in the same area she was born. Funnily enough with the timing the fact that I coincidentally found myself in the midst of where another author came from was incredible. I also visited a village she used to go to and she'd sit by the lakes there and gain inspiration for her writing.
In the morning I was walking along a path and it was my first full day there. The sun was shining, it was beautiful weather for England. The sun actually shone almost everyday except my last day when it rained. I was walking along the sea front path and I walked right till the end and came across a zoo. I wasn't aware there was a zoo there. I knew there was a zoo in the next town which I really wanted to visit but I didn't think I'd have time. Then suddenly there was a zoo in front of me. Straight away I paid for admission and went in. It was my first time going in a zoo in England.
I learnt about the animals and I saw penguins up close for the first time in my life. I think it was the first time, I may have seen them before but I can't remember. I learnt a Macaroni penguin lays two eggs, one is fake and the other is the real thing. It's to lure off predators and to protect the real egg. The African penguin also lays two eggs but both are real.
I saw a seal napping on a rock. He looked very comfortable and I took a picture but the way he was lying I could only see the side of him. I then got an idea and made a noise as if I was calling a dog, whether it would work I did not know but he looked up and I snapped a picture of him quickly.
There were birds with crooked beaks, another type of bird that could lay 12 eggs but there was no male in the enclosure for her. There was also a monkey, a fake one that gave me a fright as I was through one of the sections indoors a light came on and suddenly there was a monkey in the corner.
I went to the tourist information centre at somepoint during that day, I can't remember if it was before or after the zoo and they told me about another place I could take a bus and visit that was not too far from there. So the next day I did. I took a bus there and explored it's coastlines and went on it's cliff railway. I also went to the model village there - an entire little village made completely of models of houses and buildings, power plants, castles, people abseiling and all sorts. I even caught a picture of a rainbow there!
In the afternoon when I got back, I went for a swim and relaxed in the hotel jacuzzi. The day before I had been to the gym, swimming and went in the jacuzzi but this time I was too tired for the gym. I sure did get plenty of exercise on my trip with all the walking I did. I don't think I stayed motionless at all for very long. Afrer that I was in my hotel room but I suddenly felt the urge to visit the village again that Agatha Christie used to visit. I had visited it the previous day and taken pictures. There was a particular part of it that gave me this incredible feeling that I had once before when I was in another country. So I did, I walked there again, it wasn't too far from the hotel.
After that I ended up walking from there to the town centre for my last night and I had dinner there. It was my first dinner out, for the previous two I had dinner in the hotel and loved their food, so incredibly tasty! The place I ended up having dinner in had unlimited soft drinks, unlimited salad and even unlimited ice-cream. I didn't know that when I walked in but when I found out, it was amazing. I even found myself sitting under the speaker in the restuarant so I could hear the music clearly and I absolutely love music.
I also found the same type of restuarant in the town centre that was my favourite restuarant in the city nearest to me in England, I didn't go there but it was interesting to know it's also in another place.
Where I stayed, the hotel and the sea front were very colourful at night with all the different colourful lights everywhere.
That's some of the details of my trip that I went on. A trip that just unfolded itself. Just because I decided to take a chance, challenge myself and go for it. That's what I did. I just did... and it worked out wonderfully. I also met interesting people and had interesting conversations. I learnt so much in just a few days.
Although I do prefer travelling with people and to visit people. This particular trip though was an experience I will never forget and I would do it again.
It's amazing how anything can happen if you just let it and go for it. Challenging yourself! My challenge was with travelling.
Have you ever travelled alone?
Until I write again,
Nicola Hill
Monday 27 February 2012
Peace and *New poem too called "Trust"*
Before I went to sleep last night, I came up with this poem and today the 27th I put the finishing touches on it :).
Finding peace where does it begin, in submitting to God. Trusting Him to show us the way.
Trust
The road is long,
The road is steep
But you can make it.
God hears your call, He hears your weep.
He knows your needs,
No chance to hide
Just have faith in Him
He will be your guide.
Where the path leads
We do not know
But in God we trust
With God we'll go.
Step by step, day by day,
On this journey as we pray
God is with us
He knows the way.
Poem by Nicola Hill
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:7.
Here's a song for this post :)! It's such a happy song, feel free to dance and celebrate ;)! For we have a lot to celebrate - we have God :)!
