The little Things...

So the last few months of my life have been MASSIVE! Over a 4 month period I went from questioning my direction in life, to being offered a job in another state, declining the offer, accepting the offer, 3 short trips to Sydney, a couple of farewell parties in Melbourne, packing up my life, piling it into my car, driving to Sydney and setting up life in a new place.

It’s all happened SO FAST! I kinda have to pinch myself to be convinced of the reality of it all.

And the process has taught me soooo much!...especially about God’s character...

Often our challenges in life will involve just the everyday decisions, habits & reoccurring circumstances we face...annoying things that God allows for our character growth and development. And then in other seasons in life, the challenges are a lot more gigantic...like traumatic family situations, deaths, losing a job, or other major predicaments...or completely relocating your life...

But God wants us to be victorious in every season of our lives. We know he allows trials to stretch us, but I’m so confident that He’ll always set us up to win.

In significantly challenging times, it can be the little things that can cause the most stress & anxiety...getting lost in unfamiliar places, feeling alone, having to make WAY too many decisions, having to look after myself with a lack of resources, lack of knowledge, physical, mental and emotion exhaustion, missing family...

But...

I totally recognise God’s protection as I consider that I haven’t worked for 5 weeks, yet I’ve had more money in my bank account than I’ve had in years. I’ve been so blessed by such generous people around me! SO BLESSED!

In moving, I also never had to search far to meet any of my needs...provision and opportunities pursued me! Jobs were offered to me, I was invited to move in to an amazing apartment with two beautiful girls, my transfers with work were effortless, my phone hasn’t stopped with social invitations from new friends...

And other little things like...finding the BEST car parks in busy places, finding a perfect unsecured wireless internet connection in my new house, having friends buy me cards and coffees and throw welcome parties for me, invitations for home-cooked meals in people’s homes most nights, being given a bag of pink lady apples cos they’re my favourite, moral support in decision making times, people who do ebay research for me to help my find bargains, and other countless opportunities and blessings...

...SO convinced that God’s been behind these small details...

I believe God has positioned me in this new place and I have faith that He will use all this for my good and for His glory...and beyond all that, He loves me...so of course His desire is for me to pass every test with flying colours! Yep I’m gonna feel the discomfort that comes with the challenge, but He’d never give me more than I can handle. I don’t need to feel overwhelmed by my circumstances.

I just LOVE knowing that while I deal with the big things, God’s taking care of the little things!

HE IS FAITHFUL!!!

Psalm 23

3 1 The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

2 He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3 He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

My Dad Loves Me!

This morning I had one of those revelations you have more than once...those moments when you're so impacted by a thought and you feel like it'll change your life, and then you realise you had an almost identical thought process only months earlier. But I absolutely welcome such reminders. Sometimes our revelations can change us instantly...and other times there's quite a process involved in our mindset and behaviour transformations.

So I woke up today in quite a grumpy mood to be honest. Cos I reckon that happens to all of us. Some days are just hard. Usually when this happens, I help myself by recognising that God uses challenges to teach, grow and develop us. Bad days don't need to seem like a waste.

While thinking about it this morning I realised that I've probably been quite distracted with some very exciting things going on in my life lately...intimacy with God changes when life seems to be going sweet...Not so intimate. And that was enough of a clue to recognise that God might allow a feeling of dissatisfaction to draw me to Him.

I'm always keen to do whatever necessary to tap into what God's trying to do in my life. So I guess I often try and embrace challenges for that reason. Of course I want to be reminded to draw close to God at all times.

Here's where the revelation kicks in...because while choosing to be open to the challenge, I somehow associated this with God's absence...like He would be sitting back and watching me struggle. Yes God might sometimes step aside in order for us to learn things for ourselves, but it doesn't mean He completely walks away. He'll still be right there by our side.

I get this image in my mind of a baby learning how to walk. A parent will stand back and call their child to "come", knowing full well that the baby may stumble to the floor...but the parent hasn't left. They're watching, calling, encouraging, loving and only allowing their child's struggle because they understand that it will beneficial for development.

God allows challenges, but this never means He leaves us alone. He'll never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5). LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! God's actions are all in LOVE. I never need to feel like I'm not gonna be able to be intimate with God! I WILL draw near to Him and NOT be disappointed. Thank You Jesus!

