Hope For Today

Dear Friends, Self-Care Photo by bruce mars from Pexels Were you aware it was National Self-Care Week this week? I only realised it myself when I was scrolling my twitter feed a few days back. But it got me thinking. What does self-care mean from a Christian's point of view, or at least from my point of view as a Christian? Should a Christian even practice self-care? Shouldn't my life be spent caring for the needs of others not taking care of number one? Well, here are some of my thoughts.  I believe that unless we first practice and incorporate self-care into our daily lives we will not be able to care for anyone else. The Bible tells us: Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘ Love your neighbour as yourself. ' Matthew 22:37-39  (NLT) Everything we have has been given to us by God and this means we have a...

Dear Friends, Jason and I have a niece who is 19 months old.  One word that she can say very clearly is "No!"  It's a word that toddlers soon learn.  Yet, for many of us, something happens in our growing up years which makes saying "No" very hard.  At least, it has been for me. Some would say that "Sorry" is the hardest word, but I have actually found the word "No" much harder! It has only been in recent years that I've been able to say "No" more.  This was once I understood why I had such difficulty with the word. I have grown up within a strong church culture where there was an emphasis on serving others.  The acronym 'J-O-Y' was often referred to when I was growing up - at least I felt that it was -  it was a constant reminder that J esus came first in my life, then O thers , and finally Y ourself .  But I was so caught up in making sure that others came before me that I actually didn't have t...

Dear Friends, Mother's Day will soon be upon us so I want to concentrate on Mothers in this post.  Mothers have such a significant role in the family and we should never underestimate the value and influence of mothers.  God knows how important the family is and he may perhaps have placed another woman in your life to be a "mother" to you, such as an older sister, an aunt, a grandmother, or someone in your church. My Mum will never be famous, she will never have her name in a "Who's Who" book, although, more significantly, her name is in God's Book of Life, just as all those who have accepted Christ as their Saviour are named in his book.  " They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life." Philippians 4:3 (NLT).  The world may never believe she has contributed anything of significance, but I know there will come the day when God will recognise her for what she has done and will say...