Until I write again,
Love and God Bless,
Nicola Hill
Finding peace where does it begin, in submitting to God. Trusting Him to show us the way.
Trust
The road is long,
The road is steep
But you can make it.
God hears your call, He hears your weep.
He knows your needs,
No chance to hide
Just have faith in Him
He will be your guide.
Where the path leads
We do not know
But in God we trust
With God we'll go.
Step by step, day by day,
On this journey as we pray
God is with us
He knows the way.
Poem by Nicola Hill
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:7.
Here's a song for this post :)! It's such a happy song, feel free to dance and celebrate ;)! For we have a lot to celebrate - we have God :)!
Until I write again,
Love and God Bless,
Nicola Hill
Thursday 23 February 2012
Love!
On the 14th of this month, I said my next blog post would be on Love. I had been thinking about Love long before that mainly because I was thinking about loving everyone around us. Love is a big topic to cover, I am sure I will have other posts in the future on it too - I couldn't ever write everything on love. We all love. We all want to be loved. We all have different ways of expressing our love.
The Wikipedia definition of love is this:
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. Love is also a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection; and "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another". Love may also be described as actions towards others (or oneself) based on compassion, or as actions towards others based on affection.
A four letter word. Love. One of my first poems when I was 13 was a poem for Valentines day for a competion and it was a poem called "I Love You" and that's where I began writing poetry properly, many poems followed after that and a few more on love. A beautiful topic. There's a lot to explore on the topic of love but there's one particular part of love I want to start with.
We all love in our lives. There are many things we say, "I love my city,","I love this music", "I love food", "I love movies", "I love my friends," "I love my family", "I love my dog", I love my job", there are endless ways where we love.
I go back to where I began where this whole topic of Love came to mind in the first place - Loving everyone around us. Loving all people. Reading those two sentences you'll notice two things "everyone" and "all". In other words speading love everywhere you go. Everywhere you go. I am not saying you should go up to a stranger tomorrow and say "I love you." They make think you're a bit weird. I am not telling you in fact anything about what you should or shouldn't do. I am going on a journey with this thought I had on love.
I think a verse is very fitting here to explains what love is.
"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irratable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never eneds; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away." ~ 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
These are a few verses I posted on love:
"The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." ~ Mark 12:28-31
"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." Proverbs 10:12
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7.
And thinking on love and how to love I come now the greatist example of love:
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." ~Romans 5: 8
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifise to God." ~Ephesians 5: 1-2
This verse below which I will end with is my favourite bible verse.
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." ~Matthew 5:43-48
That concludes my first post, I don't think I need to say anymore on love here because in the verses what God says on love speaks volumes :)!
With that I shall love and leave you,
Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
The Wikipedia definition of love is this:
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. Love is also a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection; and "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another". Love may also be described as actions towards others (or oneself) based on compassion, or as actions towards others based on affection.
A four letter word. Love. One of my first poems when I was 13 was a poem for Valentines day for a competion and it was a poem called "I Love You" and that's where I began writing poetry properly, many poems followed after that and a few more on love. A beautiful topic. There's a lot to explore on the topic of love but there's one particular part of love I want to start with.
We all love in our lives. There are many things we say, "I love my city,","I love this music", "I love food", "I love movies", "I love my friends," "I love my family", "I love my dog", I love my job", there are endless ways where we love.
I go back to where I began where this whole topic of Love came to mind in the first place - Loving everyone around us. Loving all people. Reading those two sentences you'll notice two things "everyone" and "all". In other words speading love everywhere you go. Everywhere you go. I am not saying you should go up to a stranger tomorrow and say "I love you." They make think you're a bit weird. I am not telling you in fact anything about what you should or shouldn't do. I am going on a journey with this thought I had on love.
I think a verse is very fitting here to explains what love is.
"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irratable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never eneds; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away." ~ 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
These are a few verses I posted on love:
"The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." ~ Mark 12:28-31
"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." Proverbs 10:12
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7.
And thinking on love and how to love I come now the greatist example of love:
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." ~Romans 5: 8
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifise to God." ~Ephesians 5: 1-2
This verse below which I will end with is my favourite bible verse.
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." ~Matthew 5:43-48
That concludes my first post, I don't think I need to say anymore on love here because in the verses what God says on love speaks volumes :)!
