Hurdles

Tonight I made a decision, and to be honest it’s one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make. It’s funny how that happens in life: you jump over one hurdle and then suddenly the next one is right in front of you before you’ve even had time to breathe.

Hurdles are daunting and often show up unexpectedly. Sometimes it’s a smooth jump and you just keep on running, but at other times, maybe your foot will catch or you’ll land funny and maybe it will hurt or maybe it will slow you down a bit, but the important thing is to just keep running.

The minute we stop running is the minute we lose the race.

Even though your breath may catch and your lungs may burn; even though your legs may shake and your body feel broken, the important thing is to never look back. Sometimes we are so focused on the starting point that we forget that there is still an end point we need to reach. We wonder what went wrong with the start: did we sprint too early? Did we not go fast enough? Should we have trained more? Harder? And then we end up getting so wrapped up in all the questions of what went wrong that we forget about what went right; about where we’re headed towards.

The amazing thing with a race is that between the start and finish line, there is a track and so much can change on that track! Just because your start was shaky doesn’t mean that you won’t end strong.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”

Whatever is holding you back or slowing you down, SHAKE IT OFF. And no, none of this “Aw Michaela, but it’s way more complicated than that”. Uhm no, you are making it complicated. Yes, I agree some things happen that are super hard and super difficult to get through, but I believe to every problem there is a solution you just need to choose to solve it. Maybe it’ll be one of those hurdles where you will stumble a bit, but just keep moving forward.

Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Sometimes we are so focused on the past and on past mistakes that we don’t see all the amazing, new things happening right now. By constantly looking at the “start”, we end up falling more and it just takes longer and longer and longer and longer and longer to reach the end of the race. Change your perception, change your life ;) John C. Maxwell said “The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.”

My favourite part about finishing a race (or maybe if you don’t like exercise – let’s be real, winter is a thing – then finishing an assignment or work thing) is that celebration moment: you know, the “I just ran a race and deserve a big slice of cake with extra frosting and maybe a milkshake just because” moment. At the end of the day, every single hurdle has an end and just because something seems difficult right now doesn’t mean that you won’t overcome it. One day you will look back quickly and be able to pat yourself on the back BECAUSE YOU MADE IT THROUGH. One day you will realise the lessons learnt and maybe be able to teach someone else the best way to get over a similar hurdle.

Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Joshua 1:9 tells us to BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS. You can do whatever you set your mind to- just change your perception to believe it.

I absolutely love this in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27,

“ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

That summarizes it perfectly. Run this race with purpose, run knowing that you’re in it to win it and one thing I can promise you is that you never have to do it alone. 

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8 <3

Trust

Why do bad things happen to good people? 

In truth, I don’t know.

I don’t know why some people have happy marriages and others don’t; why some people are financially stable and others don’t know when next they will have food on their plate- I don’t know why there are starving children or people with cancer. What I do know is how unfair it seems. Why did I have to lose my parents at such a young age? Why did I have to be so far away from my surviving brother? Why did I have to struggle with my body image? These are personal, but there are things we all have where we think “Why me?!”

Well, why not you?

One thing God has been teaching me on a daily basis is trust. Trust is to believe in the reliability of something. Trust is not easy, especially when it’s for Someone we can’t even physically see! I don’t know how you feel, but I actually like that bit of challenge God gives us in expecting us to trust in Him… Life would be so easy if we didn’t have to trust or wait, but it would also be so boring and predictable.

For some reason I was really lead to start reading Exodus before the holiday. I won’t lie, my Bible reading got very short in the holiday, and I’m not proud of that, so I haven’t finished yet, but I feel that I was lead to read it during a very specific time. My trust in God was starting to waver a bit… I mean was He really going to come through, or did He forget about little old me? 

But then I started looking at Moses- as in really looking.

