Recently I spent some time with my family in Auckland while my brother and his family returned home for a few weeks. My trip started off with spending $180 before I had even reached my parent's place when we arrived in Aux....so this is how I did it...I was running late to the airport to leave Wellington and was picked up by a young copper for speeding in a 50km zone (oops), and then on the way I was annoyed with my youngest brother for telling me that my parents (my mother having only recently had an operation on her knee) were picking us up from the airport because ..wait for it..."We're all too busy to pick you up". Now those words are in quotation marks because I'M ANALYTICAL like that!!!...Honestly it is my vice!!! So taking that comment and all the anger within me building up I sternly advised my brother via text to tell my parents not to pick us up and that we (my daughters and I) will catch the shuttle to their place.
After an hour flight, one hot chocolate and chocolate biscuit we arrived at the Auckland Domestic Airport. You'd think I would have calmed down especially after praying for a safe flight but no I made a bee-line towards our luggage. Grabbed our bags and said "Let's go girls we're catching a cab!". Even after being told by our driver that it would cost me $50 to get to my parents house, I was still as stubborn as ever to prove a point to my youngest brother. As the meter continued to tick beyond $20, $30, $40, $50...I thought to myself that my brother was learning a lesson from this...when my credit card was swiped for a $60 cab fare the thought sunk into my thick head that I had already spent nearly $200 because of my stupidity and anguish ...nobody is learning a lesson here but me!!! IT NEVER PAYS TO SPEND MONEY WHEN YOU'RE ANGRY...but most of all...forgiveness will set me free....and a good jab to my brothers ribs :P
I was glad to be back home with my parents but equally as happy to spend some time with my brothers and their families. A lot of my time in Auckland was spent with my niece and nephews and hanging out with my close family. I have confessed that when I head back home my bad habits begin to return. More so my behavioural bad habits. There were many opportunities God had given me during our holiday to think about how I need to change my behaviour in order to fulfil His plan for my family. God gave me an opportunity to meet with a family member that helped me make a life changing decision on my 30th. I decided at that time that I would no longer have a social drink. I remember that day as if it were yesterday...talking to my family about his then commitment to walk with God while holding a toxic mix of cherry alcohol in my hand was such a wake-up call. In what I am about to fulfil in His plan for my life, it would be difficult for people to see beyond the glass of cherry juice to the message I want to share with them.
I had another opportunity to share with the youth from my home church. I was asked to share a message from John 20 : 19 - 23. As I read the scripture there were four key messages that stood out to me. The first being about having peace within in order to hear what God has called us to do. ha! I thought to myself...well I didn't exactly have peace within when I arrived in Auckland...Jesus appeared to His disciples after he was crucified and said to them "Peace be with you". Interesting that these were his first words to them. Knowing that the disciples would be amazed at how their Lord would appear before them especially after they had seen him die in the cross He knew that they would be in hysterics. The word "peace" brings exactly that to your heart when spoken. So there it is ....we need to have peace within ...
The second message was understanding that we are sent with a purpose..that is to share the goodness and greatness of our God in our lives. Jesus said to His disciples "just as my Father has sent me, so I will send you". How great is that direction. Short and simple. Live life with purpose. We are called to do something great with the gift (life) we have been given. With our gift he blesses us with talents to be used in all that we do. You were made for much more...if you haven't discovered what your purpose is in life, I pray that it is revealed to you sooner rather than later.
The third message was for us to receive the Holy Spirit. We go through believing that we can do things on our own, with no help. And there will be times where we can do things on our own however the reality is, we will need some help along the way. The Holy Spirit was sent to help us in everything that we do. Our God is so great that He knows we will need all the help we can get in this life.
Finally, Jesus tells us to forgive others. Oh how I believed this message was for me when I read it. Forgiveness is like a key, it releases so much baggage that is unnecessary in your life. Your journey is burdened by so much when you carry such a load. It takes you twice as long to walk your journey in this life. So why not release your baggage by forgiving those who have affected you in such a way that....you end up paying $60 for a cab ride home because you were stubborn! :)
So that was my message to the youth group. It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to share with them. It was great seeing them all grown up and embarking in their young adult life. I hope that there is another opportunity to share again with them.
There is so much more to share about my trip, but for now I will leave you with this message of finding peace within, understanding your purpose in this life, receiving help from your Helper and finally releasing your burdens with forgiveness!
xxx
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