An idea pops in my head as I settle down behind my computer, with the late afternoon sun shining through the window over my keyboard. I see a little train taking on a steep hill, he is working hard and I hear the noise that he is making I-know-I-can-I-can-do-it-I-know-I-can-I-can-do-it rather than the normal chugga-chugga-chugga sound that a steam train makes.
I don’t know if this is now just by accident that I remember a picture from my childhood or whether I watched a story at some time with this image. But I do know that God showed it to me for a reason.
None-the-less, the sun is LOVELY here and I realise just HOW privileged I am to be right here at this very moment. This month’s scripture is also one of my favorites, from Philippians. I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.
You see, like the little train, it sometimes feels to me, and probably to others too, that I have to get on top of this massive hill called life. Along the way there are challenges, nowhere in the Bible we are exempted from a life without challenges. But, we are guaranteed that God is next to us and we can do things through Him that gives us strength.
We have to choose how we see the challenges. The road of uncertainty and with no clear footpath that we sometimes feel that we are on, uncertain of where we must go or whether we are on the right road. Or the potholes that make us move a bit slower than what we want to so that we cannot climb out the hill as quickly as we think we should.
Again this scripture is so accurate at this point in time, I cannot help but want to give God a fist pump. You see, like my previous entry stated – the dynamics in the firm has changed and things are landing up back on my desk. Sometimes I wonder if I really will be able to deal with it all and other times I just know that we will be more than ok.
God is busy showing us the way, filling our engines with coal and lighting it up so that we can get to the top of the hill. When I feel down and out about things that I must do and deal with, changes with authorities and systems that I perceive to be not so great in my opinion (if I may give an opinion at all), then I look at this scripture and I see the train.
God’s train. I am His train, as I climb the hill, with smoke coming from my engine as a sign that I am His and that His fire is burning inside of me (not pollution type of smoke – I am sure you understand what I am trying to say here). Smoke that is a sign for other engines that they must get their coal loaded, filled with God’s word and to get it lit by the Holy Spirit, so that they too can climb steep hills.
Where is your train? Do you feel like you cannot go on anymore? Do you have enough coal to burn? Maybe we should start there! You cannot run on fumes and expect get to the top of the hill. You must ensure that your engine is filled with God’s word so that the Holy Spirit can strike the match to burn the coal, turning it into energy. It is only then when Philippians 4:13 can be activated in your life, enabling you to do everything through Christ that gives you strength.
I-know-I-can-I-can-do-it-I-know-I-can-I-can-do-it I hear my engine’s efforts to get up the steep hill that I feel is lying in front of me. Maybe it is not so steep and hard? Maybe I am just not yet close enough to know that it is actually only a little speed bump. But until then I will repeat the words from scripture. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Soos wat ek hier agter my rekenaar inskuif, met die laat middag son wat deur die venster oor my sleutelbord (hoe is dit nou vir ‘n mooi Afrikaanse woord eerder as keyboard soos ons maar geneig is om die Engels in te gooi tussen die Afrikaans wanneer ons praat?) kom daar ‘n gedagte by my op.
Ek sien ‘n treintjie wat teen ‘n bult uit ry, hy stoom hard en aanhoudend en ek hoor die geluid wat hy maak Ek-weet-ek-kan-ek-kan-dit-doen-ek-weet-ek-kan-ek-kan-dit-doen eerder as die tjoekoe-tjoekoe-tjoekoe geluid wat ‘n stoomtrein gewoonlik maak. Ek weet nou nie of dit dalk per ongeluk ‘n prentjie uit my kinderdae is wat ek dalk iewers gelees het of ‘n storie gekyk het nie maar ek weet wel dat die Here dit vir my gewys het vir ‘n doel.
Nie te min, die sonnetjie is HEERLIK hier en ek besef net weer HOE bevoorreeg ek is om nou op hierdie oomblik hier te wees. Die maand se skrif is weer een van my gunstelinge uit Filippense uit. Ek is tot ALLES in staat deur Christus wat my krag gee.
Jy sien, soos die treintjie, voel dit soms vir my, en ek is seker vir ander ook, of ek hierdie moewiese bult van die lewe moet uitklim om bo uit te kom. Langs die pad is daar uitdagings, nêrens in die Bybel word ons gevrywaar van ‘n lewe sonder uitdagings nie. Maar, ons word wel gewaarborg dat God aan ons sy is, en ons goed kan doen met Hom wat ons krag gee.
Ons moet kies hoe ons die uitdagings sien. Die spoorlose pad wat ons soms voel ons moet volg, onseker oor waarheen ons moet gaan en of ons wel op die regte pad is. Of die slaggate wat maak dat ons net so effe stadiger moet ry en nie vinnig genoeg na ons sin aan die bo kant van die bult uit kom nie.
Weereens is hierdie skrif vir my op hierdie tydstip net so akkuraat, ek kan nie anders as om die Here ‘n fist pump te wil gee vir die een nie. Jy sien, soos my vorige inskrywing gelui het, weet julle seker nou dat die dinamika in die firma verander het en goed weer terug land op my tafel. Soms wonder ek of ek dit regtig alles sal kan behartig en ander kere dan weet ek net dat ons sal ok wees.
Die Here is besig om vir ons die pad te wys en die steenkool in ons enjins te sit en aan die brand te steek, sodat ons die bult wel kan uitklim en bo uit kom. Wanneer ek mismoedig raak oor alles en nog wat, wat ek moet doen en hanteer, veranderinge van owerhede, sisteme wat sommer net nie lekker is nie, in my opinie (as ek nou my opinie kan en mag gee), dan kyk ek na die skrif vers en sien ek die trein.
God se trein. Ek is Sy trein wat, soos wat ek die bult uitbeweeg, rook by my enjin laat uitkom wat ‘n teken is dat ek Syne is en dat Sy vuur in my brand (nou nie lugbesoedeling tipe rook nie – ek is seker julle verstaan wat ek bedoel). Rook wolke wat ‘n sein vir ander treintjies stuur om hul steenkool gelaai te kry, opgevul met God se woord en aan die brand te kry, deur die Heilige Gees, sodat hulle ook hulle bulte kan uitklim.
Waar staan jou treintjie? Voel jy of jy nie meer kan nie? Het jy genoeg steenkool om te brand? Miskien moet ons daar begin! Jy kan nie op fumes hardloop en die bult uitkom nie. Jy moet sorg dat jou enjin met God se woord opgevul is, sodat die Heilige Gees die vuurhoutjie kan brand wat die steenkool laat verander in energie. Dis slegs dan wat Filippense 4:13 geaktiveer kan word in jou lewe en jy in staat is om alles te doen deur Christus wat jou krag gee.
Ek-weet-ek-kan-ek-kan-dit-doen-ek-weet-ek-kan-ek-kan-dit-doen hoor ek my enjin kreun teen die stywe bult wat ek voel voor my lê. Miskien is hy nie so styf en styl nie? Miskien is ek net nog nie naby genoeg om te weet dat dit eintlik net ‘n klein hoogtetjie is nie. Maar tot dan gaan ek die skrif vers herhaal. Ek is tot alles in staat deur Christus wat my krag gee.
We all know that there are different seasons and that they all come to an end while moving over to the next one. Not just physical seasons like summer, winter, autumn and spring. No. Emotional and spiritual seasons too.
As it is written in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time for everything. I think Solomon thought DEEP about things and managed to capture it in words so that we can read it decades and generations later. When I was younger, many of the things he wrote did not make sense to me at all.
But now that I have come of age (how is that for a fancy way of speaking English?) and am perhaps a bit wiser, and I also believe the closer I move to God, many more things start to make sense to me. You see, when you are young, you believe so many lies. Like that 40 is so far away. People that have been out of school for 24 years are old. And that life will stay the same for ever.
Well then. At age 41 I know that 40 is much closer as what I could ever imagine and that 50 is just a nudge away it feels. I AM now part of the people that have been out of school for 24 years, I do not feel ancient, so that statement cannot be true.
The biggest lie that exists is, is that life will stay the same for ever. This is actually two lies caught up into one. Firstly, nothing in life stays the same and secondly no one lives for ever.
So what am I actually trying to say with all my philosophical sayings and thoughts? Well, today, a curve ball was bowled my way and now I must play the shot. I hope I will be able to hit it for a 6, but, I will only know later and not as quickly as one normally knows in a 20/20 cricket match.
You see, the dynamics in our firm is changing. My little sister, the sister from another mister, the trainee (who has not been a trainee for a long time) has to spread her wings. She is ready to leave the nest. To leave footprints of light in the world.
I truly hope that she charged enough with us, not that we are the main source of energy and light. But I believe that we were (and are) like one of the stations where you can recharge your vehicle (the electronic type) to take you further on your journey.
I believe that we are plugged into the Main Source, namely God, and that we managed to carry out His message as we went about working. We laughed a lot, cried a bit less and many times out of frustrations about circumstances that are beyond our control, just looked at each other, shaking our heads and moved on with what needed to be done.
I mean, what employer asks a friend of the bride if she works with her (that while she was working with me)? We still laugh about that extreme blonde moment that I had. But that is how I saw her – rather a little sister or friend than an employee.
I pray that we equipped her with the knowledge the world expects her to have i.t.o. her training and qualification. That she will be more than a gain for any employer. Was it not Richard Branson that had this awesome quote?
Train people well enough so they can leave.Treat them well enough so they do not want to. I truly hope that we got the first part of the quote right and that the reason for her leaving is not due to us abusing and mistreating her.
Maréchelle, you will be missed. I saw you grow up in front of my eyes. From a shy 21 year old girl, to a confident woman and mother with knowledge and wisdom. Stay the person who you are. Make deep impressions in other people’s hearts like you did in ours. Most important of all – let your light shine, as brightly as it possibly can.
With sadness (I could not find the appropriate word for heimweë in English – all I could find is homesickness and that seems to be the wrong word to use) we are now watching how the little bird is ready to leave the nest and spread her wings. We said our goodbyes and cried our tears today. Lynette Berger of Probeta and EI Activator said that someone once told her Jump but build your wings on the way down. There is never a right time in ones life. You must just trust God with the decisions that you have made. Maréchelle, may your wings be built as you take this leap of faith. We are rooting for you from the sidelines!
Ons almal weet daar is verskillende seisoene en dat hulle tot ‘n einde kom en oorgaan in ‘n volgende een. Nie net fisiese seisoene soos somer, winter, herfs en lente nie. Nee. Emosionele en geestelike seisoene ook.
Soos wat dit in Prediker 3 uiteengesit is, dink ek Salomo het DIEP gedink oor goed en dit neergepen vir ons om dekades en generasies later te kan lees. Toe ek jonger was, het baie goed wat hy geskryf het glad nie sin gemaak nie.
Maar noudat ek ouer word, dalk wyser ook en ek glo soos wat ek nader aan God beweeg, begin soveel meer goed vir my sin maak. Jy sien, as jy jonk is, glo jy ‘n paar onwaarhede. Soos dat 40 ongelooflik ver is. Mense wat 24 jaar terug in matriek was stokoud is. En dat die lewe dieselfde gaan bly vir ewig.
Nou ja. Op 41 weet ek dat 40 baie nader is as wat ek ooit kon dink en dat 50 ‘n katspoegie ver is, voel dit vir my. Ek IS nou deel van die mense wat 24 jaar gelede gematrikuleer het, ek voel nie stokoud nie, so daardie stelling kan ook nie waar wees nie.
Die grootste onwaarheid wat daar bestaan, is dat die lewe dieselfde gaan bly vir ewig. Dis eintlik twee onwaarhede vervat in een. Eerstens bly die lewe nie dieselfde nie en tweedens niemand leef vir ewig nie.
Wat probeer ek nou eintlik sê met al my filosofiese oordenkinge? Wel, vandag is ‘n curve ball my kant toe geboul en nou moet ek die hou speel. Ek hoop ek slaan hom vir ‘n 6, maar ek sal eers later weet, nie nou al en so vinnig soos in ‘n 20/20 krieketwedstryd nie.
Jy sien, die dinamika in ons firma gaan verander. My klein sussie, sister from another mister, die klerk (wat lankal nie meer ‘n klerk is nie) se vlerke moet gesprei word. Sy is reg om die nes te verlaat. Haar ligspore te saai in die wêreld in.
Ek hoop sy het genoeg gelaai by ons, nie dat ons die hoofbron van energie en lig is nie. Maar ek glo ons was (en is) soos een van die stasies waar jy jou kar kan herlaai (die elektroniese soort) om jou verder te vat na die volgende deel van jou reis.
Ek glo dat ons wel ingeprop is by die Hoofbron, God en dat ons wel Sy boodskap en wil kon oordra soos wat ons gewerk het. Ons het baie gelag, minder gehuil en baie uit frustrasie met omstandighede buite ons beheer net vir mekaar gekyk en aan beweeg met dit wat ons moes doen.
Ek meen, watter werkgewer vra op haar kombuistee vir ‘n vriendin van die bruid of sy saam met haar werk (terwyl sy saam met my gewerk het)? Ons lag nou nog oor my dowwe oomblik wat ek gehad het. Maar dis hoe ek haar gesien het – eerder as ‘n kleinsussie of vriendin as ‘n werknemer.
Ek bid dat ons haar toegerus het met die wêreldse kennis wat sy kon opdoen i.t.v. haar opleiding en kwalifikasie. Dat sy meer as net ‘n aanwins kan wees vir enige werkgewer. Was dit nie Richard Branson wat hierdie awesome quote gehad het nie?
Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so that they do not want to. Ek hoop regtig dat ons die eerste deel van die quote wel aan voldoen het en dat die rede vir die weggaan nie is weens ons mishandeling nie.
Maréchelle, jy gaan gemis word. Ek het jou sien grootword voor my oë. Van ‘n skaam onseker 21 jarige dogtertjie voel dit vir my tot ‘n volwaardige vrou en mamma met selfvertroue, kennis en wysheid. Bly die persoon wie jy is. Trap diep spore in ander se harte soos jy in ons harte getrap het. Belangrikste van alles – laat jou lig skyn, so helder as wat hy kan skyn.
Met heimweë kyk ons nou hoe die babavoëltjie reg is om haar vlerke te sprei. Ons het ons groete gegroet en huile gehuil vandag. Lynette Berger van Probeta en EI Activator het gesê dat iemand vir haar gesê het Jump but build your wings on the way down. Daar is nooit ‘n regte tyd in mens se lewe nie. Jy moet net die Here vertrou vir besluite wat jy geneem het. Maréchelle, mag jou vlerke gebou word soos wat jy die sprong neem! We are rooting for you from the sidelines!
It is 19 June – Father’s day 2022. We are, yet AGAIN late for church. And it is not because we planned it like this or slept until ten past nine. No, that is just how our morning worked out to be. We are working hard at being on time, but it is something that we just cannot achieve at this stage it seems.
At one stage while we are driving to the church, it just felt like we are not getting there while the time is just passing by. Time and tide waits for no man is what went through my mind at that stage. I have been thinking about that saying for a few days now and realised just how true it really is.
At one stage I almost even gave up hope of getting to church. Almost thought that we are going to do something else rather than to attend church. But luckily, we arrived. Rather late than never.
The guest speaker, Alan Sutton takes the stand on the stage. I hang onto every word that this oom is saying (uncle just sounds wrong because to me he is an oom like we refer to elder men in Afrikaans), because, inside me, it is as if that which I have been feeling for such a long time, has been put into words even better than what I could ever tell. He brings together two things that I never thought of in this manner.
Gifts of the spirit and fruits of the spirit. He continues to explain that the Holy Spirit works IN you and then THROUGH you. I hope I remembered correctly, but working IN you is the fruit of the Spirit. You know – the scripture in Galatians where it talks about love, patience, those things that I did not display in the early morning hours this past weekend, when my son, who struggled to sleep again, came to me for help. I was Momster AGAIN.