ROAD TRIP!! (Part 2)...Take me to the Moon!

So if you didn’t read Road Trip part one, I wrote about my amazing holiday travels up the East Coast of Australia. SO many new experiences...SO many breath taking sights and deliciously exciting flavours...SO much mystery as we spontaneously explored new places...Adventure! FUN! (I’d recommend you read at least just the first couple of paragraphs of my last blog to get an idea).

The thing I loved the most about my road trip was discovering life through the perspective of ADVENTURE! I guess when we get really busy and stuck in our routines, it’s easy to forget that there is a whole world around us that we have no idea about. We can adopt a safe approach to life that allows us to consistently function from day to day, to maximise efficiency and comfort, and to stay in control. “Comfort zone”?

They say that once a person starts travelling, they can catch a “travel bug” which makes them get itchy feet. They get a taste of adventure and then discover an urgency to do it again...and again. An addiction to new experiences. And it could be true that I’ve been infected by this bug, but I just feel like there is so much to be gained in the exploration...so much to learn...a wealth of knowledge, insights and memories. I LOVE having my mind stretched!

It’s interesting though, because it’s easy to approach life adventurously when you know it’s just a short holiday and you realise you’ll be returning to “normal” life again soon. And sure enough, when I got home, after the initial anti-climax and post-holiday blues, I was motivated to settle in to a structured, predictable and productive life-style. I was pretty much ready to plan out my entire life. But then as soon as I felt quite directionless and confused about the future, I began to stress out. I wanted all the info for where I was going and how I’d get there. I prayed, I fasted, read books and listened to so many podcasts, hoping that I’d figure it all out.

And then God said to me...”Hannah! You’ve just been on the most adventurous holiday during which you thrived on the spontaneity, and then you come home and demand that every detail be planned in advance. How about you trust me and adopt that adventurous spirit in your everyday life.” What God?

There’s such a sense of freedom when you allow yourself to get lost in an adventure. Anxiety is replaced with excitement. Then a lack of planned details is not a loss of control, but rather the flexibility to be spontaneous. Facing the unknown is an opportunity to explore new things. The vulnerability of being in the passenger seat is not scary, it means that the driver does all the tedious planning and organising...and you get to be surprised...and you can just chill out and enjoy the ride. Yes there are feelings of discomfort, but risk makes adventures fun! Comfort is overrated right?

Seriously, God abounds with knowledge, power and resources, and this means that the possibilities are endless. And God loves me, He desires to bless me and wants nothing more than for me to live the most amazing life possible. He says that He is able to do more than I can ever ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20) and He does in fact have plans for my future that involve prosperity (prosper: to be successful or fortunate, to thrive, flourish)(Jer. 29:11). God is smarter than me, He’s trustworthy, and He’s more than capable of taking care of the details of my life. My sense of adventure is stirred by confident hope and anticipation.

This year has been the funnest year of my life! I almost feel guilty for having so much fun. But to be honest, I have to constantly remind myself to stop stressing and chill out. Even yesterday I had such an intense freak-out moment...getting impatient and anxious...I want answers to every question concerning life. And all I could hear in the back of my mind was “be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10)...God’s got BIG surprises for me...it’s on its way. I’m so excited!! Yeeeeah!

ROAD TRIP!! (Part 1)...I’ve got it WAY too good.

So a few months ago I went on the most incredible road trip up the East Coast of Australia...Oh so FUN!...Melbourne to Canberra, then up to Sydney via Bateman's Bay, Jervis Bay, and the coolest little town called Berry...then from Sydney up to QLD via Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay and some other cool places along the way...then to so many amazing places on the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast in QLD.

I was away for four weeks in total and the whole trip just absolutely ignited my sense of adventure. After selecting a few locations we were interested in seeing, me and my equally enthusiastic friend Jess printed out some Google maps to help us visualise our exciting journey. We didn't really plan many of the details so we could just be prepared to make decisions as we went...where we'd stop for coffee and food and ice cream...where we'd stay the night...when we'd move to the next location etc. It worked out that in four weeks, I only had to pay for accommodation for two nights...the rest of the time we stayed with random people (well Grandma in QLD was not so random)...but a last minute phone call to a friend, or a friend of a friend, to inquire about a bed seemed to work for us. Yep ok, I loved the thrill of the risk and spontaneity.

