Rooks

Hello readers! It’s been a while. I’ve been convincing myself to stop writing this blog and call it a day. I’ve told myself that no-one would notice or miss it, which may well be true, but the fact of the matter is that I have missed it in some ways. When I used to write something twice or three times a week, I benefitted greatly in a personal way. So here I am … going to share my complaints about Rooks! 😠 🤦‍♀️

I think they are rooks at least, rather than crows, although I find it hard to tell them apart. Whichever they are they are immensely annoying right now.

To say I must look like some frantic maniac at the window may be an understatement if you ask my children! I would be too embarrassed to count the amount of times during one day that I rush up to the kitchen window, flailing my arms around and bashing, likely to put the wooden spoon through the window itself. 

These large birds just keep returning to hang off the feeders meant for the smaller species. There were 2 which would make their appearances at the back of the house and once scared off by this crazy human, would simply fly to the front of the house to access the feeders hanging from the apple trees! 🙄 Oversized pigeons would join them to make my infuriation levels reach fever point. To add insult to injury, there are now four of the dastardly birds … as though they’ve recruited reinforcements. 

1 Kings 17v2-6. God specifically chose the ravens (pretty much like the rook) to feed Elijah morning and evening with bread and meat during the time he hid in a ravine east of the Jordan river. Now why did God do that? Why didn’t he choose the mighty Eagle? Who knows. Maybe it was simply to acknowledge the fact that despite appearances and manners, everything God created has a purpose and is precious to Him. Maybe it was so that you and I are reminded of this fact every time we shoo away a rook!

God’s ways are higher and greater than ours. He values the ravens and the rooks. He takes note of every fallen sparrow (whom I much prefer seeing in my garden). He wishes us to mount up with wings like eagles. His creation is diverse and beautiful.

The rooks in my garden are more than likely just trying to feed themselves and in time, their young. My preference is for the smaller garden birds yet these cumbersome greedy black birds once took food to a prophet hiding by a river as directed by their creator. Amazing! It’s sort of beyond my comprehension to fully grasp that if God asked one of the birds in my garden to do something specific or go about a task, that they would have no choice but to fulfill it and obey. 

It’s a lesson I need to learn over and over, in fact more than one lesson … 

The first part is to not be judgmental based on appearances. In certain settings it could well be me who’s perceived as the rook! 

Secondly, to appreciate that everyone has a role to play and is of immense value to God no matter how I may feel or react. My annoyance could well be misplaced with the appearance of something masking the purpose beneath. 

Thirdly, no matter what we’re asked to do by God, the only sensible and wise thing to do is to obey.

I muse upon the fact that many lessons can be learnt from a garden. Mindfully spend time with nature and learn from her many profound yet simple instructions. You will grow wiser and nicer too! 😊

Ingrid x

My Robin

I have a robin in my garden, a cheeky little thing but the friendliest and bravest bird. It seems unafraid of me and will hop close, looking at me as though checking out whether to come even closer. It sings so loudly and beautifully puffing out it’s chest with gusto knowing with assurance that there is nothing better in the world to do than create wondrous and joyful sound.

How free a robin seems to me. How little to worry about or plan for. Life may have its perils but it is simple.

I’ve been considering simplification recently and as a home group we took a week to discuss it (there is a chapter headed ‘Simplicity’ in the book ‘100 stand alone Bible studies). In the commentary the writer says “the practice of simplicity is a matter of watching our boundaries to see that our lives are protected for God … in a high tech world … where multi-tasking is admired … maintaining a discipline of simplicity is foreign territory”.

Let’s face it, there is so much to do in a day! Many of those ‘things’ are ok and necessary but there are a lot which if we’re honest, are distractions and certainly not necessary. There are also things that can be delayed in order to create space and time within the current day. It may require organisation, lists and consistent commitment to some change, however the de-clutter of our physical space and our schedule gives way to greater opportunities for good … and what a lovely feeling … to have less fog and cobwebs; less rush and stress; less to assault the visual sense and demand action. A calmer energy creeps up, a smoother brow with more space to breathe freely. Remember, your ‘no’ creates room for your ‘yes’. 

No to clutter (in whatever form affects you); no to high anxiety; no to rushing; no to snapping and anger; no to taking on anything more unless you have created space and time for it; no to busyness for the sake of external appearance and performance; no to invites just so that you don’t offend, or are desperate for acceptance. These ‘no’s’ will provide new space … it is how this newly created space is used which will transform your outlook and daily composure.

Yes to calm; yes to meditative time; yes to lists and organisation; yes to new ventures thought through and you have enough regular time to take on;  yes to social activities that bring you joy and not the anticipation of exhaustion or fear around acceptance; yes to time spent appreciating nature; yes to time focused on those you love without your phone nearby to distract your gaze.

It is in this new found and protected space that we can peacefully and meditatively ponder God and his creation. Even if for a few minutes I can guarantee that your calm considerations will lead to worship. What a wonderful place to end up in. It is all about him, not us, and to dedicate time for this at whatever time of day suits you best, is the best change you could make right now.

The birds have it right.

