Rant of The Day: For The Ladies

Dear Brand Manufacturer,

When you remove a bra design that you have been manufacturing for years from your range, you are not simply discontinuing a style. You are plunging billions of women across the globe into darkness; ripping the proverbial mat from beneath their staggering feet; pushing them over the edge of a cliff, spinning them into a never-ending void of blackness and uncertainty.

There are those of us who find bra-shopping to be a most loathsome task. Those of us who spent our delicate, teen years struggling to find that perfect fit. Comfort, support, confidence. And finally, at the age of 23 – yes twenty-three! – my twelve-year search was rewarded. And, bless you, dear manufacturer, this bra was kept on the market all this time, ensuring my comfort, support and confidence for a blissful five years. Such was my trust your product that my most recent purchase didn’t even warrant a fitting – I simply walked in, grabbed my size, and walk out. (after paying, of course)

This weekend, I dragged my sorry self out to my nearest Edgars in (slightly desperate) search of one of my beloved undergarments only to find that you have discontinued this particular item, and all similar items, replacing your entire range with what I can only call “Granny-bra’s”. Now, some years have passed since my first purchase of my favourite bra, but I resent the underlying suggestion that I should now be moving onto Granny-bra’s. You have left me no choice but to make the drastic move to another brand altogether.

An infuriating hour of trying on what felt like thousands and thousands of bra’s, different sizes, different cuts, and I found myself absolutely confused about what size I really am, sending hysterical messages of despair to my husband about my body, which is obviously deformed beyond human recognition – obviously, if I can’t get a single bra to friggin fit the same way that my old one used to….!!!!!!

*deep breathing*

And so, dear manufacturer, I bid you farewell, and the song “No it isn’t” by the band, +44 is our parting song…

Please understand:

This isn’t just ‘Goodbye’

This is ‘I can’t stand you’

Start Counting...

As long as you are always looking back at the way things used to be, you will never be able to appreciate the way things are now. This is not because what you used to have is any better than what you have now, but simply because your head is quite literally facing the wrong way. 
You cannot possibly see all you have in front of you, when your eyes are constantly averted over your shoulder.

Looking back kills gratitude.

Let Go.

Take a look around.

And start counting.

You will find your blessings gradually become un-countable. 

Where are you, Fellow Inhabitants of this Planet?

Living in the past…?

Or immersing yourself in the present…? 

If You Only Knew

Dear World,

Be careful how you treat those around you.
Take care how you speak to others.
Take care how you speak of others.
Choose your accusations wisely, if you must accuse at all.
May Grace be foremost in your mind;
Let compassion soften the blow of your words.
Listen.
Listen.
Listen.
And then speak, if you must speak at all.

What you see in those around you, you only see in part.
You do not know what lies beneath the surface.
Heartache is not visible to the un-discerning eye.
Stress is easily masked with a smile.
Her child might be sick, would you know?
He is lonely, would you know?
She is facing bankruptcy, would you know?
He is in grieving, would you know?
She is fighting depression, would you know?

If you only knew...
You might take care of how you use your words...
You might withhold your accusation...
You might act in Grace instead of judgment...
You might offer compassion instead of criticism...
You might listen...
You might listen... and decide not to speak at all.

But you don't know.
You should be mindful of your "not knowing".

~ "...For you will be treated as you treat others..." Matthew 7 ~

Your Friend in Love and Grace,
Kirsty Coetzee

You can find this article, and others like it, at Above The Flame. Check out the Above the Flame Facebook page HERE. 

Love Letters in the Sky

Sometimes life (or God, as I believe) throws you a moment, or an experience, or an encounter... that you wish would last forever, that you pray you will never forget, and that you hope will be repeated in some way in the future. Sadly, we miss those moments completely - we get too busy, we think too much, we're rushing through life.

I am learning to slow down, and keep my eyes open for moments, experiences and encounters like that. I tiptoe over wet grass and take in the cold prickle between my toes. I try to pay more attention to people that I meet, note the colour in their eyes, the sound of their voice. I hold onto feelings of joy, revel in those feelings, allowing myself to giggle childishly and take note of what it feels like to smile.

One thing that I’ve recently become obsessed with is the sky. I stop and look at the sky, and find myself unable to tear myself away. A dear friend of mine once told me that the sky is like a blank page on which God writes love letters, morning, day and night. After some weeks of gazing upward every day, I am starting to believe this too.