I experienced SO many new things...new sights, new flavours, new people...stunning beach views and mountain views and green grass and trees, sunsets and a billion stars in a country sky...art galleries, museums, buildings, Parliament House...Mexican food, Italian food, cooked breakfasts, bakeries in country towns, Nanna's cooking, coffee, and a million different flavours of ice cream...car sing-alongs, dancing on the beach, getting lost, exploring little towns, shopping, midnight beach swims, trying on crazy outfits in expensive stores...and random people with super unique personalities and day jobs and interesting stories, and characteristics of my travel companions that I never knew existed...

And underlying all of that, I had no doubt that the favour of God was all over my trip. There were just so many incredible opportunities, freebies, and so-called flukes that added cherries to the top of every adventure and experience. We got to stay in some unbelievable places for FREE. And then one day we made friends with a security guard who let us into closed off areas in Parliament House. Ha!

New Perspective #1. I AM BLESSED!... Because being blessed is not about what you receive, but about how you perceive. If we can have a perspective of life that recognises God’s favour and His purpose in every experience, no matter how big or small, we discover that we live a SUPER blessed life! From the car park I got right in front of the entrance, to the amazing sunset I got to watch driving home, from the coffee someone bought for me, to the way I felt while drinking that coffee (always amazing), to the encouraging conversation I had with a friend, to the new insight I gained while experiencing something new. Blessed ALL the time!

While I was on the Sunshine Coast, Jess flew home to go back to college, and I had a week alone with Grandma. As a bit of an introvert, I actually got excited about having my own space, especially considering all the fun and relaxing possibilities I had being right on the beach. But when I found myself stuck inside the house because of ridiculous amounts of rain, boredom threatened to ruin my holiday. Yet I now consider it SUCH a valuable week in my life. Spending 24/7 with Grandma positioned me to discover what an amazing woman she is. Up until now, she was just my quirky Grandma who talked too much. I’d never really noticed it before, but through a new found perspective of her character and personality, I discovered a person who was exceptionally selfless, genuine, sacrificial and so extremely generous with her expressions of love. I was seriously blown away by it and decided I wanted her to rub off on me. Who would have thought bad weather could be such a blessing?

Nothing good happens by chance. Whether you think you deserve it or not, God really likes to bless you, and He throws favour on your life SO much more than you realise.

How do I know this? Because “whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father” (James 1:17). And as I travel the journey God’s mapped out for me, “Goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6).

I lived a really average life once. Occasionally something exciting happened, but every day was pretty much the same...nothing special. Then recently, my whole life changed...I got all these amazing opportunities, I got to meet incredible people, unexpected things started to happen, and even living with my family became so extremely cool. What happened? Simple...I opened my eyes. Life became so much more fun, and every moment is significant when I can clearly see all the ways God is actively involved in my life, making sure I experience extreme amounts of His goodness every day. Now I wonder how I could have ever missed it. I’m so ridiculously Blessed!

I seem to have misplaced motivation...

So you've got an essay to write, or the messiest bedroom to clean, a goal to lose 10kgs, a bunch of chords to learn on the guitar, a stack of paper work to attend to, a book to read, a debt to pay off, or just a million different things on a to-do list...argh! Too much mental energy required, so tedious, uncomfortable, too many decisions, physically draining, so time consuming...as my good friend Sharee would say "too hard basket".

Ok so anytime these kinds of responsibilities/obligations/expectations enter my mind, all of a sudden, checking Facebook is super important! Or it becomes lunchtime all day long (for the sake of the break and for the food). It's way too natural for me to find every reason under the sun for why that task is just impossible. Procrastination, doubt, insecurity, fear of boredom, all of the above.

There's this thing called "motivation"...I've experienced it a couple of times, but I'm convinced it's a master at hiding in places it can never be found. It plays hard to get, and is rarely available when I need it. SO unreliable! So when it doesn’t come to us, most of the time we have to hunt it down.