None the less. Then the Holy Spirit works THROUGH you and this is where the gifts of the Spirit come in. The word of knowledge, speaking in tongues, those things. The stuff that I always thought, growing up, was only available to the people from the Bible and more so, only the disciples and not for us living in modern times.
As he was talking, I suddenly, randomly and out of nowhere, saw a Prism. You know – the one we used at school in Science? The one where you shine the white light in and it breaks it up into the seven colours of the rainbow. That Prism.
I realised that God used this vision, if I can refer to it as such, to show me even better what the oom means. You see, you must first allow the Holy Spirit to work IN you (God’s pure white light shining INTO the Prism) and then He can work THROUGH you (the rainbow colors that is reflected from the Prism). The rainbow colors shows to the world the beauty of God – and the rainbow is God’s promise to us is it not?
We must be light bearers in this dark world. And we must show the world the fruit of the Spirit. Every day, not only Sundays. In everything that we do. This is something that I stand for and what God showed me years ago already. Something I strive for on a daily basis. Something that Kobus Windt, our pastor, also says quite often – sleeping in a garage does not make you a car. In the same manner you cannot be a proper Christian if you only go to church on a Sunday and only act like a Christian on selected times.
I grasp almost immediately what the oom meant and wonder if everyone listening to him really grasped it? You see, something else that I stand for is Righteousness. To ALWAYS do the right thing, even if no one is watching.
This is the symbolic meaning of the Beroepsvrou aprons – the breastplate of Righteousness, when you serve your family while preparing the meals that must feed everyone physically (but also spiritually). You see, I recon you must first get this concept right with those closest to you, before you can show it to the world.
It is not always easy. Like this past weekend’s Momster that came out in me. You see, the moment that my children, that are big and supposed to sleep through, prevent me from sleeping or wake me up just as I had fallen asleep, then Momster comes out sometimes. I sometimes struggle to sleep, if you were wondering why this is such an issue to me. These days the struggle is less than what it used to be in the past. I try my utmost best to be patient in the middle of the night and many times I do get that part right. But, there is the exception to the rule, when I am extremely tired and slept terrible a few nights before, that I fail in this.
To get back to the oom’s message – there are some other things that he said that caught my attention, with scripture, that I want to blog about. And that is God’s breath in our lungs and looking for God in everything (God is in the detail). I am therefore not going to expand on this right now, I will keep that for another entry or two. Because I cannot remember if I have written about this yet? You see, I write as much as what I talk and I talk as much as what I write, I cannot always remember what were mere thoughts and what were words spoken or written.
The long and the short of the message and that which God showed me – are you going to be a prism for Him so that He can use you to expand His kingdom? Are you going to allow His light to shine in and through you so that you can reflect to the world the colours of the rainbow?
I know I am there – more than prepared to be a prism for God’s kingdom. Hundred and ten percent. I am all in for God and His kingdom. Every time I hear the song from Matthew West called All in then I think, I recon I am all in. Boots and all. I want to shout from the rooftops that I am His, like the song from Kim Walker called Rooftops.
It is strange to me that everyone does not feel like I feel. It is then so obvious and logical. I recon God is busy getting everyone’s prisms ready and perhaps why they do not feel quite as passionate yet as what I do.
Some are not in the correct spot where the light shines on it and comes in at the right angle. They are close but not there. Other prisms are still in their boxes that they came in, or perhaps they even placed God in a box, so that the light cannot reach them.
Where does your prism stand? Are you in a place where you can receive God’s light? Have you taken God out of the box you have tried to place Him in? Do you allow Him to work IN you so that He can work THROUGH you? What does your fruits of the Spirit look like and your Spiritual gifts? Are you doing what God placed you on earth to do?
I hope and believe that I do! I don’t always get it right, but I believe that my prism is standing ready to receive God’s light to reflect it back to the world, so that He can work IN me and then THROUGH me as and when needed!
Dis19 Junie – Vadersdag 2022. Ons is ALWEER laat vir kerk. En nie omdat ons dit so beplan het of tot tien oor nege geslaap het nie. Nee, dit het net so uitgewerk. Ons werk hard aan betyds wees maar dit voel my dis iets wat ons ontglip die heeltyd.
Op ‘n stadium toe ons ry, voel dit of ons net nie by die kerk kom nie, dit alles terwyl die tyd net aanstap. Time and tide waits for no man dink ek. Ek dink al ‘n paar dae aan die gesegde en besef net hoe waar dit eintlik is.
Op ‘n kol het ek amper moed opgegee om by die kerk uit te kom. Amper gedink ons gaan maar iets anders doen eerder as kerk toe gaan. Maar gelukkig kom ons daar aan. Liewers laat as nooit.
Die gasspreker, Alan Sutton kom aan die woord. Ek hang aan die oom se lippe want dis asof dit wat ek binne my voel, in nog beter woorde omskep word as wat ek ooit dit sou kon vertel. Hy bring vir my twee goed bymekaar, iets wat ek nooit saam aan gedink het nie.
Geestelike gawes en Vrug van die Gees. Hy gaan voort om te verduidelik dat die Heilige Gees IN jou werk en dan DEUR jou werk. Ek hoop nou ek het reg onthou, maar IN jou werk is die Vrug van die Gees. Jy weet die skrif wat in Galasiërs staan – liefde, lankmoedigheid, daai goed wat ek die afgelope naweek in die vroeë oggend ure, toe my seun weer nie kon slaap nie, glad nie gewys het vir hom nie. Ek was Momster gewees.
Nie te min. Dan werk die Heilige Gees DEUR jou en dis waar die Gawes van die Gees in kom. Die woord van kennis, profesie, tale, uitleg van tale – daai goed. Die goed wat ek altyd, toe ek groot geword het, gedink het NET beskore was vir die mense van die Bybel, en meer nog NET vir die dissipels en nie vir ons hedendaagse mense nie.
Soos die oom praat begin ek skielik (en randomly out of nowhere voel dit vir my) ‘n Prisma sien voor my. Jy weet – die wat ons op skool in Wetenskap gebruik het? Die een wat jy die wit lig laat inskyn het en hy dit opbreek in die sewe kleure van die reënboog.
Ek besef die Here gebruik die visioen, as ek dit nou so kan noem, om vir my nog meer te wys wat die oom bedoel. Jy sien, jy moet eers toelaat dat die Heilige Gees IN jou werk (God se suiwer wit lig wat IN die Prisma skyn) en dan kan Hy DEUR jou werk (die reënboog kleure wat uitkom uit die Prisma uit). Die reënboog kleure wys vir die wêreld die mooi van God – en die reënboog is mos God se belofte aan ons as mens, is dit dan nie?
Ons moet mos ligdraers wees in hierdie donker wêreld. En ons moet vir die wêreld wys dat ons Vrug van die Gees het. Elke dag, nie net Sondae nie. In alles wat ons doen altyd. Dis iets waarvoor ek staan en wat die Here jare terug reeds vir my gewys het. Waarna ek streef elke dag. Iets wat Kobus Windt, ons pastoor, ook gereeld sê – as jy in ‘n garage slaap maak dit jou nie ‘n kar nie. Net so is jy nie ‘n volwaardige Christen as jy kerk toe gaan en slegs op selektiewe tye Christenskap beoefen nie.
Ek snap amper dadelik wat die oom bedoel en wonder net of almal wat na hom luister dit werklik snap. Jy sien, nog iets waarvoor ek staan is Geregtigheid of Righteousness soos dit net vir my mooier klink in Engels. Om ALTYD die regte ding te doen al kyk niemand nie.
Dit waarvoor Beroepsvrou se voorskote simbolies is – die borsharnas van geregtigheid wanneer jy in bediening staan vir jou gesin met die voorbereiding van die maaltyd wat hulle moet voed (fisies en geestelik ook). Jy sien, ek reken jy moet eers dit met jou naaste mense mee regkry voor jy dit vir die wêreld kan gaan wys.
Dis nie altyd maklik nie. Soos ek wat die afgelope naweek ALWEER Momster was. Jy sien die oomblik dat my kinders, wat nou al groot is en veronderstel is om deur te slaap, my verhoed om te slaap of uit die slaap hou, kom Momster soms uit. Ek sukkel meeste van die kere om te slaap, as jy gewonder het hoekom ek na dit verwys. Deesdae slaap ek beter as voorheen. Iets waaroor ek dankbaar is! Ek probeer my bes om geduld in die middel van die nag te beoefen en baie keer kry ek dit reg. Maar daar is die uitsondering op die reël, wanneer ek besonders moeg is en baie sleg geslaap het dat ek vaal hierin.
Om terug te kom na die oom se boodskap toe – daar is nog iets wat hy gesê het wat my aandag gevang het en skrif wat hy genoem het waaroor ek lankal wil blog. En dit is God se asem in ons longe en om die Here te soek in alles (God is in die detail). Ek gaan dus nie nou hieroor nog verder uitbrei nie, ek gaan dit hou vir ‘n ander inskrywing of twee. Want ek kan ook nie onthou of ek al oor so iets geskryf het nie? Ek skryf so baie soos wat ek praat en praat so baie as wat ek skryf, ek kan nie altyd onthou wat was gedagtes en wat was werklik geuiter of geskryf nie.
Die lang en die kort van die oom se boodskap en dit wat die Here vir my gewys het – gaan jy ‘n Prisma wees vir Hom sodat Hy jou kan gebruik om Sy koninkryk uit te brei? Gaan jy toelaat dat Sy lig in jou skyn sodat jy dit kan terug reflekteer vir die wêreld in die kleure van die reënboog?
Ek weet ek is daar – meer as bereid om die prisma vir God se koninkryk te wees. Honderd en tien persent. I am all in vir God en Sy koninkryk. Elke keer as ek die liedjie van Matthew West hoor All in dan dink ek, dat ek reken ek is all in. Boots and all. Ek wil van die dakke af skree vir die wêreld dat ek Syne is soos Kim Walker sing in haar liedjie Rooftops.
Dis vir my vreemd dat almal nie voel soos ek voel nie. Dis dan so logies, eenvoudig en voor die hand liggend (moes daar nou ‘n handvol koppeltekens ingekom het in die laaste woord of stelling?). Nie te min. Ek reken die Here is besig om almal se prisma’s reg te kry en miskien daarom dat hulle nie noodwendig passievol oorkom vir Sy koninkryk nie.
Sommige staan nog nie op die plek waar die lig skyn en op die regte plek val nie. Hulle is naby maar nog nie daar nie. Ander prisma’s is nog al die pad in hul boksies waarin hulle hulself, of dalk selfs God, geplaas het dat die lig net nie hulle bereik nie.
Waar staan jou prisma? Vang jy God se lig op? Het jy al die Here uit die boksie gehaal waarin jy Hom probeer plaas? Laat jy Hom toe om IN jou te werk sodat Hy DEUR jou kan werk ook? Hoe lyk jou Vrug van die Gees en jou Geestelike gawes? Doen jy waarvoor God jou op aarde geplaas het?
Ek hoop en glo dat ek doen. Ekkry dit nie altyd reg nie maar ek glo dat my Prisma regstaan om God se lig terug te weerkaats vir die wêreld, sodat Hy IN my kan werk en dan DEUR my werk soos en wanneer dit nodig is!
Waking up on Monday morning, I feel exhausted, like usual, dragging myself to sit behind the computer to do my work. I struggle to get going. I feel overwhelmed by everything that must happen. Mondays in particular feel short to me. I normally struggle to get into a working mode after a weekend and sometimes I need a weekend after the weekend to just recover from being busy the two preceding days.
While doing my make up, I feel the thoughts moving through my mind and it feels like 1 million things all at once. When is my own hair going to be nice and thick and long like it was before the Pandemic (and maybe even before my mom’s death)? When will I be able to walk into a shop and buy a denim and know that it fits? Without it looking like I jumped from the top of the cupboard to fit into the pants? Why do I write a Blog? Do people really benefit from it? Do I spend enough time with God?
What is on my planning in terms of work for today and the week ahead? Have I REALLY lost weight and centimeters? Is everyone not lying to me? I still cannot find a denim that fits! The joys of being an A-shaped body type. What if all the coffee I have been consuming is actually making me fatter and is busy working against all the exercising? Oh my word, I have eaten A LOT of rusks the past few weeks!!!! I am going to be bloated like a piece of dough….
Do I spend enough time with my kids? Is my child studying enough for school? Are we not supposed to do something more to help him? My word, I suppose I have to wash my hair again, my scalp is itchy. I work out in my mind about washing hair (yes, really, it needs planning too it feels). I am exercising today and Wednesday so it does not help to wash it today or before Wednesday. My day is short today! What am I getting my husband for his birthday? I miss my mom. I wonder about my two sisters and if they have settled in, living happily ever after. I think it will be nice to move. Or will it? Urgh, who is going to do the sorting and throwing away of stuff? We have gathered junk over time that was just supposed to be thrown away to begin with!!
More and more thoughts are just going through my mind, occupying me while getting ready to tackle the day ahead. It frustrates me to do make up daily. Even if it is the bare minimum, it feels like it wastes time. But I do not like going without make up, feeling pale. I like dressing up, making myself look pretty with make up. It frustrates me even more spending so much time blow drying my hair. It also feels like a waste of time, but I look like a lion that stuck its finger into a plug if I do not make it look pretty.
I realise that there is a bit of a cloud hanging over me, something that does not happen that often in comparison with my younger years. I am not sure what the name of the cloud is, but I sense it. I proceed, doing my thing for the day. I get dressed for exercise, travel to Harties, elated to see that I have a training buddy in the Mom’s class. Something that I have not had for about 6 weeks. Or is it 8 weeks? The time flies so quickly I cannot keep count any more.
For 6 (or 8) weeks or how long ever it may be, I have been exercising alone. My fellow moms in the Moms’ class have all disappeared. Just like that, poof and in the blink of an eye, after the April holidays, it was just me. I wonder if the raptures have taken place when it comes to exercising? Am I the only one that did not make the cut for the exercise raptures? There was someone else once or twice during this time, but she decided to stop the class in the time slot that we exercise. She always has work meetings that do not keep to the scheduled time and then she misses class.
In these 6 to 8 weeks that I had been exercising alone, I wanted to give up many times. Stop exercising. I worked out in my mind that I spend 2 hours a week travelling to exercise. I am sure I can do more in that time at home, maybe even exercise for longer. Yeah right I answer myself in the process. It is no fun exercising alone. My kids are not there (their class is closed until August), all my fellow moms are gone, it is just me and the trainer. There is nothing wrong with her. I just do not know her. And she does not know me. The first exercise that she made me do, I thought Seriously, must I pick up weights this light? I can do heavier.
I then tell her that she is welcome to push me a bit harder to exercise more and use heavier weights – I will say something if I cannot do it. I understand that she has no idea where my fitness levels are and what I am capable of and hence the reason for starting with such light weights. As the time passes, I got used to exercising on my own, I even started to enjoy it. I never experienced personal training before in my life and it was actually very nice! A small little blessing from God’s hand, just so that I can say on my CV one day – received personal training (not that I put stuff like that on a CV but I am sure that you understand what I mean). I don’t even have a CV. Anyway MOVING ON!
It was as if she was customising the exercises for me and all my problem areas! She forced me to jog. The first few times I gave her a bit of lip, because I do not like jogging at all. But I do it anyway. I actually start enjoying it – still not CRAZY about it but I know it does something for the goal I am working towards. Sometimes I cannot put one foot in front of the other after one round’s exercise, but the jogging is nice some how in a weird and unique way. To clean your head some how and to just recover from the hard work during the WOD.
Monday, after the exercise session, I am measured. Again I am sweating in strange places, like I have been doing since I started my personal training (unwillingly). Marisa was so excited after taking my first measurement – around my waist. I lost 8 centimeters! I look at her and think she must be joking. She pinches and measures me in weird places whose names I cannot pronounce, writing it all down. I can feel how the cloud that was hanging around my head is lifting away – was I subconsciously nervous about the measurements and that I would deliver no results?