Here’s this guy who was a part of the royal Egyptian family (not by blood, as he was originally Hebrew), does something bad in righteous anger and is forced to leave Egypt, meets God in a burning bush where he is then told to go back to the land where his punishment awaits, and tell his people (the Hebrews) to leave Egypt and go to a land that was promised, but not yet seen. Does God have high expectations or what?!
Not only does he have to do all of this, but he is expected to warn the pharaoh of some plagues that God will put onto Egypt if the pharaoh doesn’t let the Hebrews go. Oh wait, that’s not even the best part… “But Moses said to the LORD, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?” Exodus 6:30.
Great, so now Moses struggles with public speaking as well. Ey, if I was in Moses’ shoes, I can safely say my trust levels would be prettttty low (even lower than my bank account after I decide I need just “one” new pair of jeans…).
But Moses trusts God and does what He says, then BOOM the Hebrews are eventually released and God even gives them VIP travel rights through the Red Sea.

We don’t always know why something is happening, but when the time is right, it will make sense. I love this verse: “Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." (John 13:7) 

Often in the present, our perception can be twisted and inaccurate. How often do you look back at something you thought was really bad and then realise it was actually super easy to solve? I remember in matric I got so stressed about finding the perfect matric dance dress that I actually got sad and anxious- I mean it was the matric dance; it had to be perfect. In hindsight, I realise I wasted so much time moping when I should have just remained positive and gone to look at another dress place until I found something I liked (we eventually found the perfect dress at like the sixth place I looked at… Thanks again, Granny, for going with me- after all that walking we were definitely ready for Comrades!) 

We so often get angry at God- and often this anger just stems from lack of trust. Please, I’m not trying to offend anyone or anything like that, but it is true. Often when bad things happen, it feels better when we have someone to blame and most of the time that “someone” is God. The thing is, evil exists. God gave us free will. If you decide not to study and you fail that test, it is your own fault. Why are there starving children? Maybe if money was handled better and in a less corrupt manner, there would be sufficient finances to feed the poor.

I don’t have all the answers and I won’t pretend to, but at the end of the day, I know that everything will work out- it may just not happen right when I want it to. It also may happen in a way I didn’t expect it to.

Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know your name trust in you, for You, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” The key word is seek. When you really go to God and desire to find more of Him, He will come through.
From personal experience, I can honestly say I was never angry at God when my parents and brother passed away. Yes, I missed them and still do, and yes I was angry about some other things surrounding that time, but God came through for me in ways I can’t even begin to explain! A big thing,though, was the people He put into my life. Like with Moses, God got Aaron to go with him and help him speak, God provided me with people to fill every single part of my life that was missing something because of losing my parents. It probably doesn’t sound like much, but seriously I can’t explain how good these people were and have been, the love that they have showed me is not something you see every day and I am beyond grateful for that. 

So yes, I know that trust isn’t easy but I also know that God will come through for you. Maybe right now that bad thing doesn’t make sense, but one day when your puzzle is finished, you will see that every single part was pieced together for a purpose. Better yet, maybe through carrying your own burden, you can make someone else’s burden just that little bit lighter by helping them through it.

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

We weren’t meant to do this by ourselves. Give yourself and your situation to God- let Him help you through it. I think the hardest part is giving away your own control, but at the end of the day, “…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

God bless <3

Called

I am impatient.

Impatience is a character trait I’ve battled with my entire life. I don’t like to wait (although, funny enough, waiting in queues and things are fine- I am able to keep my swearing to a minimum) and, often, that causes me to forget about the journey I am on right now.

A few weeks ago I actually chatted about this to a girl at res who I really look up to. I told her I know God has a plan and He wants me to do something, but I’m not sure what yet and that is so incredibly frustrating. She told me something I will never forget: God cares more about the character than the calling.

God has a plan and a purpose for you (Jeremiah 29:11), but often His timing is different from ours. Isaiah 55:8 says, “"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.” 

We may think that we are ready for our “calling” or we may think that we have a specific calling, but God could have a completely different plan for you. Look at Paul in the Bible: he was KILLING Christians, he believed that was his purpose on earth, but then God was all “not on My watch”, made Saul (Paul’s name before his conversion) blind, says in Acts 9:15 “… Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel”, gets Ananias to heal Saul’s blindness then slam dam, Saul becomes Paul and ends up writing most of the New Testament.

Wow. Quite a lot to take in (and my trailer doesn't help much... See the full story in Acts 9) . Don’t get so stuck in your idea of what you think you’re meant to do that you don’t hear God directing you to what He wants you to do. And let’s be honest- most of the time, God’s call over your life will not be an easy one. Looking at Paul, God says in Acts 9:16, “I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

Now my English isn’t perfect, but I’m pretty suffering is not a nice way to want to live.

