2-21pm
The weather in Cape Town has been absolutely stunning, considering it’s early August. But it is to be short lived, with cooler/wet weather forecast from Monday evening. First on the to-do list today was to make Mike breakfast in bed. I haven’t done it for ages, so he got eggs & bacon, with mushroom and tomatoes, coffee and 4 pieces of toast! No carb intolerance with him! I took advantage of the sunshine and washed our bed linen. The sun is shining and the sky is blue…
Then while Mike was playing golf, I went off to see a dear, long standing friend and we chatted over great coffee! She is so wise & has so many years in dealing with people and situations! She left me with this good advice: In tough situations do what is right, but don’t absorb into your heart all that is wrong. In other words guard your heart. Those words are an echo from Proverbs 4:23 which says,
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Everything you do flows from it. Everything you do flows from it.
So that begs the question, ‘How do you guard your heart?’ I think the answer begins with forgiveness. First embrace the forgiveness that Jesus offers each one of us if we ask Him. We need His forgiveness for all the rubbish that we have taken onboard – anger, bitterness, resentment & anything else. Ask God to forgive you. Secondly, we need to offer forgiveness to those who we feel have offended us. It may not mean going up to them and asking them to forgive you, but it may mean internally making a decision to forgive them and move on. Stop resenting them. Once that’s done, it’s a matter of keeping focused on that which God wants us to focus, to keep the rubbish from seeping back in.
I think it’s a process that may have to happe
n over and over again. Getting rid of the dirt that has built up, being filled with the Spirit so you can produce the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Filling your mind and heart with the Word of God and focusing on Him. Watch what you put in your heart. Good flows from a heart that is well guarded.
That’s good counsel.
Home, washing on the line, soon we’ll have a bit of fish and then later go and watch the King & I at the High School. It’s the weekend! Time to celebrate!
God bless you loads!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