Today, Thursday 16 June 2022, I received my results. A total of 23,5 cm was lost (that is if I doubled the right results – because I have two legs and arms and only one of each was measured). Really? Can it be? I did not purposefully take on a weight loss challenge. I mean, I have been exercising with the purpose of losing weight, but in the 2 years I have been doing so, I have not really lost any weight or centimeters, in my opinion. I really thought I was going to be one of those people who is now exercising only to not put on more weight. I will stay Dik-a-licious as my husband often jokes with me, singing parts of the song by Snotkop, trying to lift my mood if I feel down about my weight.
With a grateful and thankful heart, I designed something to show the results better so that one can see where I have lost what. I am sharing it with this entry. I also went to count how many weeks it was since my last measurement. It was 7 and a half weeks ago that I measured and officially started training with Marisa. Just between us – I have never in my life done anything like this, measuring myself and then comparing results later. It is all a new concept to me. In this time I also did not exercise 2x per week every week, due to public holidays, a sore throat, swine flu, bronchitis and who knows what was standing between Marisa and I exercising.
I am convinced in my heart that, if I had eaten better and exercised 2x per week in that time, the results would have been even better. I am super excited about the journey that lies ahead. Eventually I feel like I am on the right road. I still drink my coffee, full cream milk coffee nogal and more than one per day. I cut back on the number of cups per day, as well as taking in starch during the week and empty calories in the form of chocolates, salty snacks, chips and so forth. I must now just work purposefully at my rusks intake. Good golly miss Molly, I just LOVE rusks with a lovely full cream milk coffee!
I don’t think I am THERE when it comes to food. I know I can do better. With God’s help and guidance, I can do even better. But, in my heart I feel that I must make small changes over a period of time, lifestyle changes you know? Rather than one massive change all at once. I just cannot cope with too much change at once. Every day’s little bit every single day.
Exercising twice per week for longer times does deliver good results! I cannot exercise five days in the week, as I really would like to do! As I close off here, I realise that God gave me one of my heart’s desires without me nagging Him for it day in and day out. A few years ago, I looked with puppy dog eyes, at a friend’s post on Facebook about her weight loss results, the photo of the big T-shirt vs the size she wore at that time (and still does), probably while I was munching away at another piece of rusk and not exercising at all.
I look at the title for this entry and laugh by myself. I recon I wrote about everything in between too. I realise again that God is in the detail, as usual. He knows what He plans for us. Plans of prosperity. Even if it is something as small and insignificant like becoming fitter, losing weight and becoming firmer. Something I always said that I will do ONE DAY. Well, my ONE DAY has arrived and it was also because I did something purposefully about it. I did not continue to moan and groan with a chocolate in one hand and a Coke in the other hand, all the time while not exercising.
Maandagoggend staan ek op. Moeg, soos altyd voel dit, en sleep weer myself om te gaan sit voor die rekenaar. Ek sukkel om aan die gang te kom. Voel oorweldig deur als wat moet gebeur. Veral Maandae voel vir my kort. Ek sukkel gewoonlik na ‘n naweek om weer te werk en soms kort ek ‘n naweek na ‘n naweek om te recover van die besig wees die twee dae voor dit.
Terwyl ek my grimering doen gaan daar, wat voel soos 1 miljoen goed, deur my gedagtes alles op dieselfde tyd. Wanneer gaan my eie hare nou lekker dik en lank wees soos wat dit was voor die Pandemie (en dalk nog voor my ma se dood)? Wanneer gaan ek weer by ‘n winkel kan instap en net ‘n denim koop en weet hy pas? Sonder dat dit lyk of ek van die kas af ingespring het om in die broek te pas? Hoekom skryf ek ‘n Blog? Baat mense by dit? Spandeer ek genoeg tyd saam met God?
Wat is op my beplanning i.t.v. werk vir vandag en die week wat voorlê? Het ek REGTIG gewig en sentimeters verloor? Jok almal nie vir my nie? Ek kry dan steeds nie ‘n denim wat lekker pas nie. The joys of being an A-shaped body type. Wat as al die koffie wat ek so lekker aan weglê in die winter my eintlik vetter maak en teen al die oefening werk? O genade, ek het BAIE beskuit geëet die afgelope ruk!!! Ek gaan soos ‘n stuk deeg begin uit rys…
Spandeer ek genoeg tyd aan my kinders? Leer my kind genoeg vir skool? Moet ons nie nog iets doen om hom te help nie? Jitte, ek moet seker weer een of ander tyd my hare was, my kopvel jeuk. Ek werk uit in my kop oor die hare was (ja regtig dit kort ook beplanning voel dit vir my). Ek oefen vandag en Woensdag so dit help nie om dit vandag of voor Woensdag te was nie. My dag is kort vandag! Wat gaan ek vir my man kry vir sy verjaarsdag? Ek mis my ma. Ek wonder oor my twee susters en of hulle nou lekker bly. Ek dink dit sal lekker wees om te trek. Of sal dit? Urgh, wie gaan al die uitsorteer en wegsmyt werk doen? Ons gaar dan goed op wat eintlik lankal weggegooi moes wees!!
So gaan daar net nog meer en meer gedagtes deur my en okkupeer my terwyl ek klaar maak om die dag aan te pak. Dit frustreer my om elke dag te moet grimering doen, al is dit net die minimum, dit voel of dit tyd mors. Maar ek loop nie graag sonder grimering nie, ek hou nie van vaal voel nie. Ek hou van mooi maak. Dit frustreer my nog meer om so baie tyd te spandeer om hare droog te blaas. Dit mors ook tyd maar ek lyk soos ‘n leeu wat sy vinger in ‘n prop gedruk het as ek nie dit netjies maak nie.
Ek besef daar hang ‘n effense wolk oor my, iets wat redelik min deesdae gebeur in vergelyking met toe ek jonger was. Ek kan nie vir jou sê wat is die wolk se naam nie, maar hy is daar. Ek gaan aan en werk en doen my ding. Trek aan om te gaan oefen, ry Harties toe, verheug om weer ‘n metgesel in die Mom’s class te hê. Iets wat ek 6 weke laas gehad het. Of is dit nou 8 weke? Die tyd vlieg so verby ek hou nie meer tred nie.
Vir 6 (of 8) weke of hoe lank ookal dit mag wees, oefen ek alleen. My mede moms in die Moms’ class het almal net verdwyn. Net so poof in ‘n oogwink, na die April vakansie, toe is dit net ek. Ek wonder of die wegraping gebeur het wat oefen betref? Is ek die enigste een wat nie die cut gemaak het vir die wegraping nie? Daar was so een of twee keer iemand anders, maar sy het maar besluit om op te hou oefen op die tyd wat ons doen, want sy het altyd werksvergaderings wat gewoonlik nie by hul tyd hou nie en dan mis sy klas.
In hierdie 6 tot 8 weke wat ek alleen geoefen het, wou ek al baie keer moed opgee. Ophou oefen. Ek werk in my kop uit dat ek 2 ure per week spandeer om heen en weer te ry om te oefen. Ek is seker ek kan baie meer in daardie tyd by die huis doen, dalk nog langer self oefen. Yeah right antwoord ek myself in die proses ook. Dis nie lekker om alleen te oefen nie. My kinders is nie daar nie (hul klas is toe tot Augustus toe), al my mede moms is weg, dis net ek en die afrigter. Daar is niks fout met haar nie. Ek ken haar net nie. En sy ken my nie. Die eerste oefening wat sy my laat doen het, het ek gedink Seriously, moet ek nou sulke ligte gewigte optel? Ek kan swaarder.
Ek sê maar toe vir haar dat sy welkom is om my te druk om meer en swaarder te oefen – ek sal sê as ek nie kan nie. Ek verstaan sy het nie ‘n idee waar my fiksheidsvlak is en waartoe ek in staat is nie en daarom dat ons so lig begin het. Soos wat die tyd aangaan, het ek begin gewoond raak aan die alleen oefen, dit eintlik begin geniet. Ek het nog nooit personal training beleef in my lewe nie, en dit was heerlik gewees! So ‘n ou blessing uit God se hand, net sodat ek ook eendag op my CV kan skryf – received personal training (nie dat ek nou sulke goed op ‘n CV skryf nie maar ek is seker jy verstaan wat ek bedoel). Ek het nie eens ‘n CV nie. Anyway MOVING ON!
Dit was asof sy die oefeninge customise vir my en al my probleem areas! Sy forseer my om te draf. Die eerste paar keer gee ek haar so bietjie lip want ek hou niks van draf nie. Maar ek doen dit tog. Ek begin dit eintlik geniet, die drawwery nou – steeds nie MAL oor dit nie maar ek weet dit doen iets vir die doel waarheen ek werk. Al kan ek soms nie een tree voor die ander gee na ‘n rondte se oefening nie, is die draf lekker op ‘n unieke manier. Om kop te kan skoonmaak op ‘n manier en net recover na die harde werk in die WOD.
Na die oefening Maandag, word ek gemeet. Ek sweet alweer op vreemde plekke, soos wat ek gedoen het sedert ek personal training onwillekeurig ontvang het. Marisa is so opgewonde toe sy my eerste mate neem – om my middel. Ek het 8 sentimeter verloor! Ek kyk so na haar en dink eers sy maak ‘n grap. Sy knyp en meet verder op weird plekke wie se name ek nie kan uitspreek nie en skryf alles neer. Ek voel hoe die wolkie begin lig wat oor my kop gehang het – was ek die heeltyd, onbewustelik nervous oor my meting en dat ek eintlik niks sou verloor nie?
Ek ontvang vandag, Donderdag 16 Junie 2022 die resultate. ‘n Totaal van 23,5 cm wat verloor is (dis nou bygesê as ek die regte resultate verdubbel het want ek het twee arms en bene en net een van elk was gemeet). Regtig? Kan dit wees? Ek het dan regtig nie doelbewus ‘n gewigsverlies ding aangepak nie. Ek meen, ek oefen omdat ek graag maerder wil word maar omdat ek vir 2 jaar eintlik nie regtig in my opinie sentimeters of gewig verloor het nie, het ek begin dink ek is maar dan een van daai mense wat maar net oefen om nie dikker te word nie. Ek sal maar Dik-a-licious bly soos my man soms grap en die liedjie van Snotkop sing om my op te beur as ek mismoedig voel oor my gewig.
Met ‘n dankbare hart het ek ‘n ietsie ontwerp om die twee resultate teen mekaar af te speel sodat mens nog beter kan sien waar ek wat verloor het. Ek deel dit graag met hierdie inskrywing. Ek het ook gaan tel oor hoeveel weke dit was sedert my eerste meting tot die afgelope week. Dit was 7 en ‘n halwe weke terug dat ek gemeet het en amptelik by Marisa begin oefen het. Net so tussen ons – ek het nog nooit in my lewe gemeet soos wat sy my gemeet het nie – dis alles ‘n nuwe konsep vir my. In die tyd het ek nie altyd 2x per week geoefen nie a.g.v. vakansie dae en ‘n seer keel, varkgriep, bronchitus en wie weet wat nog wat ons terug gehou het sodat ek en Marisa nie kon oefen nie.
Ek is in my hart oortuig, as ek beter geëet het en 2x per week geoefen het in die tyd, dat die resultate nog meer sou wees. Ek is super opgewonde vir die reis wat voorlê. Uiteindelik voel dit vir my of ek op die regte pad is. Ek drink steeds my koffie, ‘n volroom melkkoffie nogal en meer as een per dag. Ek het wel gesny op dit, stysel inname in die week en leë kalorieë in die vorm van sjokolades, sout happies, skyfies, en so meer. Ek moet nou net weer doelbewus werk aan my beskuit inname. Liewe hemel maar ek is lief vir beskuit saam met ‘n heerlike volroom melkkoffie!
Ek dink nie ek is al DAAR wat kos aanbetref nie! Ek weet ek kan beter. Met die Here se hulp en leiding kan ek verseker nog meer verbeter. Maar, ek voel in my hart dat ek klein veranderinge moet doen oor ‘n tydperk, lifestyle changes jy weet? Eerder as massiewe aanpassings op een slag. Ek kan net nie cope met te veel verandering op een slag nie. Elke dag se bietjie elke dag.
Twee maal per week oefen vir langer tye het tog ‘n goeie resultaat! Ek kan nie vyf dae ‘n week oefen soos ek graag sou wou nie. Soos wat ek hier afsluit, besef ek, dat die Here een van my hartsbegeertes laat waar word het, sonder dat ek heeldag en aldag oor dit geneuel het by Hom. Ek het so ‘n paar jaar terug met leep ogies gekyk hoe ‘n vriendin haar gewigsverlies resultate op Facebook geplaas het, die Groot T-hemp teen die grootte wat sy nou dra afgeneem het. In verwondering gestaan, tien teen een terwyl ek weer ‘n stuk beskuit in my mond geprop het en glad nie geoefen het nie.
Ek kyk weer na my opskrif vir hierdie inskrywing. Ek grinnik by myself. Ek reken ek het oor alles tussen in ook gepraat. Ek besef net opnuut dat God in die detail is, soos altyd. Hy weet wat Hy vir ons beplan. Planne van voorspoed en nie teëspoed nie. Al is dit iets onbenullig soos om fikser te word, gewig te verloor, ferm te word. Iets wat ek altyd gesê het ek EENDAG sal doen. Wel, my EENDAG het gearriveer en dit was ook omdat ek iets daadwerkliks omtrent dit begin doen het en nie aanhou sanik het met ‘n sjokolade in die een hand en ‘n Coke in die ander hand nie, dit alles terwyl ek glad geen oefening ingekry het nie.
The scripture for this month is from Proverbs. It is so interesting to me, yet I am not surprised that each month’s scripture verses on the desk pad calendar have been so applicable and appropriate in my life thus far.
Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. I have thought about this a lot and what it actually means. Thank goodness I have a bible application on my phone where I can compare different versions. At first I read this in the Afrikaans 1953 version. I decide to read it in the Amplified version too.
After reading it in this version, a better and brighter light goes on for me. To me it feels as if the interpretations in brackets after each part of the verse explains it a bit better. You see, it does not say that you have to sit and do nothing. You must not sit and wait for your proverbial ship to come in (only realising later that you have been waiting at the airport or train station rather than at the harbour). Nor does it imply that you have to wait for the “right” time.
Not at all! You must place your works, that which you do, at God’s feet and trust Him with it. Your plans and things that you do will work out when you submit to His will and when you listen to His guidance in your life.
During the month of May I wondered a lot about something (that which I felt that God was pressing on my heart to do) and whether I should or should not do it. 30 May 2022 I received a video from someone via Whatsapp. I did not watch it immediately, as it arrived during work hours and I am supposed to work during that time rather than watching Whatsapp videos. And just like that, the day passes and I completely forget to watch the video.
That evening, around 7 o’clock, I received exactly the same video from a friend who does not know the other person that sent me the video earlier that day. There was no way that my friend would have known that I received the exact same video that morning. But God knew it. You see, I prayed and asked for a sign for that which I felt that God placed on my heart to do.
I then received it in a total different manner than what I expected to receive it. Sometimes we are so narrow minded and want to receive, like Gideon, exact answers and signs, as WE want it and think it should be. The content of the video? An attorney that testifies how he flew on a small plane with a pilot that passed out when they flew into the clouds.
Long story short, he and the other passenger managed to get hold of a control tower and that person lead them through the clouds, warning them of a mountain they would have flown into had they not changed their direction. This was so profound to hear this. As this is exactly how I feel in my life.