I was so focused on my future that I forgot about my present. I didn’t see how God was using me now, what He was teaching me in this process. I was refusing to enjoy the climb just because I was so adamant that I had to get to the top as soon as possible. Good things take time and just because you feel like you aren’t achieving much right now, remember Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
If you’re willing to completely follow God’s direction, you WILL do what you are called to do. It’s kind of like with a GPS: the GPS knows the fastest way to reach your destination, but if you keep thinking you know better routes and take different roads, you may take longer to reach that destination. God knows our “destination” and the fastest way to get there, but when we disobey Him and choose to go our own way, it will take longer to get there and we may even get lost along the way.

Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Often the temptation to leave God’s path is so… (for lack of a better word) tempting that it becomes easy to step off. The sad thing, however, is that it becomes easier and easier with each step we take off the path. Christianity is NOT for sussies, and deciding to stay on that narrow path WILL be difficult. Jesus warns us that in this world we WILL have trouble (John 16:33) and we will all face our own temptations, but choosing to stand against that takes insane, immense, immaculate courage. Deuteronomy 31:6 and Joshua 1:9 tells us TO BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS.

You are a warrior and I believe in you to change the world, but can I tell you a little secret?
You can’t change the world by yourself. But you know how we can?
Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
God is with you and He will be with you to change the world. He is our secret weapon; a weapon so powerful nothing can stand against!!!

This is long to quote but Romans 8:31-39 sums it up perfectly:

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I guess this is really just an encouragement. Don’t feel like you aren’t doing enough now. I’m not saying be lazy, sit back, marry rich and chill (although if you know any rich old men looking for a young stukkie to spoil with gifts- you know where to find me ;) ), but just take time to enjoy the ride; enjoy the climb. I can’t tell you how often I’ve gone on hikes where the fun has actually been chatting (ahem, complaining) all the way up the mountain, seeing unique fauna and flora on the climb, having unexpected laughs along the way…

You are called. God will show you the way. Just try not to travel off the way our “God GPS” directs you… Be EXCITED. Amazing things are headed your way. Just don’t ignore the amazing things happening right now <3

God bless!

Value

Life is full of lessons.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned this year is about prioritising.
Deeeper than that though, was a message I heard in a sermon: you make time for what you value (#PRIORITISE).
That hit me straight in the heart. It is easy to say we value something, but it is a whole nother thing to prove it.

Firstly, what does it mean to “value” something?
Well I went to trusty Google and typed in “value definition” (yes, yes, very scientific and smart I know; sometimes my abundant knowledge surpasses even me) and this is what I found:

“consider (someone or something) to be important or beneficial; have a high opinion of”

In all honesty, I consider a good burger something that I have a high opinion of. And let’s not forget the new Baywatch movie (no, I haven’t watched it yet but I definitely have a high opinion of Zac Efron without a shirt on…. Hehe). Definitely my gym is beneficial (the burgers may go to the thighs but they end up making less gains than if I wasn’t exercising :P ), and I consider my academics to be important (okay, sorry that’s a lie. Varsity has made me very lazy! Fine another lie. Stupid free YouTube has made me lazy...). My time for series- yup, that’s a very important time in the day.

Uhm, wait a minute…..
Where does God fit into that?

When I heard that sermon I felt convicted. Especially in terms of gym. In the beginning of the year especially, I would plan my life around gym: academics, social, everything. If it happened in a convenient gym time, I would miss it or plan it to fit into another suitable time which is not only selfish, it shows what I truly value. I’ve worked on it though and can honestly say this is switching around! (although the extra 2kg I picked up after these exams may not necessarily be a good thing :P I blame the fact that I studied so hard my brain needed extra snack fuel... Okay I’m just saying that so my grandparents think I worked more than I procrastinated #FreeWifiIsTooTempting)
Gym was my personal struggle, but we all have that one thing. The sad part is, eventually this “thing” will be an idol, it will become the god in your life.
Exodus 34:14 says, “Do not worship any other god for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
Firstly, WOW. Just WOW. God is JEALOUS for YOU. He wants your complete and undivided attention. He is so big and mighty, yet He still wants your complete love: He doesn’t want to share it.

