A Calling?

My friend Polly has already written a post on the idea of a calling and I pretty much agree with everything she wrote so I'll just add a few more thoughts of my own.

I too don't think that everyone has a calling that specifies what they will do with their lives, when they will do it and who they will do it with (or at least, not one that they know). I prefer to think of 'a calling' as a collective rather than an individual thing. God calls His people to do particular things, to live in a particular way and simply by virtue of being a Christian these things apply to me.

We are called to love God above all else and love others and to live in a way that demonstrates this love and reflects the fact that we have been set free from sin (ie we don't have to live a life of guilt and shame) and that we look forward to one day everything being reconciled to God (ie there will be no more sin and suffering and there will be peace). I'm not entirely sure how to do all that; it is a pretty high standard to live up to. But I know that when we focus on God and make Him the center of our attention the rest will just happen naturally. (If there's anything in this paragraph you don't understand or want to discus more feel free to comment below).

I like the way these verses put it

Ephesians 1: ⁷  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

I'm not saying that God never tells anyone anything specific about their lives. He does. Some people will hear God telling them something or feel Him leading somewhere. God has given us all gifts/talents that He wants us to use, sometimes in specific settings. Sometimes God will open or close a particular door. 

What I am saying is that the idea of a calling is not just about hearing God tell you what to do and when and where to do it. It's more about living whatever life you live in the way that God calls all Christians to live. We have to trust that God knows what He's doing when He chooses to tell/reveal some things to some people sometimes and that God will give us what we need (including information) to do anything He wants us to do.

What to do when flirted with

While waiting for the next blog roll topic or to think of something else to blog about I'm going back to a topic the rest of the group wrote about before I joined: flirting. Most people wrote about a guide to flirting they had read, generally from the perspective of the flirter. After thinking about the topic for a bit  I've decided that rather than end up repeating what others have already written I'm going to write about being the flirtee.

A few examples:
A rather empty cafe in Amsterdam. My sister and I ordering some food to take away. The guy serving us chatting (in perfect English) and asking us questions about where we were from, what we were doing in Amsterdam etc.  Friendly, bored and lonely or flirtatious? Given all of our ages and the tone of his voice we thought the latter.

Late afternoon in a souvenir shop in Prague. Alone I walked in in search of a small souvenir or two and was greeted by a young man (who may or may not have worked there, I couldn't figure it out). The greeting didn't stop at "Hello, how are you? Can I help you with anything?" He went on to ask about my plans for that evening and whether I would meet him later so he could show me some of the cool bars and clubs. There was no way I was going to say yes, I don't think many girls traveling alone would. I hadn't seen it coming and didn't really know how to respond. I think I mumbled something about already having something to do and walked out quickly without turning around.

Walking from the train station to the hostel in Geneva.  Another young man who spoke English suddenly came up beside me. He started talking to me, asking me the standard 'where are you from?', 'what are you doing here?' questions. But he wouldn't be easily put off. He was determined to engage me in conversation and walk me to my hostel. After a while he got the message that I wasn't really interested and that I didn't need any help finding my hostel and left.

All of these could just be examples of friendly people wanting to be nice to a tourist but the fact they were all young men and the things they said and the unusual nature of each conversation suggested otherwise. (I may be widening the definition of flirting a bit.) The first situation was ok. It was more of a friendly chat and it ended naturally and easily. The second two were more awkward and I wanted to get away from them.

Things to think about:
How do you get rid of someone, especially a stranger, who you don't really want to talk to or flirt with? Are there some situations where it is ok to lie (and say you have to be somewhere or you're going to meet someone etc) or be rude and just tell them to go away (although I don't think I'd be brave enough to do that)? Should I be more open to talking to strangers or was I right to be suspicious and uncomfortable? Are there things you can do to not get in awkward flirting situations in the first place? (I know one girl who wore a cheap plastic diamond ring)

 From the perspective of the flirter: don't be weird or intimidating. If you want to flirt stick to people you know, comfortable situations and make it natural. If you want to be nice to a stranger or help a tourist think carefully about how you can do so, leave as soon as you've done what you set out to do unless it is clear they don't mind the company and are happy to keep talking to you, and choose your helpee carefully putting yourself in their shoes.

