Reflecting on The Judgmental Heart

No one really enjoys sharing their weaknesses, let alone their sins. Even if we understand the great benefit that can come through sharing and confession to others (for both ourselves, our fellowship, and even for others learning from our mistakes), it can feel humiliating. We are often ashamed of our sin, discouraged by our failings, and now more than ever through social media, we can really portray ourselves how we want to be seen, having it all together in a ‘perfect’ life – so why would we want to tarnish that by sharing how short of the mark we fall?
As I explored a bit in my first reflective post Reflecting on Reflecting, I think that vulnerability and, alongside it, openness and authenticity is a vital part of Christian growth and community, so I want to share with you one (or some!) of my recent  failings and what I have been reflecting on it.

Stand Firm: Taking Refuge through Faith in Jesus

The image of God as our shield is one that is probably most associated with the ‘wisdom books’ of the Bible. Reading Psalms and Proverbs, this is not an unusual concept; in fact, we are quite used to hearing verses such as:

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” (Ps 28:7),

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Ps 18:2)

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Prov 30:5)

I’m Busier Than You

“How’s your week been?” “Oh you know, it’s been busy…’.

Sound familiar?
Without fail, no matter who I talk to, whether I ask the question or answer it, I have this conversation many times per week. And you know what this says about us? We are all busy.

In my first few years of my medical degree, I was busy. Really busy. And it got to the stage where it would annoy me when other people told me they were busy because they couldn’t possibly be as busy as me; they had no idea what sort of hours I worked, how much I had to learn, what sort of pressure I was under – they didn’t understand busy.