Have you noticed how much the world we live in, our culture, encourages us to look to ourselves? It doesn’t really matter what you do or how you do it, they say. What matters is that you are happy. As women we hear things like: “you are worth it”, “be what you want to be”, “you can be better than anyone else”. We are encouraged to leave our children in day care in order to pursue our careers or even stop having children because it “deforms” our bodies or gets in the way of our success. We are encouraged to compete against one another to be better, bigger, stronger.

As the years go by it feels as if the pressure keeps on mounting especially when we are roped into the materialistic views of this world. In order to be truly happy all you need is a bigger house, a newish car, you must wear the trendy labels, buy the expensive handbags and other accessories, you must get in with the trendy parenting waves. You must go on holiday to the most exotic places there is! That will help you! Take the reins of your life – be the boss! Show everyone who you are! You are strong! You are invincible! You can do it!

How strange to write a post like this during holy week – you might be thinking. Wouldn’t it be better to use one of the most famous readings in the Gospel to reflect upon what Jesus endured that week before Good Friday? Perhaps. I wanted to take some time to look at what it is thrown at us as we reflect.

Women face incredible challenges, especially Christian women. There is a deep desire to live for Jesus which gets battered by all of the things I mention above and more. The pressure and the pull of the world is relentless. Then there is guilt. Enormous guilt that cripples our faith, our relationships, our love for one another. Maybe I am an odd person, but perhaps some of you know exactly how it feels.

As we approach that dark day in history where the only man who walked this earth without sin, the Son of God, the maker of the Universe, our creator, God made flesh, our Immanuel, was publicly executed, I want to encourage us to look at some of the things He said during his ministry leading to His death.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

If this is you, feeling burdened and weary, trapped and confused, if you feel like you are losing hope – Come to Jesus.

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” ¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:10-14

If you are struggling because there is a thirst in you that cannot be quenched and you keep drinking all the empty things the world and culture throws at you, if you keep giving into the temptation to do it all – Come to Jesus.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Maybe you feel the pain of injustice, maybe you feel you have been robbed in some way and attacked. You lost friendship, you trusted the wrong people or things. You feel let down by those you hold dear, you realise you feel empty and bruised – come through the Gate. Meet the Good Shepherd – Come to Jesus.

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

If you are uncertain about the future and feel scared, if the world around you feels as if it will collapse at any point, if your body is frail and broken remember the hope Jesus offers of life eternal. Lift your eyes. Come to Jesus.

There are so many more wonderful truths I could add (perhaps take some time to read one of the Gospels again), but I really wanted to encourage us to Come to Jesus. If you have known him for just a little time or for many decades, the Gospel is for you too. This good news is for us. Every day. Come back to the basics. Come back to the Gospel everyday. Come to Jesus. Throw yourself in the arms of the One who gives life. Pause and remember what He offers you. Praise Him. Thank Him. Believe in Him. Surrender to Him. Be enthusiastic about what He offers you. Don’t delay!

As we do that perhaps we can see that Good Friday, the darkest day in history of humanity, really is good. Jesus suffered in my place. He died my death so that I can live and be right with God. He did it all. It is finished. Accepted. Paid in full. Atoned for. The wrath of God was satisfied. There is no more condemnation. Better still, Good Friday is followed by Resurrection Sunday!

Come to Jesus today.

God bless.

_{Photo by Emmanuel Phaeton on Unsplash}

I can’t believe it is nearly Easter. I like Easter. In the UK it is lovely around this time because it is Spring. The flowers are blooming, there is a fresh smell in the air and the weather, occasionally, is lovely. The many new shades of green start spring everywhere. It is beautiful. In Brazil is the beginning of Autumn. The air is getting cooler. You can watch beautiful pink sunrises and sunsets at this time of year. Not many trees lose their leaves in Brazil. The green there is an old, strong, tired colour.

Don’t worry. I am not going to start giving you any advise on gardening. I am definitely not qualified for it! That said, I do know a lot of preparation is necessary in every season to make sure the plants are going to come back to life and have their full and their rest alongside the soil which also needs to be looked after.

