Learning to steady your moods by drawing closer to God Our moods can rise and fall like the tide, sometimes calm and steady, other times overwhelming and all-consuming. Yet, even in the ebb and flow of emotion, God remains constant: inviting us to bring every feeling to Him and find steadiness in His presence. Experiencing […]
It’s a phrase still used sometimes by people waiting when time seems to drag. The younger generation would more likely describe something as ‘taking ages’. Either way, it’s a long time, so long that time ceases to have a reliable meaning. Many books have been written about time and it is even a branch of […]
There are many famous gates in the world built to celebrate military victories or to proclaim national prestige. Obvious ones include the Brandenburg Gate, the Golden Gate (known as the Gate of Mercy in Jerusalem) and Napoleon’s Arc de Triomphe at 49.5 metres high. Not to be outdone by France, North Korea’s Pyongyang’s Arch of Triumph finished in 1982 is three metres taller! However, at 54 metres high, the Buland Darwaza built in 1576 AD by Mughal Emperor Akbar is the highest gateway in the world. The pictured gate makes no pretences or grand claims but is simply evocative of ‘secret gardens’ and of things that are beyond. Every gate is there for a reason but not every gate is noticed nor is the reason for it being there always understood.
What does the word ‘comfort’ mean to you? To some, it means a lovely handsome slice or two of cake! For others, it’s going to be booking a holiday, getting the pay bonus, soaking in a long hot bath or perhaps resorting to the bottle. One list of the top ten comforts taken abroad includes tea bags, slippers, tomato sauce, your own pillow, a dressing gown and a photo of a pet! Maya Angelou had a very hard life but said this: ‘The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread, and fried chicken’. No doubt we all have our own lists but these are all comforts for the body which have a temporary value. How about the comfort we need for the soul?
It happens to us all. One day is bright and joyful, the next has a blue filter over everything. You can feel submerged in those blue feelings, uncertain why and how to get back to the surface. Apparently January is the saddest month of the year and the third Monday of January is said to be the most depressing day of the year! Depression is an extreme version of ‘The Blues’ and hits many people with something like one in four of us experiencing it at some point in our lives. Jim Carrey, Anne Hathaway, Johny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Harrison Ford, Amy Winehouse, Hugh Lawrie, Karen Carpenter, Winston Churchill, Gwyneth Paltrow, Freddie Flintoff and Prince William are just a few of the famous who have acknowledged poor mental health at times. It affects all types and Christians are not immune! It’s not something to be ashamed of and is not a mark of failure. One song-writer shows it’s nothing new:
