She taught me to love!

A month has passed already, since I spent a Monday morning kicking myself (figuratively) for not taking an opportunity to express my undying gratitude to someone who shouldn't have to wait for the "right opportunity" to hear a simple thank you. This update is way overdue... possibly 20 or so years overdue!

The Sunday night before was one of the most significant and special evenings of my entire life. I had the privilege of Baptizing not only six of the young people I had walked a road with for the best part of a year, but also my nephew, Dillon and of course the women who taught me to love, my incredibly special mother! As I stood in this unfamiliar environment, the baptistery, tongue tied with nerves dissolving like the bubbles around me, and looking out to a congregation witnessing the life changing testimonies of children and friends, I felt I needed to acknowledge this capstone in my life. Whether it was through divine intervention or nerves combined with a frayed memory, I didn't say what I would've liked to say:

"This unbelievably resilient yet humble, strong yet gentle women, mom, is the one who has taught me to love! Through her example of grace, she has taught me the gift of giving selflessly, without expecting love in return, she has allowed me to find within myself, the potential to care for others, sometimes to the point of self detriment, she has been an example of patience and faith in the power of love to transform. She has shown me through her love that she is born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7), and she has shown us that the source of love is never ending, never depleted! She has allowed me to express myself honestly, sensitively and without reservation. She has allowed me to on occasion reciprocate her love with a lack of gratitude and recognition to the point of cruelty yet never seeking retribution for the hurt. She has taught me to cry unashamedly, tears that express deep pain or elation. It is because of her, that those few, yet not enough have received my love and selfless acts of service.

For those who are still young, the bible commands, honour your mother and father. Love them despite their faults because God knows they have their faults, obey them despite their apparent unreasonable, "irrational" restrictions because those they issue out of love too. Lastly, don't wait until you are 34 or for an opportune moment to say thank you, do it now! They try to love unconditionally, the least you can do is learn from them, the potential you have in yourself to do the same.

To those parents, the greatest gift you can give a child is to love first and foremost the Lord with all your heart and outward expression through worship & secondly, love your spouse in an outward demonstration of selflessness and sacrifice, without which, a teenager will never recognise the true definition of love, grace and selflessness. We live in a world where youngsters believe that love is what others can do for us, anything other than that is considered weakness, it's time they know the truth, true power, true liberation and freedom is recognising that love is what we can do for others.

Mom, thank you for teaching us (all your children) how to love!

Keegan

What does the sudden death of a 14 year old boy do to those around him? It's unnatural, it's not supposed to happen, it's not what we expected, it's an unwelcome shock. But who are we mere mortals to question God's timing? It's easy (or easier) when we understand and believe in God's sovereignty, it's even easier when our friend, our brother, or our son is saved by his own confession of his dependence on Christ, by the blood of our saviour Jesus Christ. Is this grief for them, or is it simply our own? Why would we grieve for the death and rebirth of a saint, when we believe he is with our Father in his mansion with en-suite bedroom and a balcony over looking the biggest, most majestic mountain to be climbed and a new wilderness to be discovered? No, this is worthy of celebration, this is worthy of praise! The grief is ours, for our loss, for our emptiness and void and justified it is. The grief reminds us of the importance of that person in their own life time, the grief is proportionate to that individuals impact in other's lives.

The grief I see in those left behind reveals character.
When those who grieve shed a tear, I am aware of love, affection, compassion and an unselfish disposition.
When those who grieve laugh, I am aware of joy, a sense of humour and love for life.
When those who grieve tell stories, I am aware of a life lived with zest, full of experiences, adventure and a passion for living life to it's full potential. I am reminded to live each day to it's full and to enjoy every breath I breathe.
When those who grieve glow with pride, I am aware of accomplishments, perseverance and hard work.
When those who grieve embrace each other, I am aware of family, of support, of loyalty and unconditional love.
When those who grieve are strong, I am aware of "a peace that transcends all understanding", of trust and faith and gratitude.
When those who grieve carry on, I am aware of a life lived for Christ and a life shed with gain, to God's glory.
When those who grieve tremble, I am aware that life is fragile, life is brief and time with loved ones is valuable.
When those who grieve smile, I am aware of tenderness, sensitivity and discernment.
When those who grieve pause, I am aware of intimacy, personal attention, and kindness.

Keegan, I know you better now than ever before because of the mark you left behind in all those who grieve their certain untimely loss.

"What is man...?"

It's been a while & it's time I share something that had a fair impact on me a few weeks ago. As a child I clearly remember family holidays on the South Coast or on any beach for that matter. It was a time of fun spent with cousins, uncles, aunts, siblings and... no responsibility. Hours and hours spent in the waves and sun, building sand castles and burying one another neck deep in sand. This year things changed, not the sun, not the beach and not the kick back and relax attitude but the family... suddenly I am no longer the kid, no longer the cousin, but now the uncle, and an uncle of five nephews and nieces to top it off. It was the first holiday spent with family in possibly 12 years and it was an absolute blessing. We were spoilt rotten with our accommodation, a beautiful double story home literally across the road from the beach with a wooden deck overlooking the waves. The whole family collected outside on the deck, binoculars in hand when the Humpback Whales did their daily rounds, spraying and breaching regularly just because they can. It instilled in me a sense of belonging, more importantly, a sense of identity. Family is our foundation for who we are, and the acceptance they show us allows us to believe in ourselves.
I don't believe there was any co-incidence in the fact that in a church service that I attended with a good friend on the last evening of the holiday, the pastor preached on a scripture that has since become very significant and meaningful to me, one we've all heard before but one I challenge everyone to read again... Psalm 8, specifically verse 4, "what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" WOW!!! And that WOW, as highlighted by our pastor that evening stands for "What Outstanding Workmanship"! I speak of family as being our source of identity, but here I want to take it one step further, our Father, our everlasting father... no matter who we are, where we are or what our earthly family circumstances are, we can all call Him, Our Father...
Psalm 8 sets the scene for us, as we consider the heavens (and this is thought can be reserved for a totally separate blog entry), how vast they are, how absolutely magnificent they are, as we consider everything around us on this "Blue Planet", as we gaze on the waves of the ocean crashing continually, rhythmically onto the beach, as we consider mountains, the Himalayas, the Alps or even the Drakensberg, as we consider the detail on a Butterfly's wing, we exclaim...WOW, What Outstanding Workmanship! Why then, when we look in a mirror, or when we consider our own lives, do we not exclaim the same WOW? Why do we complain about any mundane, trivial issue we can find to complain about, why do we beat others down, criticize and hurt to make ourselves feel better, why do we take it on ourselves to "own" others, to try and control? Why do we compare ourselves to others continually wishing we had what they have while they wish they had what we have? Why do we worry to the point of paranoia and sickness about what others may think?? Do we not realise that the same God, the same Father who created all those wonders we marvel over created us too? Is it not time that we realise that not only did He create us but He also created us specifically as a HOME, a TEMPLE for Himself to reside in? Why would He make a mistake in the creation of His very own dwelling place?? How arrogant of us to claim that He made a mistake with us!! To quote the pastor for the service I was attending, "Every time we look to the ocean and we say, Wow... He looks at us and He says, Wow... Every time we look at the snow capped mountains and we say, Wow... He looks down on us and He says, Wow... Every time we hold a unique snowflake in the palm of our hand, and we say Wow... He looks at our unique character and He says... WOW, "What Outstanding Workmanship". What is man??... We are His "Outstanding Workmanship". It's time that we stop looking at others and wishing we were them, worrying about what people may say, blaming others for our shortcomings and trying to take care of others when we have more to take care of in ourselves... It's time we look at our Father and listen to Him who knows us better than we know ourselves.
I am so grateful to have the wonderful family I have, I am blessed beyond measure to have them, but even more importantly, I am in debt for life to my God, my Father and my Saviour Jesus Christ who has provided access to Him that I may know with certainty who I am.