It feels like I am flying in thick clouds, uncertain of where I am going with Beroepsvrou. I do know that I should listen to my instincts, as my instincts come from God. He is busy leading me. I stood in awe when I read the June scripture two days later, on my desk pad. I was in awe about God and how big He is. How could I have known last year, when I selected the scriptures randomly for each month, that the one for June would be perfect for what is happening in my life right now?
Some days the clouds feel thicker than others. I just know that I must listen to my Control Tower’s voice. He can see everything. I can hardly see three steps ahead of me. Even if what I must do makes no logical sense at that point in time, I just know, that if I do not do it, I will fly into a mountain.
I cannot see the Person in the Control Tower. But I can listen to His voice, following His exact instructions, irrespective of what is busy happening around me. Irrespective if it feels as if more clouds are moving in. It links up with this month’s scripture so beautifully. Making me realise again HOW BIG God is!
Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. Trust Him. Listen to Him. Even if nothing makes sense. Even if life throws you curve balls that you did not expected. God is in tomorrow and next week and next year. He knows what is going to happen. Sometimes He lets things fall into place without you realising what is busy happening.
Things happen at times, which are so frustrating to me and which I do not always understand. But it is in these situations that I must trust God. Listening to His voice and following His instructions, how strange they may seem to me and those around me. As the clouds roll in, it sounds as if my frequency with the Control Tower is not that clear and becomes static, causing me not to hear clearly.
I tune in again by reading my Bible and seeking God’s hand in little things and daily bible verses. God is in the detail. I sit and blog, because it is as if my frequency is tuned in when I do this and I can hear clearer than before. As I close off this article, I just know, deep down inside my spirit, that the decision that I took after receiving the video, was the correct one.
The clouds are still coming in and the devil is trying to silence the Voice with distractions, but I know what I have to do. It is what it is, it is my destiny. The place where my life (and us as a family) is going. I pray for little turbulence and that we will not become nauseous as we proceed through everything, and that we will come out stronger on the other side (like we normally do when we go through things in our life). I ensure that my radio’s frequency is tuned in, before I take on the next part of the flight, the one that feels like it is in thick clouds.
Hierdie maand se skrif vers kom uit Spreuke uit. Dis vir my so interessant, dog nie verbasend nie, dat die skrifverse vir elke maand op die desk pad kalender, so van toepassing is (of is dit nou was?) tot dusver.
Laat jou werke aan die Here oor, dan sal jou planne uitgevoer word. Ek het al baie gedink hieroor en wat dit nou eintlik beteken. Dankie tog ek het ‘n bybel toepassing (fêncy woord vir application) op my foon wat verskillende vertalings kan vergelyk. Ek gaan lees hom in die Amplified weergawe.
Daar gaan ‘n beter en helderder liggie vir my aan toe ek dit in hierdie weergawe lees. Die interpretasies in hakkies langs elke deel in die skrif vers verduidelik dit so bietjie beter voel ek. Jy sien, dit sê nie jy moet agteroor sit en niks doen nie. Jy moet nie sit en wag vir jou spreekwoordelike skip om in te kom nie (om later agter te kom jy was die heeltyd by die lughawe of treinstasie terwyl jy eintlik by die hawe moes wees nie). Of wag vir die tyd om reg te wees nie.
Nee, glad nie. Jy moet jou werke, dit wat jy doen, voor die Here se voete plaas en dit aan Hom toevertrou. Jou planne en werke sal deurgevoer word wanneer jy aan Sy wil onderdanig is en na Sy leiding in jou lewe luister.
Ek het Mei maand baie gewonder oor iets (wat ek gevoel het die Here op my hart geplaas het om te doen) en moet ek of moet ek nie. 30 Mei 2022 ontvang ek ‘n video van iemand via Whatsapp. Ek kyk hom nie dadelik nie, want dit het in werkstyd gearriveer en ek moet mos nou werk in daardie tyd, nie Whatsapp video’s sit en kyk nie. So gaan die dag verby en ek vergeet skoon om die video te kyk.
Daardie aand, seker so 7 uur, ontvang ek presies dieselfde video van ‘n vriendin af wat nie die ander persoon wat dit die oggend vir my gestuur het ken nie. Daar was geen manier dat my vriendin enigsins kon weet dat ek dieselfde video ontvang het vroeër die dag nie. Maar die Here het wel dit geweet. Jy sien, ek het gebid en gevra vir ‘n teken vir dit wat ek voel Hy op my hart geplaas het om te doen.
Toe ontvang ek dit op ‘n heeltemal ander manier as wat ek verwag het. Ons is soms so narrow minded en wil soos Gideon ons presiese antwoord en teken van God te ontvang soos ONS dit wil hê en dink dit moet wees. Die inhoud van die video? ‘n Prokureer wat getuig hoe hy op ‘n klein vliegtuig gevlieg het saam met ‘n vliënier wat bewusteloos geraak het toe hulle in die wolke in gevlieg het.
Lang storie kort, hy en die ander passasier in die vliegtuig kry toe ‘n beheertoring in die hande deur die radio en daardie persoon het hulle gelei in die wolke, hulle gewaarsku teen ‘n berg waarin hulle sou vasvlieg as hulle nie van koers verander het nie. Dit was vir my so profound gewees om dit te hoor. Want dis presies hoe ek voel in my lewe.
Dit voel of ek in digte wolke vlieg, onseker waarheen ek oppad is met Beroepsvrou. Ek weet wel dat ek na my instinkte moet luister want my instinkte kom van die Here af. Hy is besig om my te lei. Toe ek twee dae later die skrif vir Junie lees op my desk pad, staan ek net in verwondering. Oor God en hoe groot Hy is. Hoe sou ek enigsins laas jaar geweet het, toe ek die desk pad se skrif verse randomly toegeken het aan elke maand, dat die een vir Junie perfek sou wees vir wat in my lewe gebeur?
Sommige dae voel die wolke digter as ander. Ek weet net ek moet na my Beheertoring se stem luister. Hy kan alles sien. Ek kan skaars drie treë voor my sien. Al maak dit wat ek moet doen nie noodwendig sin op daardie oomblik nie, weet ek net dat as ek dit nie doen nie, ek in ‘n berg sal vas vlieg.
Ek kan nie die Persoon in die beheertoring sien nie. Maar ek kan na Sy stem luister, Sy instruksies volg, ongeag wat besig is om te gebeur om my. Ongeag of dit voel of daar nog meer digte wolke besig is om in te beweeg. Dit sluit vir my so mooi aan by die maand se skrif. En laat my net weereens besef HOE GROOT God is!
Laat jou werke aan die Here oor, dan sal jou planne uitgevoer word. Vertrou Hom. Luister na Hom. Al maak goed nie sin nie. Al gooi die lewe curve balls na jou toe wat jy nie verwag nie. Die Here is reeds in môre en volgende week en volgende jaar. Hy weet wat gaan gebeur. Soms laat Hy goedjies in plek val sonder dat jy besef wat besig is om te gebeur.
Tot my grootste frustrasies by tye gebeur dinge wat ek nie altyd verstaan nie. Maar dis in hierdie situasies wat ek die Here moet vertrou en na Sy stem moet luister, Sy instruksies volg, hoe vreemd dit ook al mag klink en lyk vir my en die om my. Soos wat die wolke in rol, klink dit of my frekwensie by tye krapperig raak en ek nie die Beheertoring lekker duidelik kan hoor nie.
Ek verstel dit deur die Bybel te lees en God se hand in goedjies en daaglikse bybel verse te soek. God is in the detail. Ek gaan sit en blog want dan is dit asof my frekwensie weer reg gestel word en ek beter kan hoor. Soos wat ek afsluit, weet ek net binne in my gees, dat die besluit wat ek tog wel geneem het na die video wat ek ontvang het, die regte een was.
Die wolke kom steeds in en die duiwel probeer die Stem stil maak met distractions maar ek weet wat ek moet doen. Dit is wat dit is, dis my bestemming, my bestuuring. Die plek waarheen my (en ons as gesin) se lewens oppad is. Ek bid maar net vir min turbulensie en dat ons nie naar sal raak soos wat ons deur alles gaan nie en dat ons wel sterker aan die ander kant sal uitkom (soos wat ons maar altyd doen wanneer ons deur dingetjies gaan in ons lewens). Ek maak seker dat my radio se frekwensie reg is, voordat ek die volgende deel van die vlug, in wat soos digte wolke voel, aanpak.
Back to my training, which I am trying hard to catch up (by the way). During April, which is now my month 4 for the journaling side of the ethics training, I did not get to doing what I had worked so hard to keep up and do daily for about 5 to 10 minutes.
The journaling was few and far between. On 25 April 2022 (note the impossible time of the month that I make this decision – I often wonder if that is just part of my personality type according to Tall Trees – to choose the busiest times to do things?). Ok back to the date that I decided that I had to MAKE time to sit and just catch up again on the journaling. After doing the third day’s journaling (all in one day) I realised how much I missed this part of the course. The journaling and getting my thoughts written onto paper.
At this point in time, I feel like an epic fail when it comes to my continuous ethics training, because nothing about it seems continuous. It feels like I am always and forever catching up with things that fell behind! And now the same is happening AGAIN with this training…
I did not even have time to write this piece like I normally do when I feel the inspiration coming, because it has just been busy with work, kids, school and just coping with the colder weather…coping with the cold fronts seems to be taking my energy, because it is not that easy to get up early any more.
So I decided this time around to jot down some notes that came to mind, just so that I do not forget what I want to write about. I also meant to write this article three weeks ago and not now only (actually even earlier but anyway). Now, what I can see that is busy happening, not relating to ethics at all, but rather to my blog, is that I have notebooks ALL OVER THE SHOW! I try to use one dedicated notebook for the blog prompts that I want to keep track of.
But I have a few lying around that I make different notes in (different books for different things). Some sort of order but also not really. To any outside person it will seem like chaos, but I know what is going on there. For how long, I am not sure. It is like I have this overflow of words and thoughts that need to come out and be placed into order somehow.
Many days I wonder what it would be like if writing was my job? Would I find it as satisfying as I do now or would I feel meh about it like I sometimes feel towards my day job, especially during pressure times? Man, here I lost track yet again about what I wanted to say!!
So working through month 4’s journal prompts, I realised that this was a month to reflect on. Reflecting on thoughts, statements and just things. Some of the reflecting journal prompts were like tongue twisters to me! Like that of day 13. Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks. Say this one 3 times fast….
I also realised that this journaling that is incorporated into the ethics training might not seem like everyone’s cup of tea. I know I frowned upon it when I started, thinking WHAT is THIS going to help me? But, later on, I realised that I was wrong and that these journal prompts (which only starts at month 2 if I am not mistaken) are actually just things to get your thoughts going…to start thinking about life differently.
Soooooo….hopefully I will be able to catch up on some journal prompts for months 5 to 7 all in one month AND catch up on the training videos and assessments so that I can finish in the month that I am supposed to finish and have the certificates as proof that I did do continuous ethics training throughout the year… (and not have all of the certificates issued on the same day).
I know I say this every month and I truly hope that I can find a gap between the deadlines and sign off dates of financials and audits to manage this. Not even talking about juggling the family and kids in between all of this…until I write again about the next month(s) experience…thus far it has been a very satisfying journey, even if it sometimes takes a lot of time to catch up when falling behind, frustrating me, but, that is life I suppose….?
Terug by my opleiding, wat ek so hard probeer om op te vang (net so tussen ons). Gedurende April, dis nou my maand 4 van die joernaal inskrywings, het ek nie by my daaglikse 5 tot 10 minute take uitgekom om aan te hou met dit wat ek so hard voor gewerk het om op datum te (probeer) hou nie…ek het ALWEER agter geraak!
Die joernaal inskrywings maar aan die min en dun kant, so te sê. Op 25 April 2022 (let op hoe ek onmoontlike datums en tye kies om goed te doen – ek wonder baie of dit deel is van my persoonlikheidstipe volgens Tall Trees…?). Goed so terug by my sin, op daardie datum besluit ek dat ek MOET tyd maak om net weer op te vang met alles wat verwag en vereis word. Nadat ek die derde dag se inskrywings gedoen het (alles in een dag) besef ek hoe baie ek hierdie deel van die kursus gemis het – die joernaal inskrywings en om my gedagtes aan die gang te kry.
Op hierdie tydstip, voel ek soos ‘n epic fail soos die kinders sal sê wanneer dit kom by my voortdurende etiese opleiding, want niks van dit voel vir my voortdurend nie. Ek voel of ek alewig besig is om goed op te vang wat agter geraak het! En nou gebeur dieselfde WEER met hierdie opleiding….
Ek het nie eens tyd om hierdie stuk te skryf soos ek normaalweg doen wanneer ek voel of inspirasie aan die voordeur klop nie. Dit was net BESIG tussen kinders, werk, skool en net om te cope met die kouer weer….om aan te pas met die koue voel of dit al my energie tap, want dis wragties nie meer maklik om vroeg op te staan nie.
Die keer besluit ek om maar ‘n paar nota’s in ‘n boek te skryf, soos wat hulle hul opwagting maak in my gedagtes, net om seker te maak ek vergeet nie wat ek wou sê en skryf nie. Ek het ook bedoel om die artikel al 3 weke terug te skryf en nie nou eers nie (eintlik seker vroeër maar in elkgeval). Wat ek nou sien besig is om te gebeur, niks met etiese opleiding uit te waai nie, maar eerder my blog en alles wat met dit saam gaan, is dat ek notaboeke ORAL het!! Ek probeer een gespesifiseerde notaboek gebruik vir die blog inspirasie wat ek probeer orden.
Maar ek het ‘n paar wat rondlê waarin ek verskillende nota’s maak (verskillende notaboeke vir verskillende dinge). Soort van orde maar ook seker nie regtig nie. Vir enige buitestaander sal dit soos chaos voorkom, maar ek weet wat daar aangaan. Vir hoe lank is ‘n ander vraag vir ‘n ander dag. Dis asof ek hierdie oormaat idees en woorde het wat net moet uit kom en in een of ander orde geplaas moet word.
Baie dae wonder ek hoe dit sou wees as skryf my day job was. Sou ek dit so bevredigend gevind het soos nou of sou ek meh oor dit gevoel het, soos ek soms in druk tye voel oor my day job? Liewe aarde, daar verloor ek weer heeltemal die punt wat ek wou sê!
Goed, so terug by die joernaal inskrywings – soos wat ek deur die prompts (by gebrek aan ‘n beter Afrikaanse woord) werk vir maand 4, besef ek dat dit ‘n maand is om oor te reflekteer. Reflekteer oor gedagtes, standpunte en net goed. Van die daaglikse prompts was soos ‘n tongue twister vir my! Soos die van dag 13. Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks. Sê dit nou 3 keer vinnig…
Ek het ook besef dat hierdie joernaal inskrywings wat saamgestel en ingesluit is in hierdie etiese opleiding, is nou nie vir almal nie. Mense sal dalk selfs sê Dis vir die voëls en ek is nie ‘n voël nie. Ek weet ek het self gefrons aan die begin toe ek dit sien. Ek het by myself gedink HOE gaan DIT my help? Wel, ek was verkeerd en het later besef dat hierdie journal prompts (wat eers by maand 2 begin as ek nou reg onthou) eintlik maar net goed is om jou gedagtes aan die gang te kry….om anders te begin dink oor die lewe.
Soooooo….hopelik sal ek bietjie kan opvang op die gebied vir die volgende paar maande van maand 5 tot 7 toe, alles in een maand EN hopelik opvang op die opleiding videos en assesserings sodat ek kan klaar maak in die maand waarin ek veronderstel is om klaar te maak. Ek moet sertifikate as bewyse hê dat ek wel deurlopende etiese opleiding gehad het gedurende die jaar….(almal is nie veronderstel om op een dag uitgereik te word nie).
