An Eye For An Eye......

This was not like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster movie - this was far worse. The mindless, brutal, evil attack on an innocent soldier in Woolwich on Wednesday has left me feeling quite disturbed.  What I am still trying to comprehend is how people in the streets, could clearly see a man with bloodied hands holding a massive machete, and yet they were able to calmly walk past as if nothing had happened, they were able to film with their mobile phones and one brave woman who has been hailed a hero was even able to have a conversation with the murderer asking him what he was trying to achieve!

If this had been a movie, the bystanders would have been fleeing the scene screaming hysterically and causing chaos as they fled.  I wonder why the people there didn't feel in danger that they might be next in line for attack? Where did they find the courage to view what was unfolding before them and even talk to the terrorists?   It has emerged one lady was a Catholic and her faith gave her that courage.


The attacker boldly and deliberately stood in front a camera to tell the world he swore by almighty Allah, and that this would continue to happen because it's what our soldiers are doing to Muslims in their countries, he said it was an "eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth".
I don't know an awful lot about Islam and what it means to be a Muslim, but I'm thinking right now  it must be pretty hard.  I do not believe for one second that man represented what Muslims want  or believe, any more than Westboro Baptist represent true Christianity!
Jesus spoke to people about the old law:


Matthew 5:38-42
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you".

The law was originally given for the punishment to fit the crime, not to get involved in tit for tat payback retribution. It is not for us to take justice into our own hands, God will be the ultimate judge when every single one of us gives an account of ourselves before Him on the day of judgement 

Romans 14:12

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

When retribution is taken into our own hands and we think it is ok to pay someone back for the hurt they've caused us, it can only cause our world to become more and more dark, not just on the large scale with a individual nutters intent on murderous payback but even in the little things; like the thoughtless comment that we won't let go and insist to ourselves next time we will say something twice as cruel, or the person who carves us up in traffic who we race to the next light determined to overtake, and countless other offences that we become obsessed with taking revenge on every day, this only serves to make us bitter and angry inside and this is not the way God wants us to be, He wants us to be able to love and forgive and let him take care of the misdeeds and injustices.

Imagine how different the world would be, or your town or even your own home, if we learnt to let go of the misdemeanors done against us and take our hurt to God and ask him to give us the strength to forgive.

Colossians 3:12-13

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another,forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Diamond Jubilee Weekend

The balloons are up, the bunting is out, no I haven't opened a 'pound store', it's Jubilee weekend. I'm no royalist, but I was beginning to feel like a Jew at Christmas; looking out of my window at everyone else celebrating but not taking part myself, so I have jumped on the band wagon & a mighty fine wagon it is too!


I have two parties to attend over the weekend all in honour of her maj, well actually, one is in honour of 'we've all lived in this street for donkey's years and have no idea who each other is, so let's take this opportunity to introduce ourselves', and the other is my friend's, in honour of 'we've got nothing planned for the bank holiday, who fancies a bar-b?' I don't want to let her maj down so will be attending all and everything in her honour over the weekend.

Anyway this has made me come over all red, white & blue and I was particularly impressed with my Union Flag pasta salad - although glancing out now at our neighbour's house I realise I have omitted the diagonal red stripe - will have to rectify that before it makes a public appearance.




Whatever you think of the Queen, it's a good excuse for a knees up, meeting up with friends or making friends with the people you live next door to, and perhaps a it's a time to look back on what she said at Christmas:

"Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves - from our recklessness or our greed."

"God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a saviour, with the power to forgive."

"Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God's love."

God Save The Queen!

How are you celebrating Jubilee weekend?

I Will Live My Life For You............Will I?

This song is very special to me, I'm sure all of us as Christians are in awe of the love Jesus has for us.  But when we sang it in Church this morning, it spoke to me differently.

God told me, "I accept your thanks for my sacrifice, but I want you to make some sacrifices, I want you to show the grace & love I have shown you to the ones that have hurt you beyond your understanding"

If I am living and giving my life for Jesus I have to express that in my attitude and actions to others.  I can't excuse it with, "but you will never believe how much ..........hurt me".