Secondly, we become like what we worship. If you worship gym like I did, that becomes your reality. I have had some significant friendships die down because of it, I’ve struggled fitting God into my day because of it, and that is growing time I will never get back. With relationships especially (and God is the most important relationship), what we worship will determine how we act, treat and are in the relationships we have (relationships include friendships, those you meet, coworkers, spouse, siblings etc). At the end of the day, you have to look at what you are giving up and if it really is worth it.

I love gym, seriously being in that weight room is so fun for me, but at the end of the day, I value people more. Some of my loneliest moments have been spent in the gym, it just doesn’t always fill that “hole” you know. At one stage I got very unhappy and negative this year and just started separating myself from God because of it. Because of that, it just got worse! Thank goodness I got a bit of  a talking to from a very powerful woman in my life and that was the start of my journey to redetermine what I truly value.

In earthly terms, I think what I value most is life itself. There are moments (like just before an exam I don’t feel prepared for) that I think life is pointless and hard and I just want to go to heaven now (I am SO excited to go to heaven- just that freedom!!!!!), but Jesus warns us in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Deuterononmy 31:6 says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave your nor forsake you.”

Changing your values is a tough process and it will take bravery and determination, but again, at the end of the day it’s all about cost vs. benefit. In business terms, if you’re making a consistent loss, there is not point keeping that business in operation.
Don’t let the wrong values ruin vital relationships.

There are 525600 minutes in a year, which actually isn’t very long at all. Each minute can be used in a very precious way, wasting one is a minute that you will never get back. So please, listen to my heart and WAKE UP :/

Revelations 3:16 says, “So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
There is no time to be lukewarm in our relationship with God. The same with family and friends; the second you’re lukewarm is the time the time you don’t give your relationships the full value they deserve. I feel this is essential for families: don’t sacrifice your children, spouse, siblings because you value a material thing. There is more to life, I promise you. And yes, the refining process is tough. I’m sure the whole process of getting all the dirt and rock off a diamond is neither fun nor easy, but when that diamond is shining, the effort was worth it.

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

This week I challenge you:
Think about what you really value, what you make the most time for and think about what you have had to sacrifice to keep doing this. Is it worth it? (Be brutally honest!!!)
If not, shift your focus. Pray and ask God to guide you to what is most important. Sometimes even writing a checklist helps me because I like seeing what I have accomplished :P

Most importantly, realise it will not be easy. But you don’t want easy. You are strong, brave and incredible. You don’t have to be lukewarm.
Fight for happiness. At the end of the day, God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.

Guard Your Heart

Hearts are funny things.

They’re actually very small compared to other body parts, yet have the biggest impact. I know scientifically a heart is just there to pump blood and keep everything going, kind of like a car engine (obviously I spent too much time with my brother in the holiday! :P ), but metaphorically it is so much more.

Hearts symbolise love and affection; emotion. Often people tell us to “follow our hearts” or “listen to our hearts”, as if the heart knows what we truly desire. Then we get the flip of the coin: the broken hearts. When someone hurts you, you’re let down or disappointed, we often say that our heart is broken. Trust, this is not a lekker feeling, as I’m sure most of us know. Often, to avoid feeling this “unlekker” feeling in the future again, we tend to close ourselves off or stop taking chances, just in case.

However, getting hurt isn’t something to run away from. No matter what, even if you close yourself up in some sort of bubble of protection, we will get hurt. Maybe a boy or girl will break your heart, maybe family or friends will disappoint you, maybe your pet will bite you and break your heart (and probably your wallet after you have to go for a tetanus shot). Sometimes we will get hurt and often it will be by situations beyond our control, but if we keep trying to run away from hurt, we will miss out on so many beautiful things along the way,

Think about it: imagine you are on this awesome road trip, but just an hour after you’ve left, the engine packs up and needs to be fixed. Now you have to postpone the road trip another week and get the engine fixed: not only does this cost money that you could have used to buy another whey protein or a giant box of lindt (depending on your preference :P), now you need to postpone this exciting road trip that you were looking so forward to. 