 Yes I did notice that all my examples are from overseas. I don't know if that's because NZ men are different or I just don't often end up in situations where I end up alone with strange men when I'm not traveling.

The Beauty of Creation

When I first saw the topic "one thing that makes you ache because it's so beautiful/feel so small in its vastness/implode with wonder" I had no idea what to write about but then it hit me one morning in the shower - nothing fits that description better than God and His creation. That's not something that can easily be put into words so this is going to be more of a photo blog post.

Ohariu Farm just north of Wellington

Lake Geneva and the Alps

Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe

Lakes and mountains surprise me with their beauty, how ginormous they are compared to me and how still and quiet they can be.  
   

Sunset from Wellington

The colours of sunsets are so pretty.

Sunset from Lancaster, England

                






                                                        
There is something so magical about snow, the way it gently floats through the air, the way it covers the ground and the trees, the way it is so white and clean, the way you can get covered in snow and brush it off without getting wet.

Snow in Bath, England

Frozen lake in Billesdon, England

Snowing!

Snow covered plant

 

A deer

A stream in autumn

 

 Autumn is fall of amazing colours.




I love listening to the sound of a stream gently flowing.

A frozen waterfall

The Australian Outback

New Zealand from a plane

The way our earth looks from high above it always amazes me.




Don't we have such an amazing and creative God! Every time I look at what He has created and experience different forces of nature I have to stop for a moment and let myself ache because it's so beautiful, feel so small in its vastness, implode with wonder.

the princess in the tower, the dragon wrapped about it, the knight below.

This is the first of my blog roll blogs (the blog roll is a group of friends who all blog about the same topic). For this one I'm going to write mine first before I read what everyone else has written about the princess in the tower, the dragon wrapped about it, the knight below (unless I can't think of anything to write).

A princess stuck in a tower guarded by a dragon and a knight coming to her rescue is the classic fairy tale that is still told today whether that be through Disney movies, tongue-in-cheek versions like Shrek or the modern day version seen in many chic-flics/rom-coms. The idea that a woman is helpless and needs a man to be her conqueror and saviour is a rather old fashioned idea. I'm not entirely sure why it is still such a popular idea today. Why do we love reading books and watching movies with a female lead who comes up against some challenge or obstacle and needs a man to help her through (who she then falls in love with and they live happily ever after)? What is it we find so attractive about vulnerability in a woman?

Maybe we women like being taken care of sometimes and not feel like we have to do everything ourselves. Maybe men like being the protector, the strong one, feeling some sense of superiority. These feelings and their portrayal in film and literature probably have a lot to do with a modern western society which, when it's not indulging these feelings and fantasies, is screaming at us that we are equal, that we are all strong, capable individuals who should be selfishly looking out for ourselves only. I'm sure we can all agree that that is a lie. It is not only un-Christian but also impractical for us all to live such selfish lives. 


At the same time I'm sure we don't really want to live in a world where women can't do anything for themselves, where women are completely reliant on men to provide for them, look after them and crush anything that tries to harm them. Where is a woman's freedom in that world? Where is the appreciation of the strengths and skills women have and the things they are capable of doing not only for themselves but for other people too (including men) if they are given the chance?


I'd prefer a world where all are equal and are all able to use our skills, our strengths, our knowledge as we choose for the good of ourselves and others. I'd prefer a world where it is ok to admit that you can't do something and need someone's help, even if you're a man needing a woman's help. We are getting closer to a world that looks like this but we still have a long way to go. 

As well as stories of knights rescuing princesses we need stories of women rescuing men and stories of both men and women accomplishing great things both alone and with others to remind us all that we are capable individuals but our capabilities are not unlimited. As Rahab helped Joshua's spies in an enemy land, Belle Watling helped the group of Southern men facing hanging, Sam helped Frodo climb a mountain and save Middle Earth, and Dean helped Rory when she was struggling at Yale I believe we will all find ourselves uniquely placed to help in a time of need. Are we ready to help? Are we ready to admit when we're the one needing help?


I didn't really set out to write about gender equality and helping people, that's just how it turned out. I should also say that this whole post is focused on western/developed society; if I was to write about these things in relation to the whole world it would be way too long for a blog.

Now I'm off to see .how other people interpreted the topic...