The Thin Place

‘Heaven and Earth are only three feet apart, but in the thin places that distance is even smaller’
                                                                                                                    (Celtic saying)

"The Thin Place" in this quote is referring to places and moments in time whenthe distance between Heaven and Earth is smaller. Where the veil separating Heaven and Earth is lifted and one is able to catch a glimpse of the glory of God. It’s a glimpse that takes your breath away, it overwhelms and yet sustains your very soul.

Where are your thin places? Have you found them yet?

I don’t know about you, but I find it all too easy to focus my attention solely on the negative elements of our World. My eyes and ears are filled every day by atrocities happening all over planet Earth. Humanity destroying itself through war and hatred. Men and women destroying our planet and its creatures because of greed and selfishness. Natural disasters killing people in their thousands, leaving broken homes and lost family members. Illness and disease taking more and more victims every day, causing pain and anguish to the people it affects.

These events are heart breaking and I cannot understand why they happen. I try to convert my heart-rendered questions into prayers for those affected. To cry out to God for peace and restoration to the nations and families that need Him so much. I encourage you to do the same. In times like this, the distance between Heaven and Earth can seem huge. When parts of humanity walk in the valleys of darkness, the situation can feel suffocating and hopeless. 

The Bible promises that there will come a time when our world is restored and all suffering will come to an end (Isaiah 65:17). But what about now? How do we cope when people around us are suffering such sadness?

I encourage you to actively search for the thin places in our world and in our lives. The places and moments where God's love and light shine through brightly.  Why? Because it’s in our experience of the thin places that we snatch a glimpse of God and His deepest desires for us. Our eyes are opened to the glory of God around us... We see the good people who far outweigh the bad; the beauty that far outweighs the ugliness; the light which conquers the darkness. There will come a time when our world is restored and all suffering comes to an end. In the meantime, I implore you to search for the thin places on Earth right now:

The stunning view over green countryside that takes your breath away.

Sharing precious time and laughter with close friends.

The birth of a most longed-for baby.

The love shared between two people, grown stronger over decades.

A sunset at the end of a long day.

                                                                                                   

When you seek God, you will find Him. 

The thin places are all around us... Are you prepared to search for them?

Easter

With a toasted hot cross bun and a steaming cup of tea at my fingertips, I have a chance to think ahead to the next few days. As significant and important as this time of year is to me and many others, I recognise that, for some, it passes without real acknowledgement. Apart from providing a legitimate reason to eat chocolate without feeling guilty, an extra day off work and perhaps the chance to become reacquainted with a few far flung relatives, Easter is regarded by many as being unimportant. In fact, even more than that, it seems to have been branded by our society as the understated, boring and somewhat introverted relation to Christmas. 

Despite this secular attitude to the season, I feel very differently about Easter; along with millions of Christians around the world. For me, it sums up the awesome, indescribable and breath-taking love of a Heavenly Father God for his children. It’s a love that is not remotely selective or prejudiced, but extended to every single person on planet Earth. It builds up in times of discouragement; carries in times of despair; gives hope to the hopeless; strength to the weak and peace to the troubled. By sending His Son to die on a cross, God bridges the gap between Himself and humanity. Our sins are made clean through the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross and a relationship with our Creator is made possible. In my opinion, there is nothing understated, boring or introverted about that! 

It is impossible to describe God’s limitless love for every one of us. It surpasses understanding that the same God that flung stars into space and shaped the Earth in the palm of His hands, chose me and formed me and, because of this, loves me with an everlasting love. And yet the Bible tells me so:

“For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below—there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 8:37-39)

I don’t know what you think about Easter - whether you think about it at all in fact. However, I really hope that this blog has helped you to understand what I think about it. I believe the message of Easter is good news… the best! I want to share it because I truly believe you should know how much you are loved.And so, this Easter, I pray that you may ‘have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is’ (Ephesians 3:18). 

Time

‘Time is what we want most, but what we use worst’ (William Penn)

Time. It’s something we all have in equal share. Every one of us begins each day with 24 hours before the next and yet, how is it that some people seem to achieve so much more in this time frame? I doubt very much that I am the only person who views time as being elusive; an intangible enemy which moves life along far too quickly, leaving you to reminisce on the original plan for a day or week with a heavy sigh, knowing full well that the reality never quite matched up. 

I am a great list-maker and regularly make to-do  lists as long as my arm, objectives to achieve in a given time-frame. Inevitably it is rare that all of these targets are achieved. This then, of course, leaves me with the feeling of guilt that in some way I haven’t achieved the productivity I expected of myself. Productivity… It’s an interesting word isn’t it? The OED definition for this word varies from ‘generating’, ‘creating’ or ‘bringing about’. It denotes activity and busyness: fruitfulness in your endeavours.

Mere hours after I broke up from school for the Easter holidays on Friday, I had drafted a ‘productive’ to-do list for myself. A strict brief involving mundane tasks from washing to ironing to hoovering to gardening as if I wouldn’t be making the most of my time off unless I used it ‘productively’ in this way. In 21^st Century Western culture, we seem to require productivity in order to deem ourselves and our lives useful or meaningful. For many, a productive day at work is the amount of money that is generated or the number of meetings attended. In my case, it would be the depth of learning that took place in my classroom in a given day; the progression of children in my class; the amount of marking or planning that I managed to cram in to the day.

On reflection, I wonder what Jesus’s concept of a ‘productive’ use of time might be. As a man on planet Earth, He had the same amount of time in each day as we do and yet his emphasis was never on what he managed to achieve in a monetary, personal or professional level. His productivity was always outward looking, centred around other people. He viewed the short space of time he was given on Earth as being for service towards others. How many times did he give up his time for others? Stop on his journeys to help the needy and the lost? To heal the blind or diseased? He was never too ‘busy’ to help people and yet how many times have you failed to help someone out because of the busyness of your own agenda? 

All too often, we use the sheer amount we attempt to pack into our own lives as an excuse not to help or listen to others. We consider our own busyness to be of paramount importance because we measure the meaning of our own lives on this type of productivity. 

Take Jesus as the example of productivity that you aspire to model; not the 21^st Century Westernised version. When you open your eyes to the potential of a day in terms of your influence on others’ lives rather than your own, your life will become so much richer and impactful. 

We all begin each and every day with the same amount of time, how will you use yours? 

Right Where You Are

The term ‘itchy feet’ is used commonly in first world society. It denotes a lack of motivation, stimulation or satisfaction in the current circumstances and reflects a desire for change. In our fast moving world, where everything is moving forwards and upwards, it is unsurprising that we feel pressure to be always progressing in our professional as well as our personal lives. The number of conversations I have with friends who express their desire to move on from where they are, to a new man/ house/ car/ job/ church is overwhelming. It’s as if this progression in life is a rite of passage - an expectation even. I’m not for a second suggesting that change is bad, because it’s undoubtedly a necessary and inevitable part of life, but I do wonder where the line stands between ambition and greed. At what point does our pursuit to better ourselves and our lives cross the line from healthy ambition, to unhealthy narcissism?

As a 25 year old, newly married woman – embarking on her career as a teacher, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have ambition and expectation for my life. I’ve been brought up to have ambition and to work hard towards getting to where I want to be. It’s a healthy thing to look for progression and opportunities. However, the danger is when this desire for progression and change becomes the sole pursuit in our lives. When our desire for change blinds us to the blessings which surround us right now. How can we fully appreciate what we have now, if we’re always looking for something else? If you’re looking ahead all the time for the next thing, how will you hear what God wants you to do where you are right now? 

God has a plan for each and every one of our lives. It is a plan for good and not to harm us – to give us a hope and a future. Your future is secure, because He holds it in the palm of His hand. Yes, you will need to take opportunities as they arise. Yes, you will need to work hard; using the gifts and talents that He has blessed you with. BUT, you must also rest in the assurance that your future is safe with Him. Release the reins of control on your life and enjoy what he’s blessed you with now.

Start by getting onto your knees and dedicating today to Him. Don’t wish away the hours and days wanting something other than what you have – you might miss an important task or message that He has for you today.

Pray. Listen. Obey. And God will use you mightily.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3: 5-6)