Tag: bible

While doing this entry, I look at the date and see that it is end of January 2022! How did that happen? Yesterday it was still December, we were on leave, preparing for the new school year in 2022 and poof just like that it is the end of February….

I chewed and thought about the scripture about Deborah the whole month, a bit longer actually. None the less. I still have a lot of questions (it feels like a thousand) about her. Answers that I do not see at first glance in the scripture. Did people treat her with respect or did they treat her the way they sometimes treat me? That is something I don’t know…

I noted however, that she WORKED WHILE she was a prophet. In other words, she was not FULL TIME in ministry. No, she had her day job too that required her attention.

Now that answers quite a bit of questions that I have currently and had in the past. For a long time it felt wrong to work and not be in ministry full time. Not being able to do what I perceive God wants me to do.

The long and short of what I read between the lines of this bible verse is, she had to make time to spend time with God to be able to be a prophet. That is not something that just happened all by itself. As a human being, she had to put in effort to hear from God what it is that she was supposed to do. This is my own conclusion and to me it is logic and makes sense.

The lesson that I learnt from Deborah? It is ok to be a working career woman. It is ok not to be in full time ministry, winning over souls for heaven. It is ok to not go into Africa, living off one tin of canned food per month, struggling without running water as a full time evangelist (not that this was ever what I felt I had to do, but you understand what I am trying to say here). It is not meant for everyone to win over souls for heaven in THAT manner.

You can do it WHILE you are working and exercising your career. I for one, see lots of people all day, everyday (ok not that much but I am in contact with people and the outside world). Why can I not use the position that God placed me in to spread the gospel? There is nothing wrong with that?

It all comes back to my work and this blog. Even though I thoroughly enjoy blogging (because here it feels like I am plugged into God’s voice and can HEAR what He tells me), it is ok to work too. The secret is that I must make TIME to spend with Him in His word. I have to make TIME to blog, this is when I hear His voice. I experience Him in a way while blogging that I cannot explain or experience in any other way.

The blog is certainly not a hobby or something that I do just for fun. It is also not my way of coping with things. No, it is MY way of spending time with God. He knows I cannot spend hours reading bible or drawing pictures in my journaling bible, or even do bible study the way other people do it.

No, this, together with the Pink Feathers range deskpads, is MY way of spending time with God. Many people ask me and comment about HOW I manage to get everything done between life, work and children. The only difference between them and me, is, the way that I spend time with God, is on a public platform, a place where everyone can see it. Theirs is private where no one can see it.

Now I am not saying this to let anyone feel bad, because the time you spend with God is between you and Him. But for some people, some of us, He called to be different. Doing things in a way that is different than the way majority of people do it. How are we going to make a difference if everyone does everything in the same manner?

For the first time since launching the Pink Feathers range (yes, the crazy plan as I refer to it and what I thought about yesterday afternoon as to why I did it) I understand better why God destined it to be in this manner. It is not necessarily for anyone else. It is for me to spend time with Him. And if I can help motivate and support someone else through this, then so much better.

The bible says that we have our testimonies and that God will use it to save people (or something to that effect – this I am trying to recall off the top of my head and there is the possibility that I have it slightly wrong…I will double check this though, just for myself). Important thing to remember is that the Holy Spirit will do the convincing not the people. Our testimonies are ALL that we have to tell people about God, to spread His word and tell people about His miracles. Let us use it!

Till next month…..

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Die Bybelse Beroepsvrou – Slot

While designing the Pink Feathers range last year and choosing the scriptures for each month for the deskpad calendar, I sensed that God wanted me to blog about each month’s scripture that was chosen.

I did it without hesitation but still did not know HOW I was going to do it, how often I would write something or what I will have to say about each scripture. I thought to myself that I am more than likely to only make one entry about the scripure.

But here I am, typing away at chapter 3. In particular the scripture about Deborah was interesting to me. I mean, how much can one write about the limited information available to us in the Bible about her? This is where the part of the Living Word of God comes in. You see, the more you read it and the more you think about it (I do it the whole day while working) the more God reveals to you.

On Friday we were at our children’s athletics. It was interesting and new to us, because we moved to a new school and we have been a bit out of it when it comes to activities such as these. Next to our overly big borrowed Gazebo, was another couple sitting under a beach umbrella.

We invited them to share the shade of our gazebo if the sun gets too hot and too much. Initially they sat in the shade of the gazebo (but next to it) and still under their umbrella. Eventually the sun was too hot and they moved into the shade with us.

At some stage (before we all shared the same shade under the gazebo) I saw the wife on a laptop with a headset. She was attending a virtual meeting. Just like that, next to the athletics field. I realised immediately that I am not alone in trying to keep all the balls in the air. The constant juggling game.

This I have known for some time now, but it is as if God just came to show it to me again. Everyone has one or another challenge. Majority of woman these days are Career woman. Everyone has a role they portray.

Everyone can identify with Deborah who was a Career woman. Everyone is standing at the beginning of a new work year, school year, what ever the new year means to you – everyone gets to stand in front of it and have to find their rhythm. Sometimes people feel alone and as if they are the only ones that feel this way.

That is why the scripture about Deborah was chosen for January. Just a little something to help everyone, to support them. To remind you that you are not alone. All woman who portray a career role have some or other challenge.

We are not alone! Know this – you are not alone! Everyone feel the way they do at times and that is ok. The most important thing to remember is to look for God in everything and to move into His rest. When we are in His rest everything else falls into place. It is easier said than done, especially if you are like me, trying to plan and do everything without errors the first time….