I get it, it’s horrible, but at the end of the day, if you choose to feel sorry for yourself and cancel the road trip, you will be missing out on incredible memories. Yes, it’s a week later, but now you will have new days to experience new things that may not have happened if you left the week before. And yes, you had to pay for a new engine, but at least it’s new and stronger; it knows better what to expect but that doesn’t mean it is going to stop driving (well giving the car power to drive) just in case it breaks down again. Otherwise what is the point of even having a car? They’re nice to look at but trust me, they’re a lot more fun to drive!!

Similarly, with our hearts, there will come a time when a person or situation will break your heart. This will, essentially, leave you with two choices: one, stop, or two, go.
You may feel hurt and broken, and it will be awful and hard and you will have to go through a reparation process, but it will eventually be healed. Maybe it will leave a bit of a delay in the road trip that is your life, but you will get to your destination eventually if you choose to keep going.
The moment we choose to stop our hearts from carrying on is the moment we choose to stop living. Trust me again, living is waaaay more fun than just being.

If Mary or John or whoever breaks your heart, it may seem like you will be single forever, but there is someone out there who will love you a billions times more than he/she ever could have, who will treat you way better than you thought you ever could be treated. You just need to look in the right places.
If family or friends let you down, there are other people who will still love and care for you and make effort not to let you down; again you just need to look in the right places and not close yourself off from making strong, stable relationships.
If your pet gets moody with you one day, just get a new one. Haha just kidding! People and pets are allowed to have moods. I have days where I love everyone and just want to hug random people in the street (especially those guys who are leaving to go to rugby practice… Well done maties, well done). However, I also have days where I’m moody and emotional for NO APPARENT REASON. Honestly, it is so frustrating. I just want everyone to leave me alone and I want to sulk in front of my laptop watching sad movies with a bowl of Coco Pops and a box of Simonette’s brownies with five different flavoured milkshakes on the side so I don’t have to make up my mind on what I feel like. Oh ya, and I want pizza just in case I’m still hungry (can’t trust your tummy when you’re having a bad day). Actually, maybe to feel less guilty I’ll have a protein bar to make sure not all the gains are bad ;) hehe…

ANYWAY, clearly I get very excited by food, but basically, just keep your heart going so you don’t miss out on what could be. Some people may hurt you in the same way, but not everyone will.

 
Just in conclusion, although we shouldn’t stop hearts from experiencing, we should be careful with them because a broken heart can lead to many negative consequences if not healed properly.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

Everything we do is based on our emotions or experiences, and if we choose to dwell on the negatives or hold onto the bad experiences, we will only hurt ourselves and others more. That is why it is so important to deal with what has hurt you, even if it means seeking professional help, having some insane God times, seeing someone at church, having a night out with the girls or boys; there are so many things we can do to heal, just my advice is to never try doing this alone. There is such strength in numbers, I mean even the Avengers are a group of superheroes that had to come together to save the world!

Isaiah 41:6 says, “they help each other and say to their companions, "Be strong!"

Eclessiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two are better than one,  they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

And then Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Just know that you can do this, you can carry on if you choose to. Your road trip may be delayed, but it doesn’t have to end.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Holes

I have this really awesome backpack. For those of you who know me, you'll know how much I carry around. In all honesty, I don't even know what's in my backpack half the time. I actually found a shirt in there the day sitting comfortably amongst some tea bags. Yup, how that got there is a mystery.

Long story short, last week, my poor backpack got a hole in it. It started out as a small hole, but as the threads stretched, the hole just got bigger and bigger and now my backpack is officially a convertible! Guess who has to sacrifice her daily coffee for the next two months to pay for a new backpack #FirstWorldProblems.

This got me thinking. How often in life do we have a small "hole": a problem or  bad habit, that starts out small but as time goes by, it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger until a huge chunk of you ends up missing. Its fun owning a convertible (okay, well not if you care about the state of your hair), but it's not fun being one.

Having a hole means you are incomplete and at the end of the day, God brings completeness if we allow Him. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” (Perfect=complete, whole).
This, however, means we need to make active decisions to fill in those holes. For example, your “hole” may be alcohol. Maybe it started out as one small drink after work/studies every day but then as time went on it, it became two then four then became a reliance on alcohol. To fill the hole, you need to make an active decision to get rid of that influence.