Ek weet ek sê dit elke maand en ek hoop regtig dat ek ‘n gaping gaan vind tussen die sperdatums en afteken van finansiële state, oudits en wie weet wat nog alles aan die gang is werksgewys. Nie eens te praat van al die balle wat ek in die lug probeer hou wat familie en kinders aanbetref nie….tot ek weer skryf oor die volgende maand se ervaring….tot dusver was dit ‘n baie bevredigende reis gewees, selfs al neem dit soms baie tyd om op te vang wanneer ek agter geraak het, iets wat my baie frustreer, maar, dis die lewe seker….?
Walking past a local shop the other day, I saw an advertisement in the window (people exercising and rather advertising the fitness watch not promoting the exercise taking place) saying “There are seven days in a week and someday isn’t one of them.” Catchy and true. However. I feel I can add to that – oneday is also not one of the seven days of the week.
This phrase made me think, forced me to whip out my phone as I entered the Clicks to just jot this down to remember that I want to write about this. That is the thing with me and writing – inspiring ideas come at random times and if I do not catch the essence at that very moment, then I miss the boat with writing an entry about that!
So something I say often is “Oneday”. My Sister-from-another-Mister aka Dora knows this saying all to well. I will walk around mumbling to her, “Oneday Dora, oneday….” and then I continue the conversation. She always laughs and responds by saying “Yes Elsie, oneday…” and then we part our ways to do our jobs.
Before I noticed this advertising slogan in the shop, I remembered of a cartoon I saw before. Something that I had been wanting to write about for a while now. This slogan just inspired me and got me to writing this piece. What a mission it was to find the cartoon, but I managed to find it on the internet and include it in this post. This to me is the best way to show procrastination and delaying what you know needs to be done.
In Afrikaans we have a saying Van uitstel kom afstel and that is so true. Why are we waiting before we start to be the best versions of ourselves? What are we waiting for? Why do you want to wait for your work to be less demanding before you just start exercising? Why do you wait until the children are bigger before taking on a new project or opportunity that comes your way?
Why do we wait? Sometimes I think it is the fear of the unknown. Or perhaps the known. For years I was praying to God to let me please, pretty please, LOVE exercise. Well, let me tell you, I stopped and started exercising so many times before, I lost count. This was for about 10 years, from late 20’s to mid to late 30’s that I had this thing that Oneday I will exercise.
Guess what happened? Oneday I woke up and I realised that I was almost 40. So when am I going to start? If I do not make Oneday or Someday a part of my plan to execute in my own life, well, then it will never happen. So to get back to the fear of the (un)known. I KNOW what it feels like to exercise the first time, after not doing anything for a long time.
That feeling SUCKS let me tell you. You feel like a train hit you while running the Comrades, all in one. I think that was what held me back with truly starting with the one thing I wanted to do for so long. The other thing for me, that I want to accomplish, is to eat better. Oh man, I just LOVE food. I sometimes feel like eating the whole fridge, just because I have cravings. Let us admit this – we ALL have cravings!
And then I start to complain I am fat, like in the comic strip. And then you decide you want to make a choice to eat better and to “diet” (which is something I could never do before in any event) and then when Monday arrives, the day that you HAVE to start eating healthier, you just don’t feel like it.
Because you KNOW what it is going to be like. For 21 days you are going to struggle, craving things, being put into temptation, etc. And then, one day, you just decide THIS IS IT and you start by making small little changes, not big changes. When you look back, you will see the progress you have made, but while you are in the process, taking it one day at a time, you sometimes feel like giving up hope, because you feel you cannot do it anymore.
What ever it is that you are struggling with (these are just two of my struggles, which I still struggle with to this day, but manage better now than when I was younger), all I can say is JUST DO IT. Just start. Do not procrastinate! You will procrastinate your life away and then one day you will wake up, 20, 30 or even 40 years from now, being much older than what you are now, regretting that you postponed for so long.
Don’t go through life wanting to start Next Monday or Someday or Oneday! Start today! What are we?? Fat!!!!!! Do something about that which is making you feel fat (figuratively speaking too, not only physical) and unworthy and change that. My motto is to be the best version of myself, everyday. I don’t get it right everyday, but I surely try!
Terwyl ek verby ‘n plaaslike winkel stap die ander dag, sien ek ‘n advertensie die venster (een van mense wat oefen, maar wat eerder die fiksheidshorlosie adverteer as die oefening wat die mense doen) wat lees There are seven days in a week and someday isn’t one of them. Dit was vir my catchy en waar. Ek voel egter ek kan byvoeg tot dit – ONEDAY is ook nie een van die sewe dae van die week nie.
Die slagspreuk het my laat dink, my geforseer om my foon uit my handsak te ruk soos wat ek by die Clicks instap, net om ‘n nota hiervan te maak sodat ek kan onthou waaroor dit was wat ek wou skryf. Dis die ding met my en skryf – inspirerende idees kom op die onmoontlikste tye voel dit en as ek die nie kruks van dit waaroor ek wil skryf vasvang op daardie presiese oomblik nie, vergeet ek wat dit is wat ek wou skryf!
Iets wat ek gereeld sê is “Eendag”. My Sister-from-another-Mister aka Dora ken die sê-ding van my al te goed. Ek sal rond loop en mompel vir haar “Oneday Dora, oneday….” dan sit ek die gesprek voort. Sy lag altyd en reageer deur te sê “Yes Elsie, oneday…” en dan gaan ons weer ons gang en doen ons werk.
Voor ek die advertensie met die slagspreuk gewaar het, onthou ek van ‘n strokiesprent wat ek voorheen gesien het. Iets waaroor ek vir ‘n geruime tyd al wou skryf. Die slagspreuk van die advertensie het my net geinspireer en my aan die gang gekry om die stuk te skryf. Wat ‘n storie was dit om die strokiesprent te vind! Ek het hom darem opgespoor en sluit hom in by die stuk. Dit is vir my, die beste uitbeelding van procrastination en uitstel van iets wat jy WEET gedoen moet word.
Daar is nie verniet ‘n slagspreuk wat lees Van uitstel kom afstel nie, en dis so waar!! Hoekom wag ons voor ons begin om die beste weergawes van onsself te wees? Waarvoor wag ons? Hoekom wil jy wag vir jou werk om minder demanding te wees voor jy begin met oefening? Hoekom wil jy wag tot jou kinders groter is voor jy ‘n nuwe projek of geleentheid aangryp wat jou kant toe kom?
Hoekom wag ons? Soms dink ek dis die vrees vir die onbekende. Of dalk die vrees vir die bekende? Vir jare het ek gebid en God gevra om my asseblief, groot asseblief, LIEF te maak vir oefening. Wel, laat ek jou vertel, ek het al soveel keer begin en opgehou met oefening, ek het al telling verloor. Dit was seker vir omtrent 10 jaar, van my laat 20’s tot middel tot laat 30’s wat ek hierdie ding gehad het dat ek Eendag gaan oefen.
Raai wat het gebeur? Eendag word ek wakker en besef dat ek amper 40 jaar oud was! So WANNEER gaan ek begin? As ek nie Eendag ‘n deel van my plan maak en deurvoer nie, gaan dit nooit gebeur nie. So, om terug te kom na die vrees van die (on)bekende. Ek WEET hoe dit voel om vir die eerste keer te oefen, na jy vir ‘n lang ruk niks gedoen het nie.
Daai gevoel SUCK laat ek jou vertel. Dit voel of ‘n trein jou getrap het terwyl jy die Comrades gehardloop het, alles in een. Ek dink dit was wat my terug gehou het vir so lank. Die ander ding vir my, wat ek wil bemeester, is om gesonder en beter te eet. Oh man ek is net te LIEF vir kos!! Soms voel dit vir my of ek die hele yskas kan opeet, net omdat ek cravings het. Ons kan maar dit erken – ons ALMAL het cravings een of ander tyd in ons lewe.
Dan begin ek gewoonlik kla ek is vet, soos in die strokiesprent. Dan besluit mens om ‘n keuse te maak om beter te eet en ‘n dieët te volg (iets wat ek eintlik nog nooit kon doen nie, in elkgeval, so ek probeer nie eens nie) en wanneer Maandag arriveer, die dag wat jy nou MOET gesonder eet, is jy gewoonlik nie lus nie.
En dis bloot omdat jy WEET hoe dit gaan voel. Vir 21 dae sukkel jy, cravings galore, word getempteer met allerhande ongesonde lekkernye, en so meer. En dan Eendag staan jy op en jy besluit DIS DIT en jy begin deur klein veranderinge te maak. Nie groot massiewe veranderinge nie, en, wanneer jy terug kyk, dan sien jy die vordering wat jy gemaak het, terwyl jy nog in die proses is, alles terwyl jy dit net eendag op ‘n slag vat. Soms voel mens verby moedeloos, lus om moed op te gee, want jy voel net jy kan nie aangaan nie.
Wat dit ookal is waarmee jy sukkel (hierdie is maar net twee van my goedjies waarmee ek sukkel, maar, wat ek beter bestuur as toe ek jonger was), is al raad wat ek vir jou het, JUST DO IT. Begin net. Moet nie prokrastineer nie. Jy sal jou lewe verby prokrastineer en dan Eendag word jy wakker, 20, 30 of selfs 40 jaar van nou af, baie ouer as wat jy nou is, met hope verwyt omdat jy vir so lank uitgestel het.
Moet nie deur die lewe gaan met die gedagte om Volgende Maandag of Eendag te begin nie! Begin vandag! What are we?? Fat!!!!!! Doen iets omtrent dit wat jou vet en onwaardig laat voel (spreekwoordelik gesê ook – nie net fisies nie) en verander dit. My motto is om die beste weergawe van myself te wees, elke dag. Ek kry dit nie elke dag reg nie, maar ek probeer wel bitter hard! Just do it!
With much gratitude, I tore off the Arpil (yes you are reading correctly with a spelling mistake) page and threw THE BIGGEST MISTAKE in the dustbin. What am I talking about? My desk pad calendar, part of the Pink Feathers range that I designed and sold towards end of 2021 and beginning of 2022.
The page for April looked terrible. Curled up on the one side with dirty marks all over and pretty much what it looks like at the end of each month. My notes block was full of comments this time.
Interesting, how for years I managed to work without one and now I almost cannot function without it. Anyway, back to May’s scripture and entry.
This is probably one of my most favourite scriptures. The one for May. Where God talks directly to each and every person. Not only a select few. Everyone. His children. He knows what plans He has for us.
This gives me child-like excitement to think of this, even if I have frustrations in my life and how things just turn out and work. I do know that the plans that God has for me are PROSPEROUS and not that of failure, exhaustion and any other negative thought and word you can think of. Even if, at times, it feels as if things are not going my way.
I have been thinking about this verse and what God actually meant with this. Prosperity on earth or prosperity for the rest of our lives, including after we passed away?
I think it is for both. While we are on earth only for the blink of an eye and then also the never ending life after death. You see, we may think that we are suffering on earth, because we do not have everything that we want and because things do not happen as they should.
But, I realise again, that, we must actually look forward to dying too. The time áfter our time on earth, cannot be anything but prosperous. We are going to Heaven. To be with Him. Now I am not saying that everyone must walk around with a Slipper Lip, muttering and mumbling about everything here and just waiting to die (like my great-grandmother used to answer me when I greeted her – this is a story for another day).
No! Live life to the fullest! Address that which needs to be addressed in the Spirit, and claim that which needs to be claimed. In the process you must show people what it is to be a true Christian. Helping them to look forward to prosperous plans from God. Sometimes we as Christians, go through life without much joy, that people who are not Christians, just give us one look and then decide by themselves “No thank you! If this is what a Christian looks like, then I do not want to be one!”
At first, I typed something totally different, off topic and then I decided to delete it and to rather focus on that what God has laid on my heart about the verse. Interesting how easy and quickly we can get distracted with that which God has showed you and then you start believing a lie rather than the truth…
I always say, God ALWAYS KNOWS BETTER. Read that again. Even if everything in your life feels distorted, not at all how YOU planned it to be. Rest assured. God knows better. We as humans are ALWAYS where we should be. The Holy Spirit also whispered to me, as I move around, thinking about this entry, that we as people, place our hope, happiness and plans on people rather than on Him. Shocking but true.
Our happiness, satisfaction with life and so many other things, are determined by people – so we think. Sometimes the people we think determines our happiness is ourselves, other times it is other people. But actually that is such a wrong outlook on life – that we will only be happy if this, that and the next thing happens….
Sometimes we stay in certain situations for longer, because we do not pass the test. We fall hook, line and sinker again for that which are our challenges. We must learn to listen, trusting Him and that He will provide us with everything we need and when we need it.
We do not always understand why things do not work out the way it should. But when I look back, I choose to see God’s hand in everything. Being grateful for my own personal growth in the process. And then to look forward and wait for His perfect timing. God is always terribly on time.
The whispering in my spirit continues….I know (with the emphasis being on I – this is God speaking by the way if you lost what I am trying to say here)…not Susan knows or any other name that you can think of. No, God speaks here in the first person is it? Because it is HE who knows. Like the verse from April, I do not think there are going to be chapters and chapters about this scripture.
No, this is as simple as that. Trust Him because He knows what plans He has for me and you. Plans of prosperity. Plans to give me and you a hopeful future. Hopeful. Keep on believing, dreaming and hoping I hear the Holy Spirit’s whispering in my spirit…
Met ‘n ongelooflike dankbare hart, skeur ek Arpil (jip jy lees reg met ‘n spelfout) se bladsy af en gooi die GROOTSTE FOUT in die asblik. Waarvan praat ek? My desk pad kalender, deel van die Pienk Vere reeks wat ek ontwerp en verkoop het.
April se bladsy het woes gelyk. Omgekrul aan die een kant en vuil gesmeer soos dit maar aan die einde van elke maand lyk by my. My nota’s blok was die maand vol geskribbel.
Interessant hoe ek vir jare sonder een gewerk het en nou amper nie sonder dit kan funksioneer nie. Elkgeval. Terug by Mei maand se skrif en inskrywing.
Dit is seker een van my gunsteling verse. Die een vir Mei. Waar die Here sommer so direk met elke mens praat. Nie net sekere mense nie. Almal. Sy volk. Hy weet watter planne Hy vir ons koester.
Dit maak my kinderlik opgewonde, al voel ek soms gefrustreerd met goed en hoe die lewe werk. Ek weet wel dat die Here se planne vir my VOORSPOED is en nie teëspoed nie. Al voel dit soms meer soos teëspoed as voorspoed.
Ek wonder baie oor die bybelvers en wat die Here eintlik met dit bedoel. Voorspoed op aarde of voorspoed vir die res van ons lewens, na die dood ingesluit?
Ek dink dis van beide. Terwyl ons ‘n oogwink op aarde is en dan ook die oneindige ewigheid na ons tyd op aarde. Jy sien, ons dink dalk dat ons nou suffer omdat ons nie alles het wat ons wil hê nie en omdat dinge gebeur soos dit doen.
Maar ek besef opnuut, dat ons eintlik moet uitsien om te sterf ook. Die tyd ná ons tyd op aarde kan nie anders as om voorspoedig te wees nie. Ons gaan dan Hemel toe. Na Hom toe. Ek sê nou nie almal moet soos Depressie Hessie rondloop en mor en mompel oor alles hier en eintlik maar net wag om dood te gaan nie (soos my ouma-grootjie my altyd geantwoord het as ek haar gegroet het nie – dis ‘n storie vir ‘n ander dag).
Nee! Leef voluit! Spreek aan dit wat aangespreek moet word in die Gees en eis dit wat geëis moet word. In die proses moet jy vir mense wys wat dit is om ‘n ware Christen te wees. Hulle help om uit te sien na die voorspoedige planne van God af. Soms is ons as Christene so dik-bek (by gebrek aan ‘n mooier meer ordentlike woord) dat mense wat nie Christene is nie, net een kyk vir ons gee en dan by hulself besluit “Nee dankie! As dit is hoe ‘n Christen lyk wil EK nie een wees nie!”
