A Prayer for the Discouraged

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” Ps. 42:1–3

Gracious Father, your Word gives voice to every season, circumstance, and emotion we experience in the journey to gospel wholeness. In our delight and in our despair, in our certainty and in our frailty; in our cheers and in our fears—and in everything in between, you are with us and you are for us.
You don’t love us more when we have a dancing heart. You don’t love us less when we have a doubting heart. Delightful circumstances don’t mean we’ve done everything right and hard providences don’t mean we’ve done something wrong. Indeed, with kindness you drew us, and with an everlasting, unwavering love, you hold us—no matter what.
Today we bring our discouraged, weary, deeply hurting friends to you, Lord. For you tell us that when one part of the Body hurts, the whole Body hurts. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. We fulfill the law of Christ by bearing one another’s burdens.
Lord, sometimes it feels like life is just too much: the hard events, the difficult people, the aches and pains of this “tent” of a body; cars and plumbing that break down, friends who bury their wives way too early, children who seem allergic to the gospel, mounting bills and decreasing resources, and a world—even family members who say, “Where is your God in all this? What have you done wrong? Why are you holding on?”
Tears in our coffee and beer, on our sandwiches and in our cereal, and dry tears when there is no heart water left. Lord Jesus, you know what this is like—you better than anyone else. For you took the ultimate combination of assaults and insults on the cross, for me and my friends. Your cry, “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?”, assures us we will never be forsaken—never, even when life mocks our creed and confession. It’s your thirst on the cross that assures us that out thirst is fleeting, though at times it feels fatal.
Lord Jesus, as we pant for you, you are running to us with the living water of the gospel; as we starve for hope, you are preparing the fresh bread of mercy and grace. Come quickly, Lord. Show us how to love our friends well when our words are simply not enough.  So very Amen we pray, in your faithful and tender name. Amen.

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8 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER APOLOGISE FOR IN A RELATIONSHIP

1.Being yourself
 Our personality is what makes each and every one of us different and when you are in a relationship you should always be unapologetically ‘you.’ Your partner should love you for how you behave, no matter what, so you should never have to say sorry for what you do. Never apologise for being yourself, find someone who loves you for who you are and learn to love yourself too.

2. Wanting time alone
 Time taken for yourself is important, it allows you to reflect and clear your head but you should never feel like you have to apologise for wanting it. Some of us feel guilty about taking time away from our partner and even our kids but it is important for our well being. Never say sorry for appreciating ‘you time’, simply make sure you plan it in regularly and allow your partner to take their own too.

3.Your goals and aspirations
 We all have things we want in life, whether it’s to take a certain career path or to travel the world and when in a relationship these goals and aspirations should always be supported and encouraged, never apologised for. If you find yourself saying sorry for taking steps to achieve your dreams then find out why your partner opposes them and if they still expect you to apologise don’t change your dreams, change your relationship.

4. Your family and friends
   We don’t choose our family and our friends are the some of the most important people in our lives but if you feel the need to apologise to your partner about them then it’s definitely time to stop. In a relationship the people you love are shared out between you, their siblings become your siblings, your best friends become their best friends, so don’t let your partner ruin those relationships by making you feel like you must apologise for how your family and friends act, especially if they have done nothing wrong.

5. How you look
   We all have differing tastes and preferences when it comes to how we look, from the fashion we choose to our own weight and you should never feel the need to apologise for this. Your partner should want to be with you not just for how you look but how you make them feel and because you enrich their life. If you feel like you need to apologise due to your appearance or that you need to change yourself, take a step back and ask them why they chose you in the first place, if they cannot cope with change they might not be the right person for you.

6. Being honest
 Total honesty is something that many people cannot deal with, especially if the truth is going to impact them negatively, and they would simply prefer their lives to be sugar coated in order to avoid any hurt. It’s important that honesty plays a key role in a relationship and if you need to be honest about a situation do not apologise to those who would rather be lied to, if what you said was valid necessary.

7. Your past
   We’ve all made choices we regret in the past, it could be the amount of partners we have had or a decision that landed you in trouble with the law, but these things shouldn’t be brought up as a weapon in an argument when in a relationship, causing you to apologise for them repeatedly. Your past should remain where it belongs, in the past, and your partner should accept you for who you are. Their judgement should not be based on things you have done and a loving partner would not bring up events that no longer matter just to make you feel small and them triumphant. Never apologise for your past decisions if they no longer have an impact on your present.

8. Your beliefs
   Beliefs are important and are something each of us live by. Whether it’s our religion or our ethics when it comes to eating meat they shape who you are as a person and your partner should never make you feel like you have to apologise for them. In fact, if they do not share the same beliefs they should be trying to understand and embrace them for the sake of the relationship and your happiness and you the same. If you feel the need to apologise it is a good idea to re evaluate the situation you are in.

 http://femluxe.com/8-things-you-should-never-have-to-apologise-for-in-a-relationship/

MY TESTIMONY

MY STORY

WASUBIRE TIMOTHY
 

My name is timothy and I’m located in mukono Uganda, . I started this blog june 2015. I'm a pretty amateur writer, but it has always been something to fall back on when I needed to get things off my chest and out of my mind. I chose to blog because I just want to be able to provide some sort of inspiration. My passion is making a positive difference and helping people. It also includes playing basketball, reading and playing drums but that is a whole different story. I’ve had some pretty dark disappointments in my life, which has helped me build character and made me a stronger person. I hope to help someone out their through my blogs to find comfort, to find the things that makes life exciting again, or even if it’s just to motivate your life. I trust that everything happens for a reason, even when we’re not wise enough to see it. After this past few years I now firmly believe that it is never too late to be what you might have been. Remember, happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.

Ever since I countered the lord Jesus Christ, my life has not remained the same.
In the passed I used to live a life without a purpose. By his grace i am what i am today. Therefor i confidently lean on Gods word which states that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, old things have passed away behold all things have become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17.


I love playing basketball,---https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk9nInh6GLY, 

playing drums, studying talking to people(counseling) going for missions and outreaches, singing in the choir and all these give me pleasure. There is no doubt i enjoy doing these things but without Christ I can do nothing.

He declares to me that He is the true vine and I am the branch. He calls upon me to abide in Him daily and bear much fruit.

In the same way, I have learn't that being a Christian is not all about having a Christian name or being morally upright but rather abiding in the word of God (John 8:31). we are the salt and the light of the world, therefore in the darkness(sinful world) we should act as light.

TO BE CONTINUED...