Matthew 26:41 tells us, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Don't put yourself in tempting situations. Using the above example, avoid buying alcohol at all, change your shopping route so it's not near liquor stores, be accountable and ask someone to grocery shop with you so you can't secretly buy your favourite drink.

I am not naïve. I know it's not easy and I don't think closing holes is meant to be easy. Even in the verse from 1 Peter above, it says “after you have SUFFERED a while”. It will be tough, but it will also be worth it. However, it is also important to remember that sometimes those holes leak if you don't close them properly or rush the closing process. Imagine a full bottle of water and you’ve lost the lid. Now imagine stuffing any old thing inside the lid to attempt to cover it up and that bottle falls over. If it doesn't cover the hole up just right, all that water is going to leak out.

Don't let the goodness in your life leak out because you're rushed trying to fix things. Good things take time and in Ecclesiastes, God tells us there is a time for everything (“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” Ecclesiastes 3:1). If you try to rush losing weight, odds are you'll do it in an unhealthy and unsustainable manner. If you rush cooking food, you may leave something raw and your friends may end up with food poisoning. Take a breath and remember that it's okay not to rush.

Furthermore, filling a hole can be a grueling process. If you have a hole in the garden and you try fill it with sand, it can be a tiring. Your muscles may hurt, you may sweat like a beast and maybe you'll feel a little faint. But want to know something AMAZING?! You don't have to fill your holes alone. It doesn't matter if you don't have people around to support you because you've got God and He will NOT let you do this alone:

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Isaiah 41:10-13

He is holding your hand step by step and although we have freedom of choice, He is there to guide you and give you direction so that you don't end up filling the hole with the wrong-sized-stuffer-in-thing (eish, clearly I haven't had an English lesson in over a year) !

Don't let the small things in your life turn into big things that overwhelm you. The best time to act is NOW, before it's too late. At the end of the day, your hole may end up affecting more than just you. My backpack hole affects me because I probably look quite sad walking around with a broken bag, but it affects everything inside my backpack as well. Anything can fall out and anything can come in. I don't know about you, but I don't want flies and gross bugs stealing my tea bags! If you don't fill your holes, you will start attracting even worse things and negativity. Using the alcohol example from earlier, I've heard so many stories of alcoholics ending up getting divorced, losing custody of children, spending all their money on booze and then losing their house and whatnot. This may seem extreme but it happens.

So just to end off, here are three tips to cover your "hole”:

Firstly, you need to admit that you have “holes”. Don’t deny it- we all have things we could work on but we don’t like to admit. I, for instance, could learn to cover my hole of procrastination. Yes, I am Michaela Christophers and I am a procrastinator-holic. You can’t fix something you don’t know its broken.

Secondly, you need the right tools. Make sure you have a sturdy spade and the right sand. Personally, I feel the most important "thing" you need is God because with Him, nothing is impossible so even the widest holes can get covered. “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26.
If your hole is an addiction or something similar, go to rehab, to counselling or professionals who have dealt with similar situations and know how to help you overcome.
If your hole is a bit more personal, maybe going to courses or setting goals or having an accountability partner could help you overcome that.
If your hole is loneliness, look for ways to make friends (join groups or common hobbies or societies at varsity etc) and DO NOT TALK YOURSELF OUT OF IT.

Lastly, know that you don't have to do this alone. Remember, God is always there and He WILL put people in your path to help you. I heard a sermon recently that spoke about how Christianity is relationship-based which is why fellowship at church is so important. There will be someone in your path to help you, and if you feel alone remember these two verses:

“For the sake of His great name the LORD will not reject His people, because the LORD was pleased to make you His own.” 1 Samuel 12:22

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

God is SO beyond proud to have you as His child and He WILL NOT leave you to battle on your own. He has equipped you to deal with whatever you are facing. His Word tells us that He will not give us more than we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). I love the saying 'God gives his toughest battles to His strongest soldiers'.

 So come on soldier, show the world what you’re made of. Get rid of those holes and help others fill theirs. 