I’ve come to discover some really good bait for motivation...enough to get me to the point where I can’t put the book down, when a piece of chocolate doesn’t even interest me, and when I’m addicted to ticking off my list. Because after I had lost the first kg, I felt amazing and couldn’t wait to see what I’d look like after I’d lost the next one...after I’d written the first 500 words of my essay, I was in the zone and ready to write 500 more...once I had paid of one debt, I was ready to ban myself from shopping so I’s save the money to pay the next one...after I conquered the first thing, I wanted to do it again...it’s as if the thrill of the achievement stirs excitement to attack the next challenge.

Sometimes it’s a matter of just finding the easiest or smallest things on our to-do list and make them happen first. Ticking them off the list is SUCH a great feeling and we’ll most often find the motivation to attempt the other things. We can set little achievable goals...don’t think about the 10kg, just think about 1kg...stop thinking about the 3000 word limit and just attack the first paragraph...don’t worry about the fact that you can’t see your bedroom floor, just put 5 items of clothing away.

Just start somewhere. Then once you’ve done something, stop and look at your progress. Recognising your achievement is the key to momentum. We like to be productive. A healthy sense of pride in success initiates the energy and confidence to be even more successful. And one day you'll look back, the hard work will be over and your goal will be COMPLETE! Yeeeah!

I’d be living a fantasy to think that a spoon full of sugar will make the medicine go down every time, or that the application of a seemingly simple solution will solve every challenge we face...but I do believe we can decide on our approach to a lot of our challenges in life, and we can set ourselves up to THRIVE! Motivation actually isn’t as far away as you think...I’m pretty sure it’s just standing right behind you.

Note to Self...

So I decided to start a blog...

Writing could be fun. I really have an over-active imagination & so often feel super creatively stirred use it. I find this hard to admit after just finishing years and years of tedious study, and after complaining way too much of having too many essays to write...but I actually really do love writing. I'm actually slightly concerned about the potential for me to get addicted to it. I reckon I might just be excited about this.

I also know that God has been speaking to me SO much over the last few years and has help me understand some pretty amazing things...principles, ideas, perspectives and insights that have literally changed my life...made life so much easier, but SO much more fun too. I know they've had to be God initiated thoughts, cos they're seriously way too incredible for me to have made them up myself. And I feel almost as if it's unfair to keep these life changing thoughts to myself...I get excited by the idea of sharing them with others.

I'm SO passionate about TRUTH and living according to God's design for us...there are just WAY too many lies been thrown at us every single day...we get caught up in mind-sets, perspectives, lifestyles, habits and beliefs that are just so misguided. Like advertising tells me that I NEED a new wardrobe of clothes every season...but do I really? Is there a hole in my cupboard that consumed all my clothes from the last season? Do I really have nothing to wear? Ok I definitely LOVE fashion and get a fairly big thrill out of buying and wearing a new outfit, so I haven't really implemented this new thinking very successfully...but there are so many things we think and do that are just not logical because we haven't stopped to really think about it.

I'm a big fan of breakthrough...the idea that we could discover the lies in our minds that stop us from living in freedom, but only steal our joy...it's the BEST feeling when the light bulb goes on in our minds when we realise that God created joy, freedom, fun and cake, and that we're allowed to experience success, excitement, adventure, confidence, fulfillment and SO many other cool things. In fact He insists we do. Let's embrace it yeah?!!

I've come to realise that God takes us on a journey so we can discover all this truth...oh my goodness what a roller coaster! So far mine has been painful but so exciting at the same time, and I have learnt SO much! Yieeew! And I've only got so much more to learn.

I actually don't mind if I never gain any followers for this blog...cos I kinda feel like writing all this down helps me discover even more truth...revelation just seems to get deeper and deeper every time I think about these things...or talk or write about them. I LOVE it! I used to write in a Word document I called "note to self" so I'd remember these valuable insights...but now it shall be a blog.

And if you are someone reading this blog...I do not take it for granted that I may have the opportunity to encourage, challenge or teach you something. I really pray that you are stirred...that you might find hope you've been looking for...that you are inspired to search for God's purpose for your life and live confidently in it...or that maybe you're just entertained and have some fun with me. I really like laughing.