Ek het eers iets anders hier getik, heeltemal van die onderwerp af en besluit toe om dit uit te wis (hoe is dit vir pragtige Afrikaans?) en eintlik net meer te fokus op dit wat die Here in my hart vir my sit oor die vers. Interessant hoe maklik en vinnig mens eintlik distracted kan raak met dit wat die Here vir jou wys en dan begin jy die leuen glo…
Die Here WEET ALTYD BETER. Lees dit weer. Al voel dit hoe en wat en waar in jou lewe, glad nie soos JY beplan het dit moet wees nie. Wees gerus. Die Here weet beter. Ons as mense is ALTYD net daar waar ons moet wees. Die Heilige Gees het ook gefluister vir my, soos wat ek loop en dink oor die inskrywing, dat ons as mense, ons hoop, geluk en toekomsplanne eerder op mense plaas as Hom.
Ons geluk, tevredenheid met die lewe, en soveel ander dinge, word bepaal deur mense – so dink ons en gaan ons deur die lewe. Die mense is soms onsself en soms ander mense. Maar eintlik is dit so ‘n wan-persepsie – dat ons eers gelukkig sal wees as dit en dat en die volgende gebeur….
Soms vertoef ons langer in situasies, want ons slaag nie die toets nie. Ons val hook, line and sinker weer vir wat ookal ons uitdagings is. Ons moet leer om te luister, Hom te vertrou en dat Hy vir ons sal gee dit wat ons nodig het en wanneer ons dit nodig het.
Ons verstaan nie altyd hoekom goed nie uitwerk soos dit moet nie. Maar as ek terug kyk, kies ek om God se hand te sien in alles. Dankbaar te wees vir my eie persoonlike groei in die proses. En dan aan te hou vorentoe kyk en te wag vir Sy perfekte tydsberekening. God is always terribly on time.
Die fluistering in my gees hou aan… Ek weet…. (klem op die Ek in die sin – dis nou die Here wat hier praat as jy dalk nie volg nie) nie Sannie weet of enige ander naam wat jy aan kan dink nie. Nee, die Here spreek hier, in die eerste persoon is dit? Want dis HY wat weet. Soos met April se skrif vers dink ek nie hier gaan hoofstukke en hoofstukke wees oor die skrif nie.
Nee, dis so eenvoudig soos dit. Vertrou Hom want Hy weet watter planne Hy vir my en jou koester. Planne van voorspoed en nie van teëspoed nie. Planne om my en jou ‘n hoopvolle toekoms te gee. Hoopvol. Hou aan met glo, droom en hoop hoor ek die Heilige Gees se fluistering in my binneste…
The other day I read a Bible plan on the application on my phone, something about being a worrier. That got me thinking. So much so that I COMPLETELY forgot to finish reading the article!
Back to being a worrier. I immediately got what they were implying. A worrier is someone that worries constantly, day in and day out. I then started this conversation with God in my head like I always do.
I don’t recall what was said from my side but just as I said Worrier I got a counter-offer so to speak from the Holy Spirit. I got the word Warrior. Now when you say both out loud they sound the same but they have such different meanings. Such words are Homophones are they not?
Of course it was me and Google again. The first attempt to find pictures for the two words failed and I was almost deflated that my blog entry will have a void. Luckily I tried again and managed to get what I was looking for.
Finding the correct images, was a challenge. But I managed to find what I perceive to be a correct reflection of the image and idea I had in my mind.Now this brings me to the next question. Which one are you? Worrier or warrior? You see, I don’t think God called us to be worriers. He called us to be warriors.
For those of you who do not know this yet – we, as humans, have been in a spiritual war ever since the beginning of time. Ephesians 6 tells us more about this and what we have to do to stay standing. The more I think about that scripture about the armour of God (typical of what a warrior would wear going to war and to fight a battle) the more it makes sense why Paul explained it like that.
The helmet of salvation – we have to protect our thoughts. What ever goes on in your mind will start becoming your actions and this will start changing your character…the devil is constantly trying to take over our thoughts because that is all he can do.
Breastplate of righteousness – this is my favourite piece of armour (if I can have a favourite). This is what I stand for and what God showed me the aprons that are sold on my online shop, also mean. Guarding your heart. Always being righteous, true, not false and deceitful.
Shield of faith – what else can keep away the lies that the devil tries to tell us daily? We must have faith that God WILL come through for us, that He is for us.Sword of the word of God (the Bible) – if we KNOW the truth that is contained in the Bible, we can destroy any lies and attacks thrown our way in this war. Remember – the character of the devil is that of a liar. He will bombard you with missiles called LIES. Hoping that they will reach your heart and thoughts causing you to explode into a million irreparable pieces.
Belt of the truth – oh man. This is HUGE. How many times do we tell half truths daily? Half truths are LIES! Do not tell the client that you have started with something when you have not even taken the file from the cabinet. Off topic – this makes me think of someone I worked for once, in a corporate environment. She once told me that I am too truthful. My word! Can anyone ever be too honest and truthful? Is that not what God expects from us? To tell the truth always?
Shoes of the willingness to spread the good news of Jesus – now this too I think is a favourite of mine! Actually the whole armour, but this one also stands out. What are you doing, when you walk around on this earth, to spread the word of God? Do your words AND deeds show that you are a child of God? Or do you say one thing and do another that causes doubt amongst people about your relationship with God?
Can people see that you are a child of God without you saying much? Are you telling them about what He has done for you? Are you giving your testimony of how He has changed your life for the better? Or are you doing a shady deal, under the table, cash, so that no one has to pay VAT? Or do you give your word that you will do something and then never do it? Do you go on luxurious holidays while you owe the whole world money? Or do you spend more time with other people and in the process neglect your own family?
With that being said, because I think that is a debate for another day… but… did you notice that you do not put on anything to protect your back? Have you thought about this and why? I have! It is because God has your back. He protects you from behind….So which one are you? A worrier or a warrior? What are you choosing today? Are you going to let the devil bombard you with lies while you are a worrier, sitting in a corner? Or are you going to be ready for the battle like a warrior?
Die opskrif is in Engels, bloot by gebrek aan ‘n soortgelyke standpunt in Afrikaans…maar terug by wat ek wou sê – die ander dag het ek ‘n Bybel plan gelees op my foon (in Engels), waar hulle iets gepraat het van ‘n worrier. Dit het my laat dink. Soveel so dat ek HEELTEMAL vergeet het om die artikel klaar te lees!
Terug by om ‘n worrier te wees. Ek het dadelik gesnap wat hulle bedoel en impliseer het. ‘n Worrier is iemand wat konstant bekommerd is, dag in en dag uit. Toe begin ek hierdie gesprek met die Here, soos ek altyd maak.
Ek kan nie onthou wat ek van my kant af gesê het nie, maar toe ek sê Worrier, kry ek, so te sê onmiddellik ‘n teen-aanbod, van die Heilige Gees af. Ek kry toe die woord Warrior. Nou wanneer jy beide hardop sê, klink hulle dieselfde maar hul betekenisse is so wyd versprei van mekaar. Ons noem dit mos homofone in Afrikaans doen ons nie?
Natuurlik was dit alweer ek en tannie Google. Die eerste poging om die prentjies vir die woorde op te soek was ‘n ramp en ek was amper in sak en as oor die stuk wat ek wou skryf, want dit sou nou voel of die inskrywing ‘n lugleemte in het. Gelukkig probeer ek weer en kry toe dit waarna ek soek.
Die prentjies was ‘n uitdaging. Maar, ek het gevind, wat ek voel, die idee wat in my kop was korrek deurgee. Nou dit bring my by die volgende vraag – watter een is jy? ‘n Worrier of ‘n Warrior? Jy sien, ek dink nie God het ons geroep om worriers te wees nie. Hy het ons geroep om warriors te wees.
Vir diegene wat dit nog nie weet nie, ons as mense, is in ‘n geestelike oorlog sedert die begin van tyd. Efésiërs 6 vertel ons meer oor dit en wat ons moet doen om staande te bly. Hoe meer ek dink oor die skrif in die Bybel van die wapenrusting van God (tipies wat ‘n warrior dra as hy oorlog toe gaan om te gaan baklei), hoe meer maak dit sin hoekom Paulus dit so verduidelik het.
Die helm van verlossing – ons moet ons gedagtes beskerm. Wat ookal in ons gedagtes aangaan, gaan ons karakter begin verander… die duiwel is konstant besig om ons gedagtes te probeer oorneem, want dis al wat hy kan doen.
Borsharnas van geregtigheid – hierdie is my gunsteling deel van die wapenrusting (as mens nou ‘n gunsteling kan hê). Dit is waarvoor ek staan en wat God my gewys het die voorskote, wat ek op my aanlyn winkel verkoop, ook beteken. Bewaar jou hart. Wees altyd righteous (dit klink net beter in Engels hier), opreg en nie vals en misleidend nie.
Skild van geloof – wat anders kan die leuens van die duiwel (wat hy daagliks vir ons vertel) afweer? Ons moet vertroue en geloof hê in God en dat Hy sal deur kom vir ons en dat Hy vir ons is. Swaard van die Gees van God (die Bybel) – as ons die waarheid WEET wat in die Bybel vervat is, kan ons enige leuens en aanvalle wat na ons gegooi word vernietig. Onthou – die karakter van die duiwel is dit van ‘n leuenaar. Hy sal jou bombardeer met missiele genaamd LEUENS. In die hoop dat dit jou hart sal tref en jou in ‘n miljuisend, onherstelbare stukke sal breek.
Gordel van die waarheid – o my jitte. Die is GROOT. Hoeveel keer ‘n dag vertel mens halwe waarhede? Halwe waarhede is LEUENS! Moet nie vir die kliënt vertel dat jy reeds met iets begin het as jy nog nie eens die leêr uit die kas gehaal het nie. Van die onderwerp af – ek het eenkeer vir iemand gewerk, in ‘n korporatiewe omgewing. Sy het eenkeer vir my gesê ek is te eerlik. Regtig? Kan iemand TE EERLIK wees? Is dit nie wat God van ons verwag nie? Om altyd die waarheid te praat nie?
Skoene om die bereidwilligheid van die evangelie van Jesus te verkondig. Sjoe, ek raak altyd uitasem as ek dit sê en lees. Nou die is ook een van my gunstelinge! Eintlik die hele wapenrusting, maar die een staan ook vir my uit. Wat doen jy wanneer jy oor hierdie aarde wandel, om die woord van God te versprei? Wys jou dade EN woorde dat jy ‘n kind van God is? Of sê jy een ding en doen jy ‘n ander wat mense laat twyfel oor jou en jou verhouding met God?
Kan mense sien dat jy ‘n kind van God is sonder dat jy veel praat? Vertel jy vir hulle wat Hy vir jou gedoen het? Is jy besig om jou getuienis te gee van hoe Hy jou lewe vir die beter verander het? Of doen jy ‘n skelm deal onder die tafel, kontant, sodat niemand BTW hoef te betaal nie? Of gee jy jou woord vir iemand dat jy iets sal doen en kom dit nie na nie? Of is jou prioriteite verkeerd? Gaan hou jy luukse vakansies terwyl jy die wêreld geld skuld? Of spandeer jy soveel meer tyd met ander mense en skeep jou huisgesin af?
Dit daar gelaat want ek is seker dis ‘n debat vir ‘n ander dag….maar…het jy agter gekom dat jy niks op jou rug sit nie? Het jy al daaroor gewonder hoekom dit so is? Ek het! Dit is omdat God ons van agter beskerm. So watter een is jy? ‘n Worrier of ‘n Warrior? Wat kies jy vandag? Gaan jy toelaat dat die duiwel jou bombardeer met leuens terwyl jy worry en in ‘n hoekie sit? Of gaan jy reg staan vir die oorlog soos ‘n ware warrior?
For 11 days of April, I looked at my desk pad on a daily basis, rather often I must say, missing the spelling mistake. I used it, made notes, drew lines through the dates as the time went on and life was just beautiful and wonderful.
I wondered whether God kept my eyes closed until the day after my birthday, just so that I could enjoy the day before having to deal with this issue. On the 12th of April (the day after my birthday), my eyes see the spelling mistake. It reads Arpil 2022 and not April 2022 like it is supposed to. The world starts spinning around me, I feel how all colour and life is drained from my face, even my mouth starts to dry up.
I sit with my hands in my hair, thinking HOW DID I MISS THIS? Do you know how many times I read through it, reviewed it? I even got two more pairs of eyes to help me check it. And we all missed it!
The next moment it is as if Critique is waiting for me around every corner, like a shady ruthless journalist, trying to expose a scandal. The questions are endless. How could you miss such a big mistake? Are you sure you checked it? What about the people that PAID you for the desk pad? What are you going to tell everyone? Are there not more mistakes in the rest of the year? What about the items that you blessed people with? What are THEY going to think about this?
I try to answer the questions that are fired at me, like shots being fired in a serious war. I dodge, duck and dive so that I am not hurt in the process. I am close to tears, feeling like everything that came from God’s hand to mine is going up in flames.
Of course the devil came and tried to tell me more lies. Like that I did not hear God correctly and clearly about the Pink Feathers range. With that, I was also told that having a blog is actually very stupid. A snotty comment is left by him – Who is interested in reading about your life and experiences?
All the lies were marching around in my mind. At first I kept quiet and did not tell anyone anything. Silently I was praying that NO ONE ELSE saw the spelling mistake. Then I could not hold it in anymore. I had to share it with SOMEONE. Coincidently, a friend of mine (who is also a client) phoned me. We chatted about the work and then I blurted out my mistake. Just like that. Off topic and out of the blue (so typical of how I am).
She laughed and encouraged me in the way that only that red-headed friend of mine can do. A few days later I get the courage to show another person, I even asked my housekeeper if she can see the mistake, showed a cousin on my husband’s side and so it went on. It was hilarious to see everyone’s reactions, because they took it very seriously.
With narrowed eyes they started to read through the page, searching for the error. At first no one saw it. Then I encouraged them, look CLOSELY. It is not in the fine print. Then they see it. Some of them look at me with wide eyes, others laugh, others put their hands over their mouths in unbelief.
But everyone had the same reaction – ARPIL! Some time after I spotted the mistake, I got the courage to show my husband. He too did not see it immediately. Then he saw it, grinned and shook his head in unbelief.
At that point I was still on the route of self-punishment, trying to dodge the shady journalist. What are the people going to think of me? Are they going to tell everyone that my products are of poor quality and then I am going to sit with crates full of stock that I can do nothing with? Those are the thoughts that tried to set up camp in my mind. Somewhere, after sharing the mistake with my husband, I got an idea.
I tell my husband (or did he tell me? I don’t know the difference some days, because our thoughts and words are so intertwined and we just think the same) maybe I should make a competition of the error? Giving away a notebook as a prize? In the passing of each other, we had a conversation and I heard him say That is not a bad idea. I immediately start working on a design for my new campaign on Canva and decide to create two categories for winners – seeing as I told some people of the spelling mistake, not being able to include them in the competition.
Well, the rest is, as they say, history. People shared my post and liked it on Facebook and Instagram. A few other people tagged some people and so the process started. I purposefully stayed off social media, because the first day after starting the competition, I found myself checking what was going on every few minutes.
Then I got frustrated if people do not respond and reacted quick enough, irritation started to kick in when I saw that my post’s reach were not to my satisfaction. Then I feel the gentleness of the Holy Spirit, working on me on the inside, whispering to my spirit. Stop going on to social media the whole time. It steals your time. Focus on your work. I will sort out the rest.
My goodness, after I made this decision, it was a bit tough not to go onto social media, like I did every morning. I just visited my page to post more advertisements about the competition and then I went off again, not looking at reactions or comments at all.