“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds”. (The Message)

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they”? Matthew 6v26

By ‘sacrificing’ this time and potentially re-organising our lives to accommodate this worshipful place, we will never ever regret it. Why? Because our Heavenly Father provides and protects. We are of more value, we are precious beyond our comprehension, therefore he will give far more abundantly, above all we ask or think (Eph 3v20).

Peaceful ponderings

Calm considerations

Mindful meditations

Your simplifying will make space for your glorifying. 

Ingrid x

Balance

Progress will lead to something new, a change ... sounds obvious and has a naturally positive lilt to it. On the face of it and at the time, progress is often positive ... exciting even. Take the invention of the television or the phone ... it’s hard to really image what it must have been like to use them for the very first time. 

Yet if you’re anything like me, you may sometimes wish that they weren’t quite so present in our every day lives. How reliant we have become on these things and how much of our time they fill ... but not that long ago really, people existed without them.

You know I have young children. They love watching TV and I very often love them watching it because it gives me some time to get the tea ready or crack on with a job which needs doing. It’s handy, I won’t deny it. Yet I know that to rely on screen time too much, just isn’t natural or good for them (or me). It’s not just the TV, but the iPad or a games console or a phone or maybe music constantly in their headphones. It’s all artificial even if it’s real people on the screen or singing. Nothing wrong with it at all but there has to be a balance and an acceptance bred into us and our children to be able to stop it ... to change scene, to divert to something else, to escape even.

I’ve seen my children go from being in the middle of creating some amazing lego structure to suddenly standing rooted to the spot, conversation stopped mid flow, just because the TV had been turned on! Talk about halting creativity and social interaction.

If my children are in a woodland setting making dens and climbing trees, they aren’t thinking about wanting to watch TV at all. The environment helps dictate their perspective and desire for creativity, imagination and physical exploration. Likewise if they’re at the beach, they’re not asking to watch Netflix but are chasing the lapping waves or building sandcastles. When in the park, they’re using the play equipment or kicking a ball; even at home if they’re in the lounge having book or puzzle time, they’re engaged and enjoying themselves without the TV being on which is in the same room ... you get the picture. 

So a variety is good ... accessing the physical; our emotions; the imagination; the creative mind; the psychological and the social interaction element, are all vital for balanced growth. Exposure to these things means that screen time can have it’s place but can also know it’s place ... it does not dominate or take away from the real, tangible natural world around us and the real, wonderful other people in it!

As adults we’re often more guilty than the children. We may not have time to sit and watch a lot of TV, but we scroll and scroll, stuck to our phones like barnacles on the back of a humpback whale, even taking them to bed with us because of course it must be the last thing we look at and the first thing we look at each day. Bonkers. (I’m guilty of it). I’d rather look at a tree and hear a bird (I do that too).

So let’s try to get a little more balance in our lives. There is a time for everything ... there is a reason and a season for everything. Read Ecclesiastes 3 ... “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven ...” then it lists a lot! It doesn’t include screen time but maybe we should make our own lists but just make sure we keep a correct perspective and a balanced lifestyle, with our aim being to showcase God’s love and add glory to his name ... that should keep us on track.

Ingrid x

Ode to the bluebell

You can blame someone called Claire for this! She asked me if I wrote poetry so I said I’d have a go. So here goes ... I’m winging it.

Once a year and every year a fragrant carpet blooms

On forest floors it starts to show

The haze of blue with heads bowed low

Yet ne’er been near a loom

This carpet floor you see my friends has quietly been sleeping

Those little plants have lain all snug

Through winters cold and snowy rug

No single one was peeping

Waiting underneath the soil till their appointed time

Then without fuss they poke their heads

Toward the sun, they leave their beds

And start to look sublime

Yes thousands in their number they spread out far and wide

And on each plant so many bells

Where fairies practice magic spells

On elves who try to hide

These bluebells don’t need grooming or ways to hide their flaws

They’re just content to be themselves

No fuss or make up on their shelves

We humans are such bores

Why don’t we take a lesson from these truly splendid flowers

No questions about identity 

No need for wealth or pity

To waste such precious hours

Let’s be content with who we are and what we have today

Like the bluebell’s simple beauty

The fragrance comes from just to be ...

You ... there is no better way.

Ingrid x

Midweek Thought ~ Weeds and Blossom

I’ve been struck recently by the emerging spring blossoms, their variety in both colour and shape; some are huge bombs of tightly knit bright pink flowers, making a bold statement of declaration, whilst others are whimsical in their seeming fragility, almost apologetic with their pale white feathery smallness.

At the same time, my lawn is covered in daisies and dandelions ... weeds. Imagine that for example, the first time you ever saw a dandelion was when on holiday somewhere sunny, happy, vibrant, exotic ... let’s say Hawaii, ... I wager that we would all be taking photos of the humble and sometimes annoying flower, splashing them onto social media, describing their bright sunny disposition, using them as adornment and reveling in the fact that the locals could even make drinks and medicine out of them!

You’ll know from previous posts that I love bluebells. This past Sunday after a morning church service, I had the immense privilege of being escorted around an ancient, private woodland by the owner himself. The history and beauty of the whole place, but especially the carpet of bluebells, was spellbinding. The gentleman concerned simply remarked with a wry smile, that he treated them with a benevolent neglect.