The Heavens declare the glory of God;

The skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is deprived of its warmth

(Psalm 19 vs 1 - 6)

I wanted to share some of my Father’s love letters with you – these are images taken with my phone, over the last two weeks. He hasn’t failed to take my breath away, not one day. He is so in love with me.

And with you – I just know it.

Slow down friend.  
Look around.
Breathe in.
Look up.
Take it all in.
Father’s Love is everywhere.
Everywhere!  

You can find this article, and others like it, at Above The Flame. Check out the Above the Flame Facebook page HERE. 

Whoever Declares Openly...

The following story was found on www.persecution.com, a website dedicated to the report of and ministry to countries still faced with persecution against Christianity. More stories like this can be found on Persecution.com, and on www.jesusfreaks.net. The Jesus Freaks books are a dcTalk initiative, amazing books dedicated to the martyrdom of many who have given their lives for their love of Jesus. 

"Whoever declares openly—speaking out freely—and confesses that he is My worshipper and acknowledges Me before men, the Son of man also will declare and confess and acknowledge him before the angels of God."~Jesus (Luke 12 vs 8)

Ribur was beaten and locked in jail for 60 days because she talked about Jesus.

Ribur grew up in a Christian family in Indonesia, and during high school she became interested in mission work. After studying for five years in a Bible school, she joined a community-development group that was teaching agricultural methods to villagers in Aceh, located in the far north of Indonesia’s most western island, Sumatra. Teaching agricultural methods, such as organic farming and livestock breeding, gave the team an opportunity to hear about people’s lives and share their Christian faith if asked.

Ribur soon started a small Bible study in a nearby village, meeting weekly with a family of believers and reaching out to the Muslim community as well. She and a friend from the development group, Roy, began speaking with a woman in the community named Maria. They visited her on a Monday and returned to see her the next day. Maria was ill, but they spent a little time sharing about Christ. Maria then appeared to pray and ask Christ into her life.

On the third day, Ribur and Roy went back to check on Maria. A young man waiting outside talked to Roy while Ribur went inside the house to find Maria. As soon as Ribur arrived, Maria excused herself and said she had to go somewhere. Suddenly, the young man speaking with Roy punched him, and a crowd of neighbors gathered.

Someone grabbed Ribur by her headscarf and hair, and the crowd began beating her. The crowd then forced the two Christians to walk to the village leader, lashing them with a cattle whip as they walked. When they arrived, an official accused them, saying, “Why did you bring Jesus to Aceh?” As Ribur began to answer, she was struck again.

The accusatory questions and beatings continued for 45 minutes. Ribur prayed that the Holy Spirit would give her the strength to stand strong and testify to the truth. Her face was bruised, and the inside of her mouth was bleeding. One person had used a stapler to beat her in the head. Roy was also bruised. Eventually the local police came and detained them. They then drove them to the provincial capital, more than an hour away.

They arrived at 8 p.m., and the police questioned Roy and Ribur until 3 a.m., accusing them of blaspheming Islam. “I wasn’t frightened,” Ribur said, “because I had already been beaten in the other office. Also, the Bible says you will have persecution.”

“Why were you sharing about Jesus?” the officers asked.

“Jesus is for all people,” Ribur said.

“What materials did you bring?”

“Just a Bible,” she replied.

“Have you read the Quran?”

“Yes, but not too deeply,” she said.

“Why did you share about Jesus?”

“Jesus wants everyone to know about him,” she said.

Roy and Ribur were arrested on May 29, 2012, and three days later were charged with abusing Islam so that police could continue to hold them. The police seemed to be searching for evidence.

Ribur was alone during the 60 days she spent in jail. She was the only woman in the women’s cell, and she used the time to read the Bible and pray. No one bothered her, but one of the guards told her it was the first time they had seen how a Christian prayed and read.

“Prison was a learning process for me,” she said.

Ribur was released after two months. Police could find no evidence against her and Roy, so they had to let them go. “After I was released, I felt that the same God who helped me in the prison was helping me still,” said Ribur.

The group’s work in Aceh has stopped for now. Ribur continues to help at her local church, and she dreams of planting churches in Sumatra.