It was such a feeling of freedom to be off social media, I cannot describe it. In my opion, I was not THAT active on Social Media. Or so I thought….I did not post something everyday, I just went to my blog’s page more often than my own page, because this is my method of advertising and spreading God’s word.
But then I started to look at my phone’s statistics about the time spent on what application and then I got a fright. BECAUSE….what I thought was only 5 or 10 minutes, was actually longer….I recon this is a discussion for another day…
Back to the spelling mistake…thankfully God saved me from another mistake. Earlier this year, when I designed new notebooks, I made a BIG OOPS on one of the English notebooks. On the front it read Noteboek and not Notebook. I placed the order with the printers one Friday to start preparing my order.
The Saturday morning, I woke up anxiously with something pressing hard on my heart. There is a spelling mistake on one of my notebooks! I sit up straight, early the morning, around half past five. I reach for my phone, checking the designs (which I had available electronically there too). True as Bob, there is a mistake on the one English notebook. This to me was AMAZING that God showed me exactly where the mistake was, it did not take me long to find it.
None the less, God saved me from a much bigger mistake and OOPS that day, because the outside of a notebook is not something that you use for a month and then tear off and throw away like the pages of a desk pad.
With a very grateful heart I want to close off. No one of us are perfect, we all make mistakes, even mistakes that one pays money for. That is ok. God, once again, took something bad and turned it into something good and beautiful! Congratulations to the winners of the notebooks! May God bless everything that is written in those notebooks, like only He can.
Vir 11 dae van April kyk ek na my tafelkalender (of desk pad soos ons almal dit maar eintlik noem) en ek mis net heeltemal die spelfout. Ek gebruik hom, maak nota’s, trek dae dood soos wat die tyd aanbeweeg en die lewe is ‘n spreekwoordelike lied.
Ek dink die Here het my oë toegehou vir die fout, net sodat ek ‘n lekker verjaarsdag kon hê. Want, die 12de April (die dag na ek verjaar het) vang my oog die spelfout. Dit lees Arpil 2022 en nie April 2022 soos dit veronderstel is om te wees nie. Die wêreld begin om my draai, ek voel hoe ek bleek raak, my mond word selfs droog.
Ek sit met my hande in my hare en dink by myself HOE HET EK DIT GEMIS? Weet jy hoeveel keer het ek dit nagesien? Selfs nog 2 pare oë gekry om te help proeflees. En ons almal het dit gemis!
Die volgende oomblik is dit asof Kritiek my om elke hoek en draai probeer voorkeer soos ‘n shady genadelose joernalis wat ‘n skandaal oopvlek. Die vrae is eindeloos. Hoe kon jy so ‘n groot fout gemis het? Is jy seker jy het dit nagegaan? Wat van die mense wat jou BETAAL het vir die desk pad? Wat gaan jy vir almal sê? Is daar nie dalk nog foute later die jaar nie? Wat van die wat jy mense mee geseën het? Wat gaan HULLE van dit dink?
Ek probeer die vrae wat op my gevuur word soos skote wat in ‘n ernstige oorlog geskiet word, antwoord. Ek koes sodat ek nie in die proses stukkend geskiet word nie. Ek is na aan trane, dit voel of alles wat ek voel uit God se hand na my toe kom, opgaan in vlamme.
Natuurlik kom die duiwel en probeer nog ‘n paar leuens vir my vertel. Soos dat ek eintlik verkeerd gehoor het by die Here oor die hele Pienk Vere reeks. Saam met dit word ek vertel dat ek eintlik maar simpel is om ‘n blog te hê. Wie stel nou eintlik belang in jou lewe en jou ervarings? Hoor ek die vyand se snedige kommentaar.
So draai die leuens in my kop al in die rondte. Ek bly eers stil en sê vir niemand iets nie. Bid stilweg dat NIEMAND anders die fout ontdek nie. Toe kon ek nie meer nie, ek moes net met IEMAND deel en toevallig bel ‘n vriendin (wat ook ‘n kliënt is) my. Ons gesels oor die werk en daar laat val ek die hele sak patats net so. Off topic en uit die bloute uit (soos wat ek maar maak).
Sy lag en bemoedig my, op die manier wat net hierdie rooikop kan doen. ‘n Paar dae later skraap ek moed bymekaar en wys vir nog iemand, vra my bediende om te kyk of sy dit kan sien, wys ‘n niggie aan my man se kant, en so gaan dit aan. Dis vrek snaaks om almal se reaksies dop te hou, want hulle vat dit ernstig.
Hulle oë gaan sommer op skrefies soos wat hulle die fynskrif deursoek en fynkam. Eers kyk hulle en sê hulle sien dit nie. Dan por ek hulle aan, kyk MOOI. Dis nie in die fyn skrif nie. Dan sien hulle dit. Sommige se oë rek groot, ander lag, ander slaan hul hande oor hul monde in verbasing.
Maar almal het dieselfde reaksie – ARPIL! Iewers na ek die fout gesien het, besluit ek om maar die moed bymekaar te skraap en my man te wys. Hy sien dit ook nie dadelik nie. Toe hy dit sien, grinnik hy net en skud sy kop in ongeloof.
Ek was natuurlik nog al die pad op self-punishment se roete, probeer die shady joernalis ontduik. Wat gaan die mense van my dink? Hulle gaan vir almal vertel hoe swak die produkte is en dan gaan ek met kratte vol voorraad sit en niks mee kan doen nie. Dis die gedagtes wat toe nou weer probeer tent opslaan by my. Iewers, na ek die fout met my man gedeel het, kom daar ‘n gedagte by my op.
Ek sê vir my man (of het hy dit vir my gesê? Ek weet nie aldag nie want ons gedagtes en woorde is so ineen verstrengel soms en ons dink so dieselfde), miskien moet ek ‘n kompetisie van dit maak? ‘n Notaboek as prys gee. So in die verbygaan praat ons met mekaar en ek hoor hom sê Dis nie ‘n slegte idee nie. Nou ja, toe laat ek nie gras onder my voete groei nie. Ek spring weg en ontwerp ‘n ding op Canva en besluit om twee kategorieë te skep vir wenners – siende dat ek die spelfout uit die mou gelaat het vir sommige mense en dus hulle nie kon insluit in die kompetisie nie.
Nou ja, die res is geskiedenis, mense het my post geshare en gelike op Facebook en Instagram. ‘n Paar mense het ander getag en so het die proses sy gang gegaan. Ek het doelbewus van sosiale media af gebly, want die eerste dag na ek die kompetisie begin het, het ek myself gekry dat ek elke paar minute gaan kyk het wat aangaan.
Dan raak ek frustreerd as mense nie vinnig genoeg reageer nie en as ek sien my post het nie ‘n reach van genoeg mense soos ek nou dink dit moet wees nie. Ek voel hoe die Heilige Gees sagkuns binne my werk en fluister. Hou op om heeltyd op sosiale media te gaan. Dit steel jou tyd. Fokus jy op jou werk. Ek sal sorg vir die res.
Liewe land, na ek die besluit geneem het, was dit nogals moeilik om nie terug te gaan soos ek ouder gewoonte elke oggend gedoen het nie. Ek het net opgegaan om nog advertensies te post en dan weer afgegaan, glad nie gekyk na die reaksies en kommentaar nie.
Dit was so bevrydend om van sosiale media af te wees, ek kan dit nie beskryf nie. Ek was nie, in my opinie, so aktief op Sosiale Media nie. So het ek gedink… Ek het mos nie elke dag iets gepost nie, net my blog se bladsy het so bietjie meer aandag geniet, want dis maar my metode om te adverteer en God se woord te versprei.
Toe ek begin om na my foon se statistieke te kyk van die tyd wat op watter toepassings (hoe is dit nou vir ‘n ordentlike Afrikaanse woord?) spandeer was, toe skrik ek. WANT….wat ek gedink het was net 5 of 10 minute was toe nou eintlik langer…ek reken ook hierdie is ‘n bespreking vir ‘n ander dag…
Terug by die spelfout…die Here het my genadiglik van ‘n ander blaps gered. Toe ek vroeër die jaar die nuwe notaboeke ontwerp het, het ek ‘n groot OEPS gemaak op die een Engelse een. Dit het voorop gelees Noteboek en nie Notebook nie. Ek het die Vrydag die bestelling by die drukkers geplaas om te begin druk.
Die Saterdagoggend word ek met ‘n beklemming op my hart wakker. Daar is ‘n spelfout op een van die notaboeke! Ek vlieg regop, dit was nog vroeg, half ses die oggend. Ek gryp my foon en kyk na die ontwerpe (wat ek elektronies hier ook tot toegang het). Wragties, die fout is op die een engelse een. Dit was net AMAZING vir my dat die Here my presies gewys het waar die fout was, dit het my nie lang geneem om dit te kry nie.
Nie te min, die Here het my van ‘n baie groter blaps en oeps gered daardie dag, want die buitekant van die notaboek is nou nie iets wat jy net vir ‘n maand gebruik en dan afskeur en weggooi soos die desk pad se bladsye nie.
Met ‘n dankbare hart sluit ek af. Niemand van ons is perfek nie, ons almal maak foute, selfs foute waarvoor ons geld betaal. En dis ok. Die Here het weereens iets slegs gevat en dit omskep in iets goed en mooi! Baie geluk aan die wenners van die notaboeke! Mag die Here elke ding wat daarin neergepen word seën soos wat net Hy kan!
They say practice makes perfect. First of all – who is this “they” that have all these sayings? You know, when you have this conversation with people and somewhere in a sentence it is said “They say…” followed by some or another fact, that does not always make sense. These clever people that do not live on earth it seems to me.
So I want to contest this statement. We are humans and NOTHING we do will ever be perfect. So are we not lying when we say practice makes perfect?
I say, practise creates endurance, excellence and improvement. The reason why I say this is, looking back on where Beroepsvrou started one year ago (23 March 2022 marked the first year of my blog), I stand in absolute amazement at what God has done for me, how I have grown as a person and how the blog and everything that goes with it has evolved over such a short time.
Yes, you may go and read my very first entry….just to compare and see what I am going on about… When I look at the layout I realise I know more now than what I did then. My eyes are trained better to do better layouts, etc. It also started on Facebook directly and not this platform.
Wow, wow and again wow. All I can say is thank God that He guided me through this process and that I was open for improvement so to speak. When I look at the first few entries that were on Facebook first, I can only grin and thank God for the electronic trail that has been left for me to reflect on.
You see. Sometimes you have to just start somewhere. Do not wait until you have it all figured out and planned perfectly. Nothing will ever be perfect, especially when you start. Just go with the flow and roll with the punches. That is what I did here with Beroepsvrou. I let God guide me all the way.
Listening to my instincts, reacting impulsively to my ideas (sometimes with a bit of remorse after realising WHAT I had committed to) and then easing into it (not quite as simple as that, but you get what I am trying to say here) letting God shape me and form me…taking on what seemed impossible but that which turned out to be more than possible with His help of course.
The moral of this story? Just keep on keeping on. If it is what God wants you to do, He will make a way. He will fight the fight for you. And then you can sing like Dory from Finding Dory sang (yes I have watched it with the kids) Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming……
That is also why I chose the scripture that is on the notebooks. The scripture that God confirmed to me, more than once, when Doubt was trying to dig a whole as big as the one in Kimberley, in my mind. God is busy doing something new. He is making a path in an economical desert. He is letting rivers come forth when it feels like the Pandemic-sun is scorching away, letting businesses dry out like plants that cannot withstand the desert heat.
Just keep swimming…..swimming, swimming….I feel the words swimming through my mind just like Dory swam through the sea looking for her parents….
In Engels is daar ‘n gesegde – Practice makes perfect. Eerstens wil ek weet – wie is hierdie “hulle” waarna altyd verwys word? Jy weet, wanneer jy met iemand praat en die persoon sê “Hulle sê…” gevolg deur een of ander uitlating wat nie altyd sin maak nie. Sulke slim mense wat klaarblyklik nie op aarde woon nie, voel dit vir my!
So ek wil hierdie spreekwoord of standpunt (nie seker hoe om daarna te verwys nie?) teenstaan. Ons is almal mense en NIKS wat ons ooit doen SAL perfek wees nie. So jok ons nie vir onsself as ons sê practice makes perfect nie?
Ek sê, oefening kweek en skep deursettingsvermoë, excellence (by gebrek aan ‘n beter Afrikaanse woord) en verbetering. Die rede hoekom ek dit sê, is, wanneer ek terugkyk na waar Beroepsvrou was een jaar gelede (23 Maart 2022 merk die eerste bestaansjaar van die webjoernaal), staan ek net in absolute verwondering oor wat God vir my gedoen het, hoe ek as ‘n individu gegroei het (en alles wat met dit saam gaan) en hoe die hele ding verander het, skielik en oor so ‘n kort tydjie.
Ja, jy kan gerus my heel eerste inskrywing lees…net om seker te maak waaroor ek nou hier aangaan. Wanneer ek terug kyk na hoe dit gelyk het, besef ek dat ek vir seker nou meer weet as wat ek toe geweet het. My oë is beter geoefen om die uitleg beter te laat lyk, en so meer. Dit het ook eers direk op Facebook begin en nie op hierdie platform nie.
Wow, wow en weer wow. Al wat ek kan sê is dankie Here dat Hy my gelei het deur die proses en dat ek myself oopgestel het vir verbetering. Wanneer ek terug kyk na die eerste paar inskrywings, wat eers op Facebook was, kan ek net glimlag en die Here dank vir die elektroniese spoor wat vir my gelos was om op te reflekteer.
Jy sien, soms moet jy net IEWERS begin. Moet nie wag tot jy alles beplan en uitgewerk het nie. Niks gaan ooit eksie perfeksie wees nie. Go with the flow, ry die spreekwoordelike golf. Dis wat ek gedoen het met Beroepsvrou. Ek het dat God my lei al die pad.
Ek het geluister vir my instinkte, impulsief gereageer op my idees (soms met spyt na ek besef het WAARVOOR ek myself ingelaat het) en dan sit ek amper agteroor (nie heeltemal nie want dit was nie so eenvoudig nie, maar jy verstaan wat ek probeer sê) en laat die Here my vorm en maak….om goed aan te pak wat onmoontlik voorgekom het, maar wat meer as moontlik uitgedraai het, met Sy hulp natuurlik.
Die doel van die storie? Hou aan om aan te hou. In Engels klink dit beter. Just keep on keeping on. As dit is wat die Here wil hê jy moet doen sal Hy ‘n pad maak. Hy sal vir jou veg. En dan kan jy sing soos Dory van Finding Dory (ja ek het dit saam met my kinders gekyk) Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming……
Dit is ook hoekom ek die skrif vers gekies het wat op die notaboeke verskyn. Die Here is besig om iets nuuts te doen. ‘n Pad in ‘n ongangbare ekonomiese woestyn te maak. Riviere te laat uitspruit wanneer dit voel of die Pandemie-son besighede laat opdroog en leeg suig soos plante wat nie bestand is teen die woestyn hitte nie.
Just keep swimming…..swimming, swimming….swem die woorde deur my gedagtes soos wat Dory deur die see geswem het op soek na haar ouers….
The joy always comes in the morning. Words that I tell myself often and I think purely it is because someone else said it to me when I was younger. Perhaps my mother? A few years ago I realised that this was from God’s word these words, out of scripture.
This month the scripture is Psalms 30:5 and the essence of that scripture is joy. You see, since 2020 it was as if my joy had been stolen by the enemy. Before then too, but since 2020, it was almost amplified if I can use that word here. More intense.
I know at some stage during 2020 I felt like I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!! and all that, while I was at home the whole time. Did anyone else also feel like that? I felt like I was in a jail of some sort. The sword of uncertainty hanging over our heads the whole time. Which way is this Pandemic going to go? Are we going to fall ill? Are my loved ones going to fall ill? Will I still be able to generate income in spite of the Pandemic?
