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.

As a child I was fascinated by the sentence “Once upon a time”. That was all I needed to be drawn to a book. What would this story reveal? Was it going to be good or bad? Who would I meet? What was it all about? Was it going to have a happy end, or a sad one? Or maybe both? What kinds of adventure would I be part of? Where would it take me? I would gladly spend hours trying to find out.

When I was a teenager and became a Christian, I was gripped by different kinds of stories. I was amazed to read how real people had encountered God and how He had transformed their lives. I read the account of Jim Elliot and his friend who were killed whilst in the mission field and how his wife ended up going back to witness to the same people who had killed her husband (Through Gates of Splendor). I read the account of how Joni Eareckson Tada was paralyzed age 17 after a diving accident and was confined to a wheelchair and how she has found joy in the middle of her trials because of Jesus (Joni). I lost myself reading Corri Ten Boom story of how her whole family was devasted by war and the accounts of her time in a concentration camp. I particularly remember the episode about the fleas. How could she have seen that as a blessing? (The Hiding Place).

I found myself wondering time and time again, how could it be possible that there are people that love Jesus that much that they will praise Him and tell their stories to witness about His goodness and His faithfulness. Their stories had great impact in my faith. I wanted to have the same faith they had but I certainly wasn’t anything special. How could I ever tell my story. Nothing dramatic had happened to me that caused me so much pain and suffering. I couldn’t see that anyone would be interested in my story.

That might have been true. In fact it was. I will come back to this.

As I grew older I started taking interest in hearing people’s testimonies. I still enjoyed reading about it, but there was something special about hearing someone say how God changed them. Through years in my church in Brazil I heard people sharing how God had provided for their needs - a cheque posted by a long lost friend that arrived precisely at the moment it was needed and even more amazingly, for the correct amount needed. A broken down car that lead to conversations by the road side that helped someone come to faith. How God had provided the correct medication needed to treat an infection in the middle of a jungle whilst visiting missionary friends. People would talk about God’s goodness and describe “normal” situations, such as passing the entrance exam to a University, a new job, a break from looking after very frail elderly parents to recharge, a new Christian friend at work. I could go on and on. I realised that the people sharing their testimonies were like me. Nothing really dramatic had happened to them. But there was a difference. They were not telling their story, they were telling His.

I thought for a long time no one would want to hear my story because it was not dramatic enough or interesting enough. You see, I was thinking about my life, the little “me”. The people that caught my attention when they shared “their” testimony, they talked about Jesus. How He had written, moulded, changed, perfected, designed their story. This was also true about Jim Elliot (actually, his wife told his story), Joni Eareckson Tada and Corrie Ten Boom. They captivated millions because they talked about Jesus.

The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:12-13:

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard^[and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. (emphasis mine)

In John 4:28-30 we read:

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,  “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”  They came out of the town and made their way toward him. (emphasis mine)

There are plenty more examples in the Bible and all of them point to how God is writing His story through people’s lives. I understood that I needed to tell the story of how Jesus changed me. How He helped me in the little things every day. How He still loved me even when I didn’t obey His commands or did the right thing. There is a song by Casting Crowns called “Make Room” and the the chorus has a line that says: “Is there room in your heart for God to write His story?” Every time I hear that song it makes me think of Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God is at work in me.

One day I was asked to share my “testimony” in church and that was the first time I sat down to think of how God was writing His story in my life. No dramatic encounters, no lightning flashing, nothing of the sort. Only the irresistible Saviour breaking down my heart of stone and giving me a new one. Showing me how much I really needed Him and that nothing I could do would bring me to Him. He had come down to Save me. When I finished reading it to myself I could not contain the tears. God is good, merciful, faithful, powerful, Saviour and He loves me. He loves me. I cannot tell my story any more because I am His. My whole life belongs to Him and His story is worth listening to.

How is Jesus writing His story in your life?

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Have you ever wondered what the point of ironing clothes is? Clothes get crinkled even before you put them in the wardrobe or fold them to go in a drawer. If you wear them immediately after ironing, still, you find crinkles. That aside, there is the standing for hours, the back that complains for days afterwards, and, I believe that the stubborn clothes multiply themselves whilst in the basket to annoy me. By now you have probably guessed that ironing is not my favourite thing in the world. I do apologise to you if ironing is your favourite job to do around the house.