As Christians we are also to be preparing our hearts for this particular time of the year. At Christmas time we hear about preparing room in our heart for the King born in a stable. The One that had been promised long ago. The Messiah. It is a lovely time. We concentrate on God’s love and mercy. We sing many songs and we even recognise that Jesus is our greatest gift. Christmas is part of the preparation for Easter. God came to live among us.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”. John 1:14

Jesus grew up serving His Father and living a perfect life in our place. From before time even existed, before the world was made, God had a plan, a perfect plan to rescue His people. He sent His Son, whom He loved, to die for us.

Many people during this time celebrate “Lent” which is meant to be a time for reflection and preparation. It is 40 days long and if you know your Bible well, you would be thinking about the 40 days Jesus withdrew into the wilderness and there he was tested. You can read it in Matthew 4:1-11. I wonder, how many focus on the “preparation” part of it. How does one prepare the heart?

Even though I am not a gardener, I know that plants need to be pruned, weeds need to be pulled from the ground (including their roots, otherwise they come back), the soil needs to be turned and nutrients need to be added (eggs shells, teabags, compost). Care must be taken so that diseased plants don’t infect heathy ones. There is also slugs. They can eat and destroy a lot of plants. It sounds like a lot of work to me. People spend hours on their knees digging, planting, turning soil, spraying plants, watering, pruning and in the Summer they enjoy their cold drink looking around feeling happy and satisfied with all their work.

With our hearts we also need to do a bit of pruning, weeding, turning the soil, get rid of the “slugs” that want to come and destroy what is planted. We also need nutrients – lots of it. Are we asking ourselves what sin am I holding on to? (Colossians 3:1-11) Have I repented and confessed them to the Lord? (1 John 1:8-10) What have I placed in the centre of my heart and thoughts that are taking me away from keeping my eyes on Jesus? Where have I placed my trust? (Jeremiah 17:5) On my own strength? On my peers? On my job and wealth? The fact that I am heathy and active? (James 4:14) Have I forgiven those who have wronged me? Or am I holding a grudge? (Colossians 3:13) Have I lamented and mourned over my sin?

You might be feeling tempted to stop reading now because it is all very negative, isn’t it. It is hard. This is the pruning bit, the weed pulling and the soil turning. But now for the feeding the heart with the good nutrients. This is also hard. It requires commitment and a real intention to practice what is good and right. Let’s check: have we been reading God’s word daily? (Deuteronomy 8:3) Are we meditating on it day and night? (Joshua 1:8) Are we spending time with other Christians to encourage and be encouraged (in church and outside church)? (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Have we been reading good, biblical Christian books? Do we remind ourselves that the Lord is working in us? (Philippians 1:6) Have we been modelling Christian living to our children? Our husbands? Our neighbours? Work colleagues? (Ephesians 5:8).

As we prepare for the most important celebration in the Christian calendar we must look deep into our hearts. We must let the light of Christ shine and reveal all the things that need to be changed in us so we can witness and grow closer to Him every day. Just imagine how much more fruit we will produce in the garden of our heart that is filled with more of Jesus.

Happy reflecting.

God bless.

_{Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash}

One of my favourites books in the Old Testament is the book of Esther. Every once in a while, I go back to it and every time I learn more about God. His love for His people, His sovereignty, His justice and how His plan cannot be thwarted.

The book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that does not mention God (this is probably a good piece of Bible trivia for a quiz). It is absolutely fascinating to see how God is present and working through it all. If you have never read it, I would suggest you get a cup of coffee or tea and get to it.

I want to focus on a girl who became queen: Esther. She was an orphan and was raised by her cousin, Mordecai. Mordecai was carried away from Jerusalem when the Babylonians conquered the city and the people of God went into exile. We don’t know how old Esther was when the events of the book took place. What we know is that a beauty contest had been put in place to find a new queen for king Ahasuerus. He was the king of Persia. All virgins from throughout the empire were to be taken to Susa the capital and after the appointed time spent in the harem they were to be presented to the king and he would, eventually, choose a new queen. This is a very simple summary of what was going on. So, Esther was beautiful and was taken to the king’s palace and placed with all the other girls under the custody of Hegai (he looked after the women).

“Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.⁸ When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. ⁹ She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem”. Esther 2:7-9

Esther won Hegai’s favor and the favor of all she came across. Although the Bible does not tell us this, I would like to imagine that Esther was a kind, well mannered and polite person. The Bible tells us that the king loved Esther more than the other women and he made her his queen.