Persecution is still real and tragic, and those faced with the daily challenge of faith need your prayers. Next time you find yourself able to openly declare worship to our God, please remember in prayer those who risk their lives to do so.

You can find this article, and others like it, at Above The Flame. Check out the Above the Flame Facebook page HERE. 

What is wrong with me?

Something is wrong with me.

I have been back at work, after December holidays, for a week and a half. The first week is always a breeze, as many people are still on leave, and most schools still closed. However, I found myself very frustrated, especially getting to work within 40 minutes, when the trip usually takes me an hour and ten.

Due to the lack of traffic, I would not have had a moment to drink my coffee, so would arrive at work, far too early, coffee piping hot and untouched in it's travel mug. I would end up having to drink my precious coffee... at my desk in from of my computer. Horrors.
I would arrive to work, (far too early, I must reiterate) having only listened to half the music I had hoped to hear. Now that is a horror, if ever there was one.
I just felt so.... unfulfilled. Empty.

So yesterday, all the schools were back, most people are back from their holidays and dragging themselves out of bed at ghastly hours to go back to work. Picture it, a groggy Monday morning... roads were treacherously congested, there was an accident, a breakdown, a knocked-down pedestrian (she was ok by the way) and some traffic lights out.

Then there is one portion of road that I usually sit in traffic, for around half an hour, creeping along at 15 km/h. This road runs through the last remaining countryside before hitting the outskirts of Joburg city. I love it.

I wind my window right down, and hang my arm out the window, to feel the cool air.
I make sure I am listening to something truly wonderful on my iPod.
I look at the trees and note how their leaves have changed.
I watch birds and cyclists.
I peer into my review mirror regularly to see what my fellow traveler is doing... usually nothing.
I keep a look-out for my favourite motorcyclist, a man who wears khaki shorts every day, wears a grey BMW Compaq motorcyclist jacket, and rides a BMW. I move over for him and it really makes my day if he waves at me in return.
I sip my coffee. Slowly. Savouring every tongue-scalding sip.
I feel the sun on my skin and breathe in the fresh outside air.

Aaaaah.... Chaos and normality.

Female vocalist P!nk puts it so beautifully in her cheerful new song "Good Old Days". We habitually reminisce the good ol' days, pining after our youth, after the way things once were. Well, P!nk's right: THESE are the good old days. Today may be one of those days we longingly reminisce about in years to come.

Thing is: some things you can't change. The challenge is to adapt. But something truly magical happens when you manage to go beyond adapting, and you find the strength within you... to embrace what you can't change. I love my morning traffic, most of it anyway. I even missed it. And that is why there is something wrong with me.

Or maybe right...?

Happy 2013 Fellow Inhabitants of the Road, it's so very good to have you back! See y'all on the tarmac.

A Beautiful Day to Carry On...

I awoke today to a most beautiful day. A whirling wind was taking the edge off of the summer sun's sting, and it was one of those mornings where the sky is so blue, so very crystalline, that one's eyes have to adjust to its brilliance. In contrast, the garden is a rich emerald green, broken only by bursts of colourful flowers and glittering butterflies.

The extravagance of this morning's creation was enough to make my heart swell until it split open and spewed out gratitude and affection on whomever so chose to cross my path.

Shortly after awakening, I received a heartfelt and thoughtful message from a dear friend, simply wishing me a wonderful day.

My husband cracked a ridiculous joke over breakfast about something so mundane and hilarious, I laughed so hard that my stomach ached.

Half an hour later, I sat with my coffee, gazing out the window at all that is alive and that sky that is so blue... and I had the most uplifting thought.

Life is going to be just fine. Everything is going to be all right.

I realized then that this is what makes a beautiful day, such a beautiful day: This Moment. 

Last year was, for me and for so many people that I know, a tough, ruthless year. It was refreshing to wake up with such a sense of well-being, with such hope for the future. And it figures then, that today I have been enjoying the sounds of a recently acquired CD, by the band called "Fun.".

I thought I would share this with you, as we now Carry On into 2013, and encourage you: Life is going to be just fine. Relax. Breathe. Close your eyes. Experience this very moment. Then carry on.  -->(yes, click the pretty green writing for a song)

"...Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~Matthew 6 vs 27; 34


Carpe Diem Fellow Inhabitants of this beautiful planet, and a happy new year to you all.