Without Eyes

Many of my ideas for this blog come while I walk to and from my house. I always try and forget how long I have to go or how tired I am, and let my thoughts take over. Recently, I have walked this path so many times I have challenged myself in taking as many steps as possible with my eyes closed. I have slowly progressed and now I can take 20 steps with only my ears and feet to guide me. Without eyes, my other senses take over.

Since it was an unusual experience (I get enjoyment out of many random things), I decided to go without eyes again, this time at a park. I did not move, but I tried to recall my surroundings by the sounds I heard. Do you know how many different sounds you can hear in a park?

I heard some kids laughter, a bus rumbling by, the creak of the swings, the rustle of the leaves, the whisper of insects feet. The longer I sat there, the more attuned I became to the input in my ears, and it felt I was experiencing a brand new world.

I often hear people talk about the beauty of creation and how creative our God is, which is true. But God's creation is not just taken in with our eyes. It is breathed in, it is heard, it is experienced, it is felt. The beauty of the world is for all our senses, and I am hoping I can come to appreciate every single one.

Fire inside me

I was freezing as I walked home one day. I somehow managed to get by, by imagining a great big fire burning inside me. After a while, it felt so real that I could feel my whole body warming up. The tips of my fingers tingling with this funny sensation. Cold on the outside, but warm on the inside. It was an interesting experience, as I kept whispering to myself, "There is a fire inside me", over and over again, until I got into the warmth of my house.

What was it that kept me warm? It wasn't that suddenly the sun had woken up from hibernation and increased heat production, or that I had somehow put on some more layers of skin to protect me from the cold. Really, it was just me accepting the fact that I coouldn't do anything to change the situation, so I learnt to live with it, albeit for only 10 minutes.

Contentment is a hard lesson to learn, but once you have learnt it, it really frees your mind. You no longer are unsatisfactory with what you have. You no longer crave the next product release from Apple, or the new fashion item in Westfield. You are content with that small fire inside you, which doesn't need any upgrades, or attachments. It will keep you warm.

Sometimes we are not content with God too. We are not content with what he promises to us, we forget the fire that he has planted inside of us. The image above is one that is now my desktop picture, which I see everyday. Just that simple prayer to God really sets my priorities straight. Reminds me of the fire within, that will never be blown out, however windy the outside world becomes.

A year of blogging

A new post,

A new week,

A new mind,

A chance to speak.

Something I made up just then, to express what I was thinking.

It is nearly a year since I started blogging, I am amazed at how much I have grown.

As a tree I am just about to put on one more ring of experience. Through the "winter of writer's block" where every word that I wrote seemed pointless, to the "summer of songs" where I just wanted to pour every thought into a post, I have struggled through. Through your comments I understand that I do sometimes bear fruit, sometimes encourage, sometimes say the right things at the right times, which I am really grateful of. As a tree, God is my water source, but your comments are like my fertiliser, without you I would not be as strong as I am.

As a human I am confounded. I do not understand how my words could mean so much to people. Over 100 people now are reading what I write, which is just indescribable! From the young one who "wanted to be like Peter" in the first post, to the person I am now, seeing how I have changed is very thought-provoking. As a human, I seek to keep on writing what I want to write, with the main purpose being to glorify God, who is my creator.

As a Christian I am grateful. I understand that it is God who has given me this blessing. I am humbled, looking to God for my inspiration. Reading through my posts, I see how he has held onto me all the time, shaping me into who he wants me to be. As a Christian, I will let God continue to do his work in me, leaving it up to the one who [as I seem to say all too often] "knows best".

If you can read this...

A friend recently went to India, and was inspired about what little things the Christians were thankful for. He said that prayer time was so long as they listed out all the good things that they could think of, and thanked God for them. Imagine going to church where the prayers are based on God's gifts to the human body?

"I thank God for feet, that I can walk,

For ears, that I can hear,

For eyes, that I can see,

And for a mind, that I can understand"

From this mindset, nearly everything becomes a blessing from God. When a car breaks down, "Thank God that we get a chance to walk!", when there is a robbery "Thank God that we have a house to be broken into!". A little over the top, I know, but in everything, we can thank God.

However, as the title suggests, one more blessing many of us forget is the simplest abilities that nearly all of us have. But, not only can we thank God for it, we can use it to glorify him too.

One encouraging story is of a man with down syndrome who told his pastor he loved reading through the book of Romans. His pastor replied "Wow! That is a very hard book!". To this the man said "I learn something new every time!".

My point is that we often skip the "lesser blessings" and say they are not important. We are proud of our skills in other things such as music, or encouragement, so who would want to just say they read as a skill?

Value God's gift of reading to you. Keep it valuable, give it a chance to shine. Maybe read a Christian book this month, read the Bible through from cover to cover. Use God's gift wisely. Don't just pass it off as unneeded.

If you can read this, you are blessed so much. But what are you going to do with that blessing?