Tag Archive for: Time
Good things take time
Self-reflection
No Room?
Pause for a moment.
Are you prepared

Preparation
A stranger here
๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐?
This week marked a significant anniversary for Monic and I.
12 months ago, we arrived in the Netherlands.
Those months have simply flown by, so incredibly fast.
We have travelled throughout Belgium and the Netherlands, visited with lots of family, reacquainted ourselves with many old friends, made many new friends from all across the world and testified of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in many towns and cities.
Yesterday, we met up with fellow Scot โ Mark Stewart, an Area Authority Seventy, as each of us fulfilled assignments to speak at The Hague Stake Conference in Zoetermeer this weekend.
Reflecting this morning, I was reminded of a scripture in Ephesians 2:19.
At the time the Apostle Paul was fearlessly traveling into lots of different lands and meeting many new people.
Writing to the members of the Church, or Saints as they were called and are called today, he reminded members of the Church of the blessings of belonging, when he told them, โYe are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.โ
What do you think of when you think of โstrangersโ or โforeignersโ?
Mark and I are both Scottish, growing up on opposite sides of the country.
Speaking last night, our mother tongue, dialect, cultural background, and lifestyle may be different from the Dutch, but we were no strangers or foreigners โ we were indeed fellowcitizens with the household of God, the Saints, here in the Netherlands.
In our day, in these turbulent times in which we live, strangers and foreigners are coming to us – daily.
We donโt have to look far. They are all around us.
Are you welcoming?
In fact, I was a stranger here not too long ago, yet I have always felt welcome here.
I know that no-one is a stranger to Jesus Christ.
In Romans 8:16-17, the Apostle Paul explains furtherโฆ
โThe Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.โ
Try as we may, we cannot separate ourselves from each other.
As children of God, we are not strangers to one another, we are all in fact brothers and sisters.
I hope that we will remember that we are all children of God and part of His family.
Have you ever felt like a stranger?
#HearHim
Be there!
Lessons from Juggling….
โCan anyone juggle?โ I asked.
A few raised their hands and I invited them forward.
I gave them three balls each and asked them to show us how.
Admittedly, they were a little rusty, but after a few attempts, the basics returned.
โWho would like to learn how to juggle?โ I asked.
A few raised their hands and I invited them forward.
I gave those who could juggle the assignment to teach those who came forward how to juggle.
The challenge – they had only two minutes to show them how.
After their time was up, the novice jugglers showed us their rudimentary skills.
The result – it wasnโt very pretty, with balls flying everywhere โ but it was great fun!
After a few attempts, one even managed to complete a cycle of three balls through the air.
The Lessons โ
- Learning takes practice.
- Growth and Development takes time.
As we grow older and develop in life, we have to learn how to juggle many responsibilities. Frequently, it can take lots of practice to get things right.
That day, I gave a new set of juggling balls to the willing learners.
Pleasingly a week later, one by one they told me of their significant improvement in their juggling skills.ย Each of them had taken time to learn the techniques of throwing and catching a ball. They had practiced with 2 balls and then ultimately juggled with 3.ย With lots of continuous practice, 4 balls wonโt be a problem either.
Learning something new?ย Donโt get too disheartened and throw in the towel too soon!
Remember, practice and time are key principles in our learning, growth and development.