I am no horticulturist or botanist, in fact I’m always quite surprised when my plants, flowers and produce grow well ... but I do appreciate the variety in nature throughout the seasons. It’s good to stop and take notice of both what’s underfoot, around us and above us in the branches. So what am I getting at? When did a daisy stop being a wildflower and become a weed? To me it’s still a wildflower, but I expect most of us don’t tend to appreciate it as much as we would do a primrose peeking out from a mossy bank, or a cornflower poking its head up on the edge of a field. A wildflower is simply one which has not been genetically manipulated. 

Do you sometimes feel like that big, bold blossom and then within the same week, feel like a weed? I do. I can also feel like I’m of use and have a purpose, like many wildflowers are and then just as quickly, feel like a pest which most likely could do with being dug up and discarded. I can feel like I’m a part of something majestic and striking, like the bluebell carpet, then flip to being a stinging nettle within a short period of time. The fickleness of humanity huh! It’s a jolly good job God did the creating and gave seasons, order and purpose.

That’s the point. There is beauty in everything created because God created it. Humans have disturbed, destroyed, diluted, manipulated and poisoned far too much of what God considered ‘good’, and yet there is still so much simple beauty to see.

You are beautiful. You have a purpose. You have worth and value. You are noticed and needed. Do not rely on your feelings or other humans to dictate your true worth, because just like going from a wildflower to a weed, your inner perspective and stability will waver and be tossed about depending on far too many factors. The only factor you need to consider is God's perspective of you ... it is unchanging, reliable, just and secure. With seeking validity and significance from other humans, we will never be satisfied ... we're all flawed so how on earth can we give the rooted foundation of true worth when we're so often struggling with the same issues ourselves?

No matter whether you are more like the dandelion or the apple blossom, you are still magnificent and intently loved. No need to worry about how you look or what to wear ... remember “look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers ... he will certainly care for you” (Matt 6v28-30). Isn’t that a lovely promise to hide in our hearts?

So please, go forth and ponder the flowers around you, from blossoms to weeds and everything in between! See yourself in them and know that God sees beauty in you. He created you just to be you and cares for you more than He does for those flowers. Whether something is deemed a weed or worth taking pride of place in a brides bouquet is often just down to perspective and maybe the fashion / fad of the season. Don’t let circumstances, social pressure, age, ethnicity, disability, clothing labels or wrinkles determine your beauty ... let God, because He’s the only one to truly get it right. He sees the inner beauty which is far more precious than any temporary, external fix. Here’s Peter talking in his direct way about it:

“Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God” (1 Peter 3v3-4). 

Ingrid x

P.S. Is this shorter than previous midweek posts? I’m trying I promise! I tend to just go with the moment and write without stopping ... I know I really am a rambler!

The first bluebells of the season, my favorite time of the year. They predictably come up every year ... not tended, watered, fertilized, thinned out, protected or weeded by any human ... they simply lay all cosy and sleepy underneath the forest floor, until such a time as their creator made them to appear. At that appointed time, they force their way through the spring soil and emerge in brilliant beauty to provide a carpet such as no loom can ever make. Each plant has many flowers, little bells, so delicately bobbing in the breeze as though appreciating that this is their time to shine. 

So often we see them in a blur of deep violet blue as we drive by, or if we do have the privilege of walking to a bluebell wood, we will stand in awe at the striking beauty laid out at our feet. As a whole, it is breathtaking and yet each small plant has those little bell flowers bobbing their hello, without which, the whole would not be possible. Appreciate the detail and the small things, each one counts.

Just like the bluebells, we can often seem and feel very small in the sea of humanity. Yet God created the detail, the individual, the petal and He cares enormously about that detail. Each tiny part of every plant helps with the beauty and function of the whole. So take time to notice, to listen, to smell, to touch, to really see the detail before you that matters most, and to the those whom you love.

The bluebells remind me of God’s steadfast, predictable, remarkable, faithful love. It certainly doesn’t require anything of us, just like the bluebell woods, it is there despite who we are and will remain so. There is a difference however ... we can choose to destroy nature if it’s not protected from our pollution or continual need for more housing. I am grateful for conservation laws that do protect ancient woodlands. God’s  love needs no such input. Nothing can waver the steadfast nature of His love, it is an absolute certainty, one that we can rely on forever.

So the next time you see bluebells and maybe take a walk through their carpeted woodland, remember this: that “all the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness” (Psalm 25v10) ... that His “steadfast love extends to the heavens ... (His) faithfulness to the clouds” (Psalm 36v5) and that “those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness” (Prov. 14v22).

It has been a dream of mine for many, many years, to own a little bluebell woodland. I think it would be my haven of rest, like a little portion of heaven on earth (I’m very much assuming they’ll be bluebells in heaven, or something even better!) So you may well see some more photos of bluebells on here until they bow over to return into hiding ... preparing for their next most excellent extravaganza. Thank you God for creating woodlands which host bluebells.

Ingrid x