“She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.¹⁷ Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti”. Esther 2:16-17

Another thing we learn about Esther is that she respected Mordecai and obeyed him. Mordecai had instructed Esther to keep her race, her people, a secret.

“But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up”. Esther 2:20

At this point life seemed good for Esther in Susa. In fact, although the Jewish people were in exile, away from their home, things seemed to be going as well as they could. Until Hama, a high official in the kingdom (probably a prime minister in our days), took offense when Mordecai would not bow before him. He was so outraged that he plotted to have all the Jews killed.

“Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods”.  Esther 3:13

All Jews, men, women, young and old were to be annihilated. That included Esther. She first learned about it from Mordecai. He told her what was going to happened and he urged her to go speak to the king and plead for her people. Can you imagine what this young woman was feeling? First she was probably shocked that such evil had been plotted and she must have been filled with fear as she knew no one could go into the king’s presence without being summoned. I don’t imagine queen Elizabeth would have shouted “away with your head” to Prince Phillip if he walked into the throne room when she wasn’t expecting him. But that is what could happen to anyone in Ahasuerus’s palace if they just walked into the king’s room unexpectedly. Her fear was real and she sent word to Mordecai.

“All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” Esther 4:11

What happens next is really quite remarkable. Mordecai calls Esther out. She is the queen and not only that she is a Jew. It is not just a coincidence she is where she is. It was God’s plan all along!

“he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14

You and I might think this a bit harsh maybe too much to ask of a young woman, but we know, because we can read in the Bible that God had used individuals before to bring about his purposes time and time again. What is even more remarkable is that Esther had hardly any time to think about how to answer Mordecai, but she showed in her response that she feared the Lord and was prepared to seek His guidance and let Him do, through her and to her, whatever was necessary. She sought God through prayer.

“Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” Esther 15-16

It is here that we begin to see that Esther was relying on her God for courage. She fasted with her ladies and went through with the plan. She went to the king’s hall, not knowing if she was going to be granted an audience or be killed. But she went. She had also made a plan. This shows that she was resourceful. I love the fact that she used what she knew about the king (the court and customs) to get his attention. She planned to offer the king and his official, Hama, the enemy of the Jews, a banquet.

Esther was also focused on her purpose. She was offered anything, up to half the kingdom, when the king granted her an audience. I wonder what any of us would have done. Would we have been tempted to ask for money and maybe a secure house far away to hide? Not Esther. She remained focused on her plan and it pleased the king to attend her banquet and he took Hama. Esther kept the king in suspense just long enough. He obviously knew she wanted to ask for something. He was curious. But she told him to come back to another banquet with Hama the following day and she promised to answer his questions. Talk about courage.

When the king and Hama came to the second banquet offered by queen Esther, Ahasuerus asked again:

“Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.” Esther 7:1

I love the way Esther speaks to the king. Her humility and honesty.

“Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. ⁴ For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king” Esther 7:3-4

There were no demands. No deceit. No pride. There was a plea for her own life and her people. A plea for justice. Esther knew that the decree could not be cancelled. She continued to plead for her people (see Esther 8:5-6) and the king gave his ring to Mordecai, so another decree could be written and so the Jews were allowed to defend themselves. The people of God lived on.

There is so much to be learnt from this account. It is true that we are not living in a country where there is open persecution against God’s people, but there are subtle changes happening everywhere making it more difficult for Christians to stand firm and defend their faith. Sadly, even within the church itself. More than ever we need to have courage to recognise, with God’s help, when we need to stand and say “if I perish, I perish” because of the Gospel.

Who knows why you are a Christian placed in a company as the CEO and the board is just wanting to banish all Christian symbols and make it that no Christian conversation is to be heard in the premises. All because someone took offense one lunch time when another employee, who is a Christian, was praying? Or maybe you are a headteacher, a GP, an ambulance crew, an intelligence officer working for the government, a pharmacist, a student in one of the “top” universities in the country, a mum in the PTA, a gym instructor, who was placed exactly where you are to be courageous in the defence of God’s name. Let’s be courageous in seeking God’s guidance and speaking out without fear against those who seek to crush and silence God’s followers. God maybe not as visible in your situation as you might have liked Him to be but remember He is working His purposes in you.

God bless.