Grand finalé to follow.…

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Die Bybelse Beroepsvrou – Hoofstuk 3

As I am struggling to cope with our new routine (the routine is hectic with getting up earlier and everything having to happen 1 to 2 hours earlier than what we are used to AND this entry took a week to finish between and amongst everything else), I wonder about Deborah. Did she have kids? I cannot see that from the information available in the Bible.

She was married, that I know. What I also noted was that she was a leader. Why do you say she was a leader? You may ask. Well, she was a judge and judges portray a leadership role.

But the biggest of all is that she was a prophet. Wow. That is huge. Profits have this special connection with God (my opinion) and not that other normal people don’t have that connection – I am sure you understand what I am trying to say. But in that time, in her time, God only spoke through the prophets…..

I jump back to reality, to 2022. I, Elsie, cannot compare myself to Deborah. What I can do is to try and learn and understand what she did in the Bible and maybe try to apply some of it in my own life.

I most definitely would like to have had an interview with Deborah. I think I would have had more than 20 questions. How do you feel after a long day’s work? Do you get tired? Do you become impatient with your husband (and children)? Do you get frustrated with your work?

So the list of questions go on and on. I think the most important point that I want to close off with about Deborah is that she was a normal person (I don’t read anywhere in the Bible that she was born with golden teeth and silk for hair). No, she was just a human….one that was prepared to be God’s instrument.

Deborah was a woman, a leader, a prophet. She was God’s instrument that He used to address the Israelites…..just as I was finishing off this entry, I drove behind a car with Jer 1v5 on it. Just that. Not Jeremiah written out in English or Jeremia in Afrikaans.

I read the scripture in the Bible. I think I was like one of those cartoon characters whose jaws fell open. It reads as follows: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (KJV).

Wow, that is just a confirmation to me and just connects and fits in with the scripture of this month. God has chosen each and everyone of us even before we were formed in the mother’s womb, to be where we are today. To do what we have been called to do. That is HUGE. We cannot put God in a box, even though we sometimes try…..

To be continued ….

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Die Bybelse Beroepsvrou – hoofstuk 2

Since I became a mother, my needs and priorities changed drastically. Only a new mom with a full time career and job will know what I am talking about (not that I am saying that those whom have the absolute privilege of raising their kids full time have no idea but you will understand as you read more). Those motherly instincts that kick in the moment when you hear your first born’s cry for the first time.

For so many years I questioned WHY I am a career woman. I thought that woman in the Bible did not have heavy jobs so to speak…..or so I thought….until one evening in 2021 – while reading to our children from the Bible.

We discovered Deborah….I noted immediately that she had a very important job. She was a prophet AND a judge. Wow, that is a BIG responsibility. She had to judge the people, the Israelites. Even in Biblical terms I see this as heavy in my opinion. Being a prophet is also a huge responsibility. And she was both!

I am unable to determine from the rest of the Bible whether she had to study further to become a judge. We will probably never know either. I actually have no clue HOW people do their research about people in the Bible. Where do you start your search? How do you know what is the truth?

So I will be leaving all the technical questions about why and how surrounding Deborah and I am just going to focus on what I see in the Bible about her, and what I feel God is lying on my heart to write about her. The scripture that is on the January 2022 deskpad calendar can be found in Judges 4:4-5 – this is where I read about Deborah the first time.

If you are reading this and noted the flamingo’s on the deskpad calendar in the photo included in this article and STILL don’t know WHY flamingo’s, then I invite you to read the Pink Feathers category on my blog. That will explain it and give you insight. OK, back to the scripture for January 2022.

Now you are probably wondering WHY I chose that scripture and what is the theme for the rest of the year? Let me answer the first question….Deborah had a career, a qualification of some sort. I could identify and relate with her in a way – I stand in a career with a whole bunch of qualifications and degrees (yes it is terrible to think of it like this and to mention it like this, but, the reality is, when you are a CA and an RA, then you have to obtain about two degrees, together with a whole bunch of other things, just for those who do not know how that process works).

I know other careers also have their requirements of studying for years, doing practical training, etc. So we are not alone! Everyone had to do their bit to be able to practice their career. I kid you not – it is HARD work. And that is where the inner conflict starts between your career and being a mother. Both require so much hard work and I often feel I have to choose between being a mother and my career…..having to give up one. Giving up being a mother is out of the question….but do I want to give up all those blood, sweat and tears that I had to go through to obtain my qualification?

That being said, the other question between the questions is, why this scripture for January? Well, we are all still in a bit of a holiday mode after completing the first week of January. Some of us are preparing ourselves mentally to start work on the 10^th of January 2022. Others have already started this past week. But we all stand in a career and have to get our acts together to be able to function like before the holiday started. Let’s face it, being out of routine does not work for us. Even our dog Fudge is out of routine!

So the long and short is, I chose to start this year with something career-like, just so that we can all identify with the scripture and just to be able to get ourselves ready for the year ahead. I hope it makes sense what I am trying to say here?

The theme for the year is Pink Feathers and this is the Pink Feathers range that I recon is going to become a part of the Beroepsvrou blog and everything that goes with it. I did not choose Career woman as a theme, but rather scripture that I thought could be linked to showing Pink Feathers for God.

As mentioned before, we are all in different careers. Not everyone reading this are CA’s and RA’s. And sometimes it is pretty tough, especially as a woman, to keep on keeping on, so that the world can see that we are flaming hot for Jesus and that our feathers are really in actual fact vibrant pink for Him.

As I said before, for a long time I thought that Biblical women did not have official careers. To be continued….

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Die Bybelse Beroepsvrou – hoofstuk 1