With that I shall love and leave you,
Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
Monday 6 February 2012
Daily Blessings
"The gift of a day."
One of my favourite movies is called the Ultimate Gift. In it at the end of the movie it talks about twelve gifts. One of them is the "the gift of a day." Yes, the gift of a day.... The gift of a day. I have run out of words to write so I thought if I'd write that a few times it will help lengthen my blog post. I'm sure by now you've realised that my sense of humour does tend to seep through in my writing. I have been pondering this gift of a day because as I was thinking of starting this blog post and what I'm going to write, I was thinking about the daily blessings in our lives.
Yes even today on a Monday, everyone's favourite day of the week there are blessings. Daily blessings that happen each and every single day.
Did you wake up? Blessing.
Did you get out of bed this morning? Blessing.
Are you able to go to school? Blessing.
Did you have a job you went to? Blessing.
Did you have food? Blessing.
Did you have a roof over your head? Blessing.
Can you walk? Blessing.
Can you talk? Blessing.
Do you have people who love you? Blessing.
There are so many, it could go on and on. Whatever your blessings are there are so many blessings all around us. That calls for a "WOW!"
Everyday we have something to appreciate, something to be thankful for.
Did you have the gift of a day? Blessing.
Remember that God loves you, He want to bless you. Everyday He's saying, "I'm here."
I like this quote, Focus on what you have not what you don't have. Everyday we have so much.
This is what I pray for you all.
Thank God for the blessings each day :)!
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
One of my favourite movies is called the Ultimate Gift. In it at the end of the movie it talks about twelve gifts. One of them is the "the gift of a day." Yes, the gift of a day.... The gift of a day. I have run out of words to write so I thought if I'd write that a few times it will help lengthen my blog post. I'm sure by now you've realised that my sense of humour does tend to seep through in my writing. I have been pondering this gift of a day because as I was thinking of starting this blog post and what I'm going to write, I was thinking about the daily blessings in our lives.
Yes even today on a Monday, everyone's favourite day of the week there are blessings. Daily blessings that happen each and every single day.
Did you wake up? Blessing.
Did you get out of bed this morning? Blessing.
Are you able to go to school? Blessing.
Did you have a job you went to? Blessing.
Did you have food? Blessing.
Did you have a roof over your head? Blessing.
Can you walk? Blessing.
Can you talk? Blessing.
Do you have people who love you? Blessing.
There are so many, it could go on and on. Whatever your blessings are there are so many blessings all around us. That calls for a "WOW!"
Everyday we have something to appreciate, something to be thankful for.
Did you have the gift of a day? Blessing.
Remember that God loves you, He want to bless you. Everyday He's saying, "I'm here."
I like this quote, Focus on what you have not what you don't have. Everyday we have so much.
This is what I pray for you all.
Thank God for the blessings each day :)!
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
Tuesday 31 January 2012
Mountains of Lessons
I read this quote the other day, "Never for one minute think that by following God, the path will be easy. Mountains are part of the journey."
I just went on Wikipedia to look up the definition of a mountain. Yes what my parents spent on education went to waste. I do know what a mountain is but looking there - it has the definition and then it has the characteristics and the types. We are going to face different types of mountains in our life. Being a Christian isn't a contract that says "sign here" and then your life will be perfect.
In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says, "For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." With faith all things are possible (according to God's plan). Remember that God gives you things in His time, on His terms. You don't become a Christian to get everything in the world but for God to guide you through the world.
Imagine you're walking down a path and before you lies this big mountain and the quickest way to get past it is to climb it and go over it. However it's so big and steep you're going to need special equipment and someone who knows how to climb mountains to get over it. You could walk around it but that will take much longer and you will remember all the time and energy you used going around it when you could have just climbed over. Or you could just turn back but the mountain will still be there and you will see it every day and never see the other side.
Let me explain my story now. The mountain is the problem you're facing. The equipment you use to get over it is prayer. The person who knows how to climb mountains is God. Walking around the mountain is you trying to get around your problem yourself. Turning back is not dealing with the problem in front of you. Your level of faith is based on your decision.
If you climb the mountain, it will be a memory of something you got over. If you walk around it, it will be something you got past but you didn't get over it. If you turn back, the mountain will never evapourate, it will be there reminding you every day that you turned away.