This has been a battle of mine for a while, and although I have done forgiving and talked and gone over and this and that, I just couldn't seem to get over that final hurdle of letting go of the
hurt.  I have prayed and others have prayed (including some of my fellow bloggers!) for a restoration of my marriage, and I really felt God say this morning that I could do it, I could freely give my life to show the grace that I needed to show, because God showed that same grace to me, knowing that I would hurt Him beyond understanding.

I have probably heard or read a million times 'we should live like Jesus and treat others with love etc...' but it is difficult to put into practice unless you are asking God through His Holy Spirit to help you do that.  That is why I know that today I understood the words of living my life for Him, to be relevant to what I was going through, because I had been asking God to work in me in that way.

The Post That Never Was.....

So, I just poured my heart out to you guys who may end up reading this when I realised there are only two people I need to talk to.

God and my husband.

God knows the score already, but I'm hoping he might let me in on how on earth I'm supposed to keep moving forward.

As for hubby, well, guess we just have to talk and keep talking.

Puzzling Questions What Is God Like?

Someone so filled with love, you could never end up in Hell?  Someone with so much hatred for sinners?

These are two views from mega-pastors that have appeared on the blogosphere etc. The latter one within the last 24 hours!

I am now sure that God is filled with love for us, I feel His love for me. Someone asked last night "could God really forgive every sin he's ever done?"  The answer was a resounding "YES!" God loves and will forgive each one of us, if we only ask Him. 

What if we don't ask Him for forgiveness?  What if we simply don't believe He can do anything for us? What if we decide to take our chances and live our lives for ourselves?  Well, I don't think we will be spared an eternity in Hell, no matter how loving He is. There will be a price to pay and the Bible says the wages of sin is death. 

But does God really hate us because we have all let Him down and fallen short of His glory? I don't think so.  When you hate someone, you lose interest in them, you give up on them, you don't want to spend time with them.  God will never give up on us.  We can anger Him and do things that dis-please Him, but cause Him to hate us? I don't buy that.

So, what is God like?

The Power Of Forgiveness

Week Four

Chicken & Chips followed by Chocolate Gateaux

There were tears last night, not only because the chicken was a little to dry.  We were both a little hesitant about whether or not to go - we've done our forgiving.

I said whatever the excercises were around, we should avoid bringing up what was for us the obvious issue, that is in the past and is/has being/been dealt with.

............And still you find more, I always knew my husband was sensitive, but I had no idea how much the slightest little comments had stuck with him, he used to feel dread at coming home from the supermarket with the wrong ingredient for fear of a row.  Yes, I used to point out that he must've gone to the completely wrong aisle because they definately stock whatever, but no row ensued, because he just would not enter into one, he took my verbal lashing, then got on with the day. 

I knew how stubborn and awkward I was, but he just took it, and sometimes I knew I was trying to just get him to tell me I was horrible and useless and he couldn't stand me, because that's how I felt about myself, why could he not hate me like I hated myself?

I say used to because we both agree now I am a different person, I am calmer, less bothered about little things, appreciative of any help and most importantly I have fully accepted Jesus into my life, He isn't just a person I know about, I know Him, and I follow Him and this has made a vast difference to both our lives.

The key phrase for me last night was "buried anger turns to hate".  I had buried my undealt with anger from my childhood and transfered it into periods of hate towards my husband, mainly because I knew he would take it, even though he never deserved it. 

Then of course when he did do something that deserved my anger, it went off like a bomb because the anger not just towards him, but towards the events from my past came exploding out uncontrollably.

I forgave him for his behaviour at Easter 2010 - over a year ago.  We are both in dramatically different places now, he can tell me if I've p'ed him off, without thinking I'll leave him, and I can accept his kindness without thinking there's an alterior motive.

It has been a long road, and it got far worse before it even started to get better, and I do feel there are many miles ahead, but I don't feel we're at the crossroads anymore, we are both taking the same journey so we'll overcome the breakdowns and emergency stops together.