I am a “perfectionist”. It is hard to admit it, but I am. When I do the ironing I spend many hours making sure each stubborn crinkled line is smoothed and eventually disappears. I can, for a brief moment, look at the ironing board and smile before turning the garment around. Even that simple gesture creates yet another line across my freshly smoothed garment. Urgh! I can feel my blood boiling and my forehead frowning and I often will speak to the garment full of anger and rebuke the ironing board and even the iron itself. Now that I think about it, it must be quite amusing to my husband and children. They must think I am losing my mind. The truth is, frustration fills me completely because I know I will not be happy until all those old and new crinkles are removed and it just means I have to work longer and harder at it.

Let me tell you a story, something that happened a few years ago. Picture the scene, if you can, in your mind: I had been ironing some clothes and after a couple of hours stopped to take them to their owners. I handed a hand full of nicely folded clothes and nicely hung school shirts to my teenage children and asked them to carefully hang them and make sure they would be placed in the correct drawers. A quick “yes mum” was the reply I got, and I left with a smile on my face. An hour later I returned to the same children and gave them more clothes and as I glanced into their bedroom, to my horror, I saw that some of those clothes that I spent hours ironing were on the floor, all ruined as if a hurricane had just flung them everywhere. I cannot even remember what crossed my mind. I believe I cried, turned bright red on my face and walked away with the tears rolling down my face in total disbelief. How could they do that? Didn’t they realise I had spent hours on my feet smoothing those horrible fitted shirts and folding the other garments so carefully, making sure they wouldn’t crinkle too much in the process… how many times I had to refill the iron with water and start over and over until I was happy the clothes looked perfect… outrageous.

As I reflect about this distressing episode I can’t stop but think of how God uses the little (sometimes not so little) mundane things we do around the house to teach us great lessons and to humble us.

In many ways we, Christians are like clothes that need to be ironed. We have all been washed by the precious blood of the Jesus and in Him and through Him we are made perfect (Ephesians 1:7; John 3:16) Thank you Jesus. As we live in this world, we need to be reshaped, stretched, ironed so we can reflect the image of the One who created us. God has started a work in us (Philippians 1:6) and it is as if He has just placed us on that ironing board and has started to smooth each little corner of our hearts.

Some clothes are extremely crinkled because they dried up in the sun or were left at the bottom of the pile for too long and the creases are deep and difficult to iron out. Some are delicate. They hardly need any heat, but they need special attention. They need to be handled carefully on the ironing board and the temperature needs to be adjusted as it is smoothed out. Some garments are in the middle of these two descriptions – they need a bit of TLC and firmness and higher temperatures.

Our hearts are also like that. Some are hardened by time and struggles with sin, unbelief and love for this world. Some are fragile and have just been introduced to Jesus but are still unsure of who He is. And some hearts are suffering, struggling with sin but are not doubting God’s goodness. They are just tired and need to be looked after, encouraged and spurred on.

God knows exactly how each and every heart needs to be treated and “ironed out” so to speak. He knows each crinkle that needs to be smoothed and He knows what temperature to use for each type of irritating line that appears. At times, the lines are too deep and He will need to spray some “water” to make the iron glide more easily. He might need to lift the garment, shake a bit, place it back on the ironing board and apply some pressure on the iron to work on those stubborn “crinkles”. Sometimes He will adjust the temperature… more heat is needed or less heat in the most delicate, already bruised areas. We might look at the iron and wish it would not touch us and we focus on its heavy, hot, steamy surface and forget about the One holding it – He has a full picture of the piece of clothing laid on the board. He can see it all. He knows what we need in each and every situation we are facing in our lives.

Most of all, God is a very patient God. He does not give up on us, or shout in frustration when we insist on holding on to stubborn crinkles (or sin). He continues to work on each heart, all the time. Every second of every day and He will not stop until the day we meet up with Him.

_{Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash}