Celebrating the Quiet Victories

Imagine throwing a party every time a hurdle in life is overcome. The champagne gets broken out, streamers and balloons are hung up around the room, a cake is baked and iced ready to eat, and people are invited and ready to dance to a selected playlist of music. There are many victories that are not celebrated and it would be silly if there was a party each and every time. Life really would be a party!

There are some culturally accepted victories (most of us celebrate):

• ·         Reaching a year older
• ·         Passing a driving test
• ·         Getting a first job
• ·         Graduating

But within each of us we have personal battles and personal victories. The person next door may be struggling with insecurity, low self-esteem and anytime they walk in the room without apologising is a victory. The person who sits next to you at church may be battling anxiety and it is a victory they made it to the service. A work colleague may be battling depression and each day they turn up to work is a victory.

Each person’s victory is different but it does not make any of them less ‘celebrated’. The past two years have been full of victories for me. One of them has been a progression of overcoming fear in various areas of my life. Although I have usually been the last person to see them as victories, they are milestones all the same. I have a tendency, and I am sure many others have as well, to minimise any steps taken forward. If I look back over some of my past fears, I can chuckle as they seem trivial now.

Each step of overcoming fear is valid to celebrate. Maybe not to the extent of a party, but to acknowledge the step taken and thank God for giving you the strength. The steps I take to move forward in my life are different from the next person. When each step is taken to move forward, I picture Jesus celebrating in Heaven on our behalf. The power of the cross shows Jesus overcame death. With Jesus on my side, I can have strength to keep moving forward.

Whatever my personal victories may seem like or look like to someone else, each one is evidence of the grace of God in my life. When I look back over my life, not only do I feel thankful for the strength and hope of Jesus to have gotten me to this point, but I also see the growth that has allowed me to reach where I am in life now.

There is, however still one fear I have not yet overcome: spiders. Ironically, I write this post after having spotted a large sized spider hiding behind the couch I normally sit in. Even after I (so courageously) sprayed it and moved it outside, I am spending the evening cautiously sitting on another seat. Just in case. Maybe God is not finished with me yet!

And God is not finished with you yet, either. What is one quiet victory from this past week you can celebrate?

Fruit of the Spirit: Choosing Joy

'Count it all joy, my [sisters], when you meet trials of various kinds' James 1:2

Say what?!

Have you ever gone through a trial of some kind and a friend has told you to 'count it all'? If they did, you would think they were mad. The presence of joy in the middle of suffering sounds like a mismatch.

Fruit of the Spirit: Loving Difficult People

About 2 months ago I wrote a post introducing my goal of focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit as an area for growth over the next several month. (Click here for the link)

I have faltered slightly from my original timeline but I now bring my first post in my ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ series. I first saw this series as an opportunity for growth. But I sometimes forget to acknowledge that growth usually comes from a challenge. And that is exactly how I see it. When I think of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) in my life I see where I am not loving, where I lack a joyful attitude, where patience has run away and the last thing I want is peace.

Heartache (Triple Braided Life)

I wrote this post for Triple Braided Life after a challenging week dealing with an aching heart. In the past I would deal with hurt and pain in destructive ways. I wrote this post to reflect on some truths of a caring and loving God who knows our pain. I hope you can find some encouragement from it:

http://triplebraidedlife.com/2015/04/heartache/

The Purity Issue (Triple Braided Life)

I wrestled with this next post that I submitted for TBL. 'Is it too deep of a topic for a new contributor?' 'Is it revealing too much about myself?' 'What do I do when it is published, do I share it on my Facebook page?'

Are you embracing godliness in your life? (Triple Braided Life)

In October last year, I participated in a '31 days of...' interview for a fellow blogger, Brenda. Brenda writes for Triple Braided Life, a blog for single ladies pointing them to truth. She decided to interview 31 single women, one for each day of the month, on the topic of, 'Living with Purpose.' I had the pleasure of being interviewed (you can see it here 31 days of Single Women). A couple months later, Brenda contacted me during the time I was setting up this blog and asked if I would like to become a contributor for Triple Braided Life. I was not expecting this. But I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity this has opened up for me this coming year. 

Last week, my first post was published. You can read the post here, Embracing Godliness. 

I have to admit that I am excited to see what kind of challenges come about in writing. I've had plenty of topics come to mind that have challenged me to think more about them in a way that can encourage others and also speak truth in my life. I hope that you will enjoy the posts, from myself and the three other girls joining Brenda! 

Valentine's Day

Some people find Valentine’s Day hard and confronting for various reasons. Whether you like Valentine’s Day is neither right nor wrong. Despite my single seasons, I actually like Valentine’s Day. I have taken the opportunity of the day to celebrate my family. The year my mum passed away, I decided to buy my two sister’s a little gift to remind them: