I have a new phone.

I do! I have a new (well, a refurbished) phone. My old one had a line down one side where the U/I/J and N buttons were so they didn’t type. I either had to get predictive text to do the word for me, not type that particular word or turn the phone the other way and do it that way (not all apps let you do that). The thing is, it’s taken me a while for my brain and fingers to catch up that I have a new phone and that I don’t need to avoid those particular letters or manipulate my phone to write. My fingers automatically try to avoid them and I am very surprised when they write without any problems.

This made me think, this is what we’re like when we come to know God, through Jesus and on our journey with Him. We are born again, we are made new, but we still have reactions and ways that we often find ourselves falling back into. One of the main differences is that God doesn’t leave us like that and we tend to become more aware (through the Holy Spirit) of the wrong stuff/ways that we’re falling back into. But that imprint can be STRONG! but God is more, He is stronger, able to keep us, nudge us, work in us, change us, change our hearts, as long as we are willing to be changed and sometimes when we’re unwillingly willing haha. And like my fingers are gradually learning that all the keys on this phone work, I am learning that God gives me everything I need and I have no need to seek anything from any other source. I often want to, but I don’t actually need to. Just want to add in here that other christians can also help a lot, especially in pointing you to God and in loving you properly (and that involves truth telling too).

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever been given is ‘never doubt God’. He is God, He is in charge, His ways are higher than our ways, He knows what He is doing. So no matter what is going on, no matter how bad things look, no matter what! He is still good and we need to keep trusting Him and following Him. He will fill your heart with His love if you let Him, He will make you complete. I think there can be a bit of a tendency in some arenas to wonder where He is when things get difficult, or to expect him to solve things our way all the time, but I can tell you He is there and He is the one who will get you through absolutely anything, simply by just being there and being God.

Just think for a minute about the disciples, where they ended up. What their lives became and how they lived them. I don’t think they planned any of that or even had an inkling of what was ahead whilst Jesus was even still physically with them. He turned their lives upside down and inside out. As far as I’m aware, from Acts onwards, all apart from one were martyred. Now, this dawned on me yesterday.. why do we expect to just have lovely, planned lives when we follow that same Jesus? Do we really wish for His will to be done? Or just our will to be done? Our lives could be changed like theirs were, in a flash! Now that’s always a thinking point. It is for me anyway. Sort of helps with perspectives too.

Life is more than what we see. It is eternal. It is so much deeper and more beautiful than anything we can possibly imagine.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
    be gracious to me and answer me!
 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, do I seek.
     Do not hide your face from me.

(Psalm 27:7-9)