Walking On Sunshine

Hey everyone! Its been a lovely week for me, how was yours?

This week I thought I'd share with you an experience, that although may seem so insignificant, God used to teach me something that I'm sure many of you, particularly myself, could be reminded of! Let me set the scene...

I was playing the piano this friday evening as best as I could. I started off just practicing the songs I learnt quietly to myself (I love the piano and thank God for the gift he has given me!) and before I knew it myself, I realised I was playing with a selfish heart hoping that my family would 'notice' me! I must admit I played for a while, all the time thinking they were listening to me. It was awful quiet, so I played a bit more, thinking they must have been enjoying it! After I finished, I started walking to my room, after pausing to peek into my brothers room. To my surprise, he wasn't listening to it at all, all that time! Instead he had his ear phones in, listening to his own music!! Feeling quite rejected and disappointed, I dragged myself to my room. Looking for some sort of encouragement, I grabbed one of my most favorite books, called 'His Princess' By Sheri Rose Shepherd. I sat there in thought, asking God all sorts of silly questions. "Why have you given me this gift of piano lord, if I can't even get others to appreciate it? Why bother playing if no one listens anyway? Why lord?" After praying for only a few seconds, I opened the book I had in front of me and the first page I came to was definitely what I needed to hear! (Ps. Because the page is too long, let me choose the most meaningful sentences.)

My Princess...
You Don't have to fit in~

I know you want to be accepted by others, but you were not made to fit in. You, my Princess, were created to stand out, not to draw attention to yourself, but live the kind of life that leads others to me...You can put on your crown at any time and let people know you belong to me...

Love,
Your King and Crown Giver

It also came with a verse. This verse really opened my eyes!

"Am I now trying to win the approval of me, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10 NIV

After having read that, it really lifted my spirits, knowing that God cares about our struggles in life, to be seen as someone special, to be noticed, praised, appreciated and accepted! It was then, that I realised that, YES, God intends for us to share our gifts with others, but not to win the approval of others, but of God - to lead others to him!

Until next time! 

Yours Truly,
Riarna

Hi Everybody :-) Sorry I haven't posted in a while,  its been rather busy here!

This week I thought I'd share something different! A few days ago, my Mum and I brought home an extraordinary pet, a 7 week year old Baby girl rabbit, which I'm going to tell you about :-)

As Mum and I walked into the pet shop that day, we had only one thing in mind.. to buy rabbit food for our white rabbit at home (plus we had many other pets!) But as we walked out the door with everything we had, came a sweet bundle of dark brown fur, with cute promising eyes, and un-resistable soft hugs!  As we drove home, all these names bombarded my mind, in which to call our new addition to the family! How about Midnight? No..too daunting. Pepper? No, too weird. Morning rise? No, too real. Dawn? Too short! And thats when I had it, Morning Dawn! (Well, thats what I called it anyway, the others each had their own name for it: Clover, Flopsy, Coco, Chocolate!)

Morning Dawn is the B-e-s-t rabbit you could imagine! He has these bright glassy pleading eyes, soft dark brown fur, cute button nose and has the loveliest temperament! Our family spent hours with Morning Dawn, till finally night beckoned us to put our little bundle of fur back in its home. It really is such a baby! It will snuggle in your arms for hours if you let it, so adorable!!

Morning Dawn is so placid and has a lovely temperament. This made me wonder, why?! I guess we can say each individual is different and has different personalities, but I believe sometimes its more than that! When we brought Morning Dawn, we asked why it was so placid and friendly to us. The shop owner explained, that these children looked after not only its physical needs as it was younger, but also played with it each day, hugged it, and nurtured it. This obviously helped developed this baby rabbits temperament and personality!

As I thought about this, one thing came to my mind. If we truly want to become like our Father in Heaven, with a beautiful personality, we must allow God to enter our lives, not just for a little while, but all the time (something I'm sure all of us struggle with, including myself!) to mold and nurture us into something beautiful! Allowing him to remind us each day to read from his character building Bible, passionate prayer (Theres a book called Passionate Prayer by Brenda Welsh, SO powerful!) and connecting with him each day. I know its a struggle, especially for myself, but its a challenge worth undertaking, and the reward is worth waiting for, just like Morning Dawn!

Your Friend,
Riarna :)