You’ve got this. Trust me, you're a lot stronger than you think you are ;)

I Am Beautiful

I was just watching ‘The Undateables" and there was a girl who had a blood disease that caused her lips and nose to actually rot and fall off… So basically there is a black hole where her nose is meant to be and she doesn’t have a mouth, just teeth.
She said something that really broke my heart:

“If I don’t like the way I look, how can I expect someone else to like me?”

Wow.

Now I’m not going to pretend I'm all “holier than thou” and all that, of course attraction is important and if I see a good looking guy, I’m obviously going to give him a bit more attention than a Gollum lookalike (sorry Gollum, but I don’t think I want to be your “precious” any time soon ;) )

2016 was a tough year for me in terms of my self-esteem. I obsessively wanted to lose weight because I had an insecurity about having “big” legs. A few comments about “thunder thighs” and “vet gat” really made me hate my legs and hips, so much in fact that I actually didn’t realize how thin I was getting. Thank the good Lord I never became anorexic, but I was deemed underweight and didn’t have my period for a year. I was so, so unhappy but I am very glad to say I actually really love myself now (seriously, you should see all my selfies on my phone and you’d see!). I had amazing support from family and friends and I’m healthy now (okay, so maybe I got a bit jiggly with Christmas eve dinner, Christmas day lunch and New Years celebrations… hehe totally worth it!!!) so thank you so much to everyone who was there for me!
But anyway, I was so engrossed with my body that I wasted my first semester not wanting to do things or meet people incase I had to eat something unhealthy or miss gym. Yup, silly I know! However, no point in stressing about the past, but at least now I am trying to make the most of every single moment.

Enough about me, I have met so many people recently who are unhappy with the way they look because of people’s comments. Please, please be careful about what you say. Something you say that you think is meaningless could actually mean the world to someone else; this can be both positive and negative. Instead of telling someone they’re gaining weight or maybe that new bright yellow streak they decided to put in their hair looks a bit weird, embrace their positive attributes instead and choose to compliment instead of disrespect.

People have insecurities. I met a guy on the plane the other day who told me he was very conscious about how skinny he is and he wishes he could get bigger. I met a very beautifully toned girl this year who wishes she had no muscle whatsoever. I met a guy at gym with the best physique I have ever seen, yet keeps thinking he needs to get bigger to look better. I know a girl with the most beautiful smile who absolutely hates her teeth. These are just a few examples, but there are so many more.
One of the biggest things I have learned this year is that you look best when you look how you are born to look: some people just don’t have those stick thin genetics, other people are born skinny and are able to eat whatever they want. I was born with big legs- no, not big, strong.
The way you choose to see yourself is the most important. This isn’t a motivation to go eat pizza 24/7 and enter into a sumo wrestling body competition, but it is more important to be healthy than super skinny or super ripped or whatnot. Happiness is the end goal and the sad truth is that happiness is deeper than just appearance. What society tells you is beautiful isn’t beautiful to everyone.

Think about it: ever walk at the beach and your mate says, “Wow, that guy is YUMMY” and you’re like, “Uh, I think you need glasses ‘cause the only yummy thing about that guy is the burger he’s eating”.

Everyone has a different definition of beauty- so you need to find yours; I mean really find yours, and then embrace that. Let your self-confidence be the thing that can help other people feel good, too. It’s awesome to exercise and be healthy but if it gets in the way of life, you maybe need to re-balance the scales and prioritize what makes you happiest. Again, maybe gymming 5 hours a day is what makes you happiest, then that’s awesome! But if not, then do what brings you the most joy.

I love 1 Samuel 16:7, ‘But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”’

And as 1 Peter 2:21 says, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,” we are called to follow Jesus’ example which means we, too, should look at more than just the outward appearance.

God made you with a purpose and when He created you, He said “it was good”. Now God doesn’t lie, so the way He made you is something to be PROUD of. Be proud of who you are and embrace what life offers you. The girl with the blood disease I mentioned had a very successful date and he told her that after speaking to her and seeing her vibrancy, he stopped even noticing what her face looked like. When you are who you really are, you are going to attract the right kind of people for you, and those other people who tell you that you “have big legs” or “need to lose weight” or “need to get bigger” or whatever don’t deserve your time anyway. Time is limited, share it with people who will enrich it.

But most importantly, remember:

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.”

                                                                                                                  Song of Solomon 4:7 <3