When we're facing a mountain and we have the equipment to get over it what use is it without the person who knows how to use it? In other words we can pray all we want but if we're not trusting God to get us over this mountain, how will we climb it?
When we get over the mountain to the other side and keep going when we look back it will get smaller and smaller and eventually we won't see it anymore, we will only see what lies ahead. We will only have the memory, the memory based on our choice.
You will never meet a person who climbed every one of their mountains. Romans 3:10 says: As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one." Although God forgives. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Those are some of the mountains we face and instead of having mountains we will have mountains of lessons.
There are many different types of mountains. Some choices and situations can be a mountain before us but with God He will help us over.
Are you ready to climb your mountains?
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
I just went on Wikipedia to look up the definition of a mountain. Yes what my parents spent on education went to waste. I do know what a mountain is but looking there - it has the definition and then it has the characteristics and the types. We are going to face different types of mountains in our life. Being a Christian isn't a contract that says "sign here" and then your life will be perfect.
In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says, "For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." With faith all things are possible (according to God's plan). Remember that God gives you things in His time, on His terms. You don't become a Christian to get everything in the world but for God to guide you through the world.
Imagine you're walking down a path and before you lies this big mountain and the quickest way to get past it is to climb it and go over it. However it's so big and steep you're going to need special equipment and someone who knows how to climb mountains to get over it. You could walk around it but that will take much longer and you will remember all the time and energy you used going around it when you could have just climbed over. Or you could just turn back but the mountain will still be there and you will see it every day and never see the other side.
Let me explain my story now. The mountain is the problem you're facing. The equipment you use to get over it is prayer. The person who knows how to climb mountains is God. Walking around the mountain is you trying to get around your problem yourself. Turning back is not dealing with the problem in front of you. Your level of faith is based on your decision.
If you climb the mountain, it will be a memory of something you got over. If you walk around it, it will be something you got past but you didn't get over it. If you turn back, the mountain will never evapourate, it will be there reminding you every day that you turned away.
When we're facing a mountain and we have the equipment to get over it what use is it without the person who knows how to use it? In other words we can pray all we want but if we're not trusting God to get us over this mountain, how will we climb it?
When we get over the mountain to the other side and keep going when we look back it will get smaller and smaller and eventually we won't see it anymore, we will only see what lies ahead. We will only have the memory, the memory based on our choice.
You will never meet a person who climbed every one of their mountains. Romans 3:10 says: As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one." Although God forgives. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Those are some of the mountains we face and instead of having mountains we will have mountains of lessons.
There are many different types of mountains. Some choices and situations can be a mountain before us but with God He will help us over.
Are you ready to climb your mountains?
God Bless,
Nicola Hill
Saturday 7 January 2012
Choices! "New poem too!"
As I opened up this blog, to add my new poem I wrote yesterday, I saw this quote on my twitter. "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J. K. Rowling
Everyday we have to make choices whether it's simple ones or choices that could change out lives. When we hand everything over to God, He lifts that weight off our shoulders. God will lead you in the direction you're supposed to go.
This verse comes up so often, I find it, see it everywhere! "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." ~Jeremiah 29:11
I love music and I have songs for most moments in my life, as I was writing this I thought of this song - the words couldn't be better for this moment! It also has one of my favourite verses from Matthew 7: 7-8.
Here is my 1st poem of 2012:
Choices
Which way to go, which way to turn.
God's the only way, you will soon learn.
Your way won't work,
You know that, you've tried.
God's the only one with the power to provide!
God's the one who will see you through.
To God be the glory for everything you do!
Poem by Nicola Hill (06/01/2012)
Everyday we have to make choices whether it's simple ones or choices that could change out lives. When we hand everything over to God, He lifts that weight off our shoulders. God will lead you in the direction you're supposed to go.
This verse comes up so often, I find it, see it everywhere! "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." ~Jeremiah 29:11
I love music and I have songs for most moments in my life, as I was writing this I thought of this song - the words couldn't be better for this moment! It also has one of my favourite verses from Matthew 7: 7-8.
Here is my 1st poem of 2012:
Choices
Which way to go, which way to turn.
God's the only way, you will soon learn.
Your way won't work,
You know that, you've tried.
God's the only one with the power to provide!
God's the one who will see you through.
To God be the glory for everything you do!
Poem by Nicola Hill (06/01/2012)
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