What is the economy going to look like? The previous Pandemic was followed by the Great Depression. Are we also going to experience something like this in our lifetime? How do we handle this? The questions ran around in my mind, leaving a path of sadness and destruction. Almost like a footpath that has been walked on over and over, where the grass does not want to grow anymore.
Many mornings I struggled to find my joy in 2020 and even in 2021. Everything was just too much at times. It was as if the lack of joy was just there, day in and day out. Did others also feel like this? Or was I the only one? I have been through tough times during the Pandemic. I also know that I am not the only one that struggled during this time.
Something that I do love is, that, when I am at my lowest low, I feel the closest to God. It is as if I can hear His voice more clearly. I still remember one day, where I was sitting in tears, behind my computer, trying to tell and explain to my husband how I feel. I struggled to find the words to explain to him what I was feeling and experiencing inside of me.
The next moment, we hear a song playing on Spotify. It was as if God just placed the words there so that my husband can hear it. Obviously the tears were more as I listened to the song. It felt as if God was speaking to me directly, in an audible verbal form.
I cannot explain how, what or where. But, after that song, my joy came back. It was as if my spirit calmed down, because she knew God sees and hears EVERYTHING. He knows my heart, He knows what makes me happy and sad.
At this present day, I do not enjoy it that much to listen to that song. Probably because I am not at THAT low place anymore. But, when I struggle, feeling worn out, this is the song that I like to play over and over and listen to.
God is so good and wonderful to us as people. May we always remember, when we are on our lowest low, that God is there. It is so true what David wrote about – even when I go through the valley of death, there is God. I am sure I am not quoting the words correctly, but I am sure you understand what I am trying to say here.
I also feel in my spirit that April’s scripture will only have one entry. Purely because it is very simple. Just keep on looking for God in everything, even if you feel you are at your lowest of low level in your life. SEARCH for Him. He is everywhere and if you start searching you will surely find Him. This too is out of scriptures and I can confirm this from my own experience. I choose to listen to God’s voice and to search for Him.
I see the tears sitting on your cheeks. I know you’re tired, fall now to sleep. Stop fighting so hard, it’s time to surrender. Raise your white flag, and always remember. Your heart will feel lighter, everything will be brighter, find peace in knowing that all will be well in the morning….I hear the song’s words play and I think to myself, it is true. Everything will be better in the morning!
The joy always comes in the morning. Woorde wat ek gereeld vir myself sê en ek dink bloot dis omdat iemand anders dit vir my gesê het toe ek jonger was. Dalk my ma? Ek het tot ‘n hele paar jaar gelede nie besef dis skriftuurlik nie.
Hierdie maand se skrif is Psalms 30:6 en handel juis oor die vreugde. Jy sien, sedert 2020 is dit asof my vreugde al hoe meer gesteel was deur die vyand. Voor dit ook, maar dit voel regtig vir my, sedert 2020, is dit amper amplified as ek nou daardie woord kan gebruik. Meer intens.
Ek weet ek het op ‘n kol in 2020 gevoel EK WIL NET HUIS TOE GAAN!! en dit alles terwyl ek heeltyd by die huis was. Het enige iemand anders ook so gevoel? Ek het gevoel of ek in ‘n tronk of iets van ‘n aard was. Die swaard van onsekerheid wat oor mens se kop die heeltyd hang. Watter kant toe gaan die Pandemie gaan. Gaan ons siek word? Gaan my mense in my huis siek word? Gaan ek nog kan inkomste genereer ten spyte van die Pandemie?
Hoe gaan die ekonomie lyk? Die vorige Pandemie was gevolg deur die Groot Depressie. Gaan ons ook so iets ervaar en beleef in ons tyd? Hoe hanteer mens dit? So het die vrae om en om gehardloop in my gedagtes, spore van verdriet en vernietiging gelos in die proses. Amper soos ‘n uitgetrapte voetpad waar die gras nie meer wil groei nie.
Ek het baie oggende gesukkel om my joy te kry in 2020 en selfs in 2021. Alles het net een te veel gevoel by tye. Dis asof die lack of joy net daar was dag in en dag uit. Het ander ook so gevoel? Of is ek die enigste een? Ek is deur moeilike tye, soos elke ander mens gedurende die Pandemie. Ek weet vir seker ek is nie die engiste een gewees wat gesukkel het nie.
Wat vir my altyd die lekkerste is, is wanneer ek op my laagste laag is, voel ek die naaste aan die Here. Dis asof ek Sy stem net duideliker hoor. Ek onthou nog een dag het ek weereens in trane gesit voor my rekenaar, vir my man probeer vertel hoe ek voel. Ek het gesukkel om woorde te kry om vir hom te verduidelik.
Die volgende oomblik hoor ons ‘n liedjie speel oor Spotify. Dis asof die Here net die woorde daar kom sit het sodat my man dit kan hoor. Natuurlik was die trane nog meer toe ek na die woorde luister, want dit het gevoel asof die Here direk met my praat, in verbale, hoorbare vorm.
Ek kan nie verduidelik hoe, wat of waar nie. Maar, na daardie liedjie, het my joy gekom. Dis asof my geesmens rustig geraak het want sy weet die Here sien en hoor ALLES. Hy ken my hart, Hy weet wat maak my gelukkig en wat maak my ongelukkig.
Ek geniet dit nie nou so baie om na die liedjie te luister nie. Seker omdat ek nie meer op DAARDIE lae plek is nie. Maar, wanneer ek sukkel, moeg, afgemat en uitgemergel voel, is dit die liedjie wat ek speel en oor en oor luister.
Die Here is so wonderlik en goed vir ons as mense. Mag ons altyd onthou, wanneer ons op ons laagste laag is, is God daar. Dis waar wat Dawid geskryf het – al gaan ek deur die vallei van die dood, daar is God. Ek weet ek kwoteer nie die presiese woorde nie, maar ek is seker jy verstaan wat ek hier bedoel.
Ek voel ook in my gees dat April se skrif net een inskrywing gaan hê. Bloot omdat dit so eenvoudig is. Hou net aan God soek in alles, al is jy op jou laagste. Gaan SOEK Hom. Hy is oral en as jy eers begin soek sal jy Hom vind. Dít is ook skriftuurlik en kan ek ook van getuig. Ek kies om die Here se stem te hoor en te gaan uitsoek.
I see the tears sitting on your cheeks. I know you’re tired, fall now to sleep. Stop fighting so hard, it’s time to surrender. Raise your white flag, and always remember. Your heart will feel lighter, everything will be brighter, find peace in knowing that all will be well in the morning….hoor ek die liedjie se woorde speel en dink by myself, dis waar. Alles sal beter wees in die oggend!
Saturday morning, I left the house with an enormous amount of guilt, to attend an in person Masterclass with Aletté Winckler. From Mom-guilt to Wife-guilt to Financial-guilt, you name it I felt it.
Mom-guilt is always there, so everything I do is weighed down by that, by the way. The other two not so much, but they were present on the day. Anyway, I was late leaving and driving to Johannesburg for the event and when I had JUST left the house I realised I never put my earrings in (or on? Which one is it?).
I decided that I CANNOT meet THE STYLE QUEEN herself and not have earrings on. So I sacrificed some travelling time to turn around and fetch the earrings. Anyway, I arrived 5 minutes before it all started, sighing a big sigh of relief.
Needless to say, it was measuring, looking at colours against the face, you name it we did it. I walked over to Aletté (typically of how I am) and introduced myself to her. She must get this all the time and in hindsight I just laugh at myself, but there is a bit more to this introduction and why she would know how I fit into her picture…
I left the house with an enormous amount of guilt.
Elsie Potgieter
I must say, I LOVE listening to her and in person it is even better than on Facebook videos! She did not only speak about color and style, she instilled some word from God and the Holy Spirit spoke directly to my heart when she spoke. Like, we must enjoy the season that we are in. They do not last forever, which is so true. She also said that, at some time or another, we all offend our children and this places a rock between us, which in the end builds a wall.
Realising that I made wrong with both my children, offending them at some time and on some level with something, purely because I was busy with work or something that required my attention at the time….this had placed many rocks between us…
She further said that when you apologise, you remove the rocks and the wall or barrier that the enemy is trying so hard to build up – because he is out to make everyone miserable and ruin relationships!Thank God that I have apologised to my kids when I did wrong, sometimes not enough I think. But I felt there is hope and we are on the right track I hope (and think).
We all offend our children at some stage. This places rocks between us, building a wall.
Aletté Winckler
She also spoke about forgiveness, something God has been talking to me about a lot lately. Sometimes I get it right and other times not so much. But she physically demonstrated that, when you hold something against someone, you are bound to that person for as long as you hold onto the thing you hold against them. What do you call the repetition of the same word in a sentence? Some fancy language label… My word, how is that for holding on to holding something to hold on to….anyway, moving on!
They go on with their lives and you cannot understand why you just cannot move on and live the life you are supposed to live. So true and something God has showed me, yet I keep on forgetting that at times…
Aletté further said that God loves us all uniquely not the same. This was a very interesting fact and something I had not thought about in that manner before….and that is how it is with our children is it not? We love each one as God created them to be. What I realised, is that I need to know and understand myself, my husband and my children even better than what I already do.
If we do not address everyone’s love languages, then the time spent in the house, the place where we are supposed to feel safe and loved, will become torture and awful which will leave scars.
Back to the image stuff. Apparently it takes 1,5 seconds to make an impression (a few years ago it was 7,5 seconds). Wow. Why did this change? I suppose because everything seems to be going faster and faster these days….so naturally things like that will also speed up.
It takes 1,5 seconds to impress someone.
Aletté Winckler
At some stage during the day, the enemy wanted me to feel like he always tries to make me feel. The odd one out. The one that is not pretty enough. The one that did not put her lipstick on (something I am not crazy about wearing but realised that it is a must if I want to leave an impression). I even felt intimidated by each and everyone there, especially the Image Queen herself, with her funky green jacket, white shoes, red lips and all.
As soon as those thoughts started, I then, almost, for a moment proceeded to believe the next lie – that I wore the wrong outfit. Let us face it. Going to something like this is intimidating, as you feel that you will be judged by others. I dressed for comfort more than style and that is purely because of the cold front that came in suddenly and early.
Not that there was something wrong with my outfit, the colour and everything was right I later learned. As all the lies started to march around in my mind, I even had a thought that I messed up the ONE CHANCE that I had to have a gorgeous photo of me and Aletté. She, of course, looked stunning and I looked, well, dull and everything that she is not.
The Holy Spirit immediately started to work with my thoughts, sifting and throwing out the negative seeds the enemy was trying to sow in my spirit. He told me, that, it is OK to have this photo that I perceive to be dull and not so great, about me. Because, the next time that I will meet Aletté, I will know my everything relating to style better and be even better presented. Was this not the purpose of today?
Around about this paragraph, I realised that this entry is going to be longer than the average entry. This is purely because I cannot break this up into chapters, we will loose the essence of what happened on 9 April 2022. I am also writing only in English, not Afrikaans too like I normally do. That is because of a few reasons, one is this piece is very long to translate, two – the class was presented in English due to English people being in the audience, and, three – there are more English people, I believe, who will be reading this entry.
Back to the day. Somewhere during the morning she gave some facts. Like, we as woman dress to impress other woman rather than our husbands. What a shocker, but as soon as she said it, I realised it is so true! My husband’s comment on this statistic is that us women, are always in competition with each other….something to think about too. She then also said that we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. Jip, you read right! She did a calculation and what a shocker about the amount of money we have wasted on garments that are not worn often. Thank goodness I do not shop every season cupboards full of clothes, but, this statistic made me think….I have some sorting out to do in my cupboard….to throw out things I no longer wear…
Woman dress to impress other women, rather than their husbands.
Aletté Winckler
She talked about a lot of other things too. I am not going to write about everything for two reasons. Number 1 – my husband also reads this blog, and she said some things (many of them I had figured out over time) but want to keep it a surprise for our special time together. Number two – those who are reading this who have not attended the Masterclass yet, must do so, I do not want to spoil the fun.
Back to the girly stuff. I was very much surprised to learn that my bonestructure is medium rather than small like I thought my whole life. She continued to bombard us with information, which I tried to make notes of as we went along. Things that I did not know, yet did without knowing why.
The long and short of it all is – the human eye searches for balance the whole time. If you are off balance it looks wrong and you do not feel confident. She also said that, when working from home, you must dress like you are at the office. If you look the part you will act the part. Something which I also always did, because I have worked from home since I was 23 years old (right out of articles starting my own Accounting and Auditing Firm).
We were then divided into two groups – cool and warm. I suspected that I was cool (not the cool as in the OutSurance advertisement where the officer takes his own temperature at the end saying I am still cool). This (being cool) means something, which I cannot put into words because of a lack of sufficient knowledge. Let me say this – I now know what colors to wear, and thank goodness my instincts over time were right! I do not have to replace my entire cupboard – something I am sure my husband will be elated and ecstatic to know.
This is higher grade…
Aletté Winckler
Then they placed colour boards beneath our faces to determine the next thing Cool and clear or Cool and muted as well as another option which I cannot remember. At some stage Aletté was looking at the ladies, then she would say, “Show number one again, show me number three, no back to number two.” It felt like an eye test to me. You know, where you tell the optometrist you want to see lens number one again because…. mmmmm…. number two was very close to number one.
When it was my turn to watch this intriguing process being done on other ladies, I followed Aletté and her team like I don’t know WHAT. I wanted to UNDERSTAND what she was doing. Many times during the process she said it is Higher Grade stuff this. I commented to say it is more like doing a Masters Degree (I suppose that is why she calls it a Master Class is it not?). At one stage I thought my CA exams were easier to grasp and understand than this.
But anyway. Back to the process of determining the next level or step if I may call it that. I looked and looked. There were about two or three ladies where I thought I could see what they were going on about, but I was not sure. It was almost like those 3D pictures that were in the center-fold of the Huisgenoot magazine growing up. I just could not see it! And when you think your eye is trained to see something, it looses it again and then you just think it was your mind playing tricks on you.
Somewhere during the morning Aletté also said that your style that you like to dress in, says a lot about your personality. I did not know this and did not think about it in this way….I did not even know I had a style (with a name nogal)! But, after attending the Masterclass, I know a lot more and I also received access to the SA Image Application, I now have Aletté’s knowledge in the palm of my hand, specially designed for me…I now know my style, colors and a whole lot more…
Your style says a lot about your personality.
Aletté Winckler
On my way home, I thought about the whole day. I realised that we know so little about that which God wants us to know. It was as if the Holy Spirit prompted me to think a bit more about what had just happened and whatis busy happening in my life. So many things on so many levels. I feel overwhelmed, but I know this is HOW God works with me. I need to do things on different levels to get the desired outcome…to get ready and prepared for that which He showed me 14 years ago.
I am busy with Ethics training (as you may or may not know) where I am learning about my personality based on the Tall Trees analysis from Hettie Brittz. Somewhere within that process we are working on Emotional Intelligence. I do not know enough to comment on that yet. And now, two days before I have been 40 for a year, I learned about my physical appearance. I also reallised, that with the Tall Trees personalities I must figure out my family’s Tall Trees profiles AND love languages too…
It is as if God is working on me at three different levels at the same time. Body, spirit and soul. Wow is all I can say. It is crazy busy with a husband, two kids, two businesses AND all this going on. Somehow I realised that we HAVE TO MAKE TIME for these things. We cannot just work all the time. All the glory to God for sending all these things to me. Even at times when it seems impossible to fit something like that in too.
I always say – when is a good time to start? (something that Aletté also talked about). I cannot wait until my kids are finished with school. In the process I would have made more damage and left more scars because I did not know them like I should know them! Now is a good a time as any. I mean I normally start crazy things and make hectic changes in my life in February (my busiest time work wise), so then April is not that bad…
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