Christianity: Set your minds on things above! Colossians 3 verses 1 to 3
- Sarah Louise Clarke
- Oct 12, 2024
- 6 min read
Written and Typed 4-12/10/2024
Colossians 3: 1- 3
Monty Python Quote: Always look on the bright side of life! Whistle & Sing! 🎶
How do these things mix? Well, they don't! The song just came to mind randomly and I like to whistle! 😅 It's something you sing when you're trying to be positive in uncomprehendable life circumstances!
Why am I on this journey? Why did God gift my disabled child to me? What do I know about raising a special needs daughter?! 🤷♀️
Well, he obviously thought I could cope parenting in His strength! He knew that if I refocused my mind on things unseen and eternal, setting my mind on things above, I would cope better! It's been a long road of that not being so, but come September 2023, I felt to be mentally ready!
My emotions are shot, I'm exhausted most of the time, and that's not having other kids to run around after!
On top of parenting and advocating, I'm a commercial cleaner, was a HSC supervisor, my parent's housekeeper and a writer. I was once an aspiring artist, but I got tired of drawing animals, plants and buildings, I lost motivation!
I did some adult colouring in, collected quite a collection and a few months into it realised, this is making me anxious. What colours should I choose? Where should these colours go? What if I change my mind later down the track and don't like what I've done? In the scheme of things, these are not important decisions! 'I have bigger fish to fry!' Although, I'm allergic to fish, I need a better analogy 🤪
Your journey on the road of disability will be unique and different to everyone else! Although you might see similar characteristics as someone else. God can take whatever suffering, loss, or pain you experience and turn it into something good or help you heal through your experience. And in his timing, he will present something good to you during the young years of your children growing and learning, or if you support an adult with disability. Even through your suffering, God can use you to help others through their pain, because he has taught you something through yours.
Basing my thoughts on Romans 8 verse 28, (God works all things together for our good) but also through my own experience of seeing God lead and change me through my own suffering. It took me years to get to the point that I could say: please God change me! While I knew I was at fault for many things and examined my own heart for sin, I was still able to judge others and say: this is how it is.
God always reminds me of these verses: the plank in your own eye – Matthew 7 verse 3 and do not judge or you too will be judged in the same way – Matthew 7 verse 1.
I used to cringe at that. Now I judge myself in the same way and laugh at the similarities.
See we are all sinful people who make mistakes. [From 2015 to the end of 2022, I couldn’t see past my own suffering and pain.] I was the accuser - in the case of blaming God for putting me in this situation, to then becoming an excuser – using any excuse I could think of for not going the extra mile in advocating for my daughter. But thankfully that wasn't a long period of time.
Mum always reminds me that I am amazing! [I deny it to myself so that it won’t go to my head, ha-ha.) She points out the good things I do as a mum and how far I have come, and to remember I am doing my best in a really challenging life experience. I have a daughter with multiple disabilities. I have a husband with Autism that affects his self-esteem, dexterity in his hands and the inability to express empathy or his feelings in an appropriate manner. I love them both, but it pushes life to the next level. Accepting them as they are for who they are! Embracing the unique characteristics of both and juggling with two different autistic personalities.
[I’m not doing this to complain, whine, or judge my family. This is the current challenges I’m facing day to day. Being on top of my mental and emotional health to cope and deal with a family who needs lots of intervention.] They can't adapt to world and the world won't always adapt to them. I have to work around them as they are not able to work around me. Loving my autistic duo is sticking it out for the long hall, no matter how badly it is impacting my own health and happiness. Biblical love is unconditional, constant and never gives up and is patient.
We are to show the world the love of Christ! Be an example of Jesus to others.
In October 2024, after my 3rd cousin passed away at only 51. I came to realise that having an eternal perspective to life above an earthly one gave me the ability to look above my circumstances and my struggles and I found myself coping better. Life can be full of suffering and we can either let the what we see cripple us and make us ineffective for God, or we can have an eternal perspective and focus that gives us the ability to live above that particular situation or circumstance. I realised I could choose what type of perspective to have. I can let what is in front of me debilitate me, or I can have an unseen eternal perspective that lifts me above what I'm going through.
The last few months my health has deteriorated and I have fallen sick more regularly than usual. I have what is called esinophilia.
And I've also suffered gastritis but didn't know there was a thing called eosinophilic gastritis.
Even though I have been very sick and weak, it's made my faith stronger in the sense that it's lead me back to God. As humans we are frail. God also knows how long we will live for. All our days were written in his book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139: 16.
I can give my body and health to God when I'm really sick knowing he would sustain me!
Suffering can either lead you to God or away from him and I've chosen to cling to Jesus. He ultimately holds me in the palm of his hands. These verses say we are engraved on his palms and he holds and sustains us. Isaiah 49: 16, Proverbs 30: 4, Psalm 139: 10.
We can be comforted by these truths!
He gives us eternal life if we choose to follow Jesus. John 3:16.
We can have eternal life even now if we are born again spiritually with a faith in Jesus. John 17:3 and 1 John 5: 2-13.
Christianity is about having a relationship with Jesus, not a religion and obeying laws and rules. We are saved because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross in our place. Ephesians 2: 8-10. We only need to believe and have faith in Jesus.
What is seen is temporary but what is unseen, that is eternal! 2 Corinthians 4:18.
And while we live in a physical world, we can choose to live by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7.
I would like to finish by mentioning the armour of God.
If we want to remain strong and survive spiritual and earthly attacks, the Bible tells us with God's armour in place we will not be defeated by life and the suffering that comes with it. I want to be so firm in the Lord that nothing on this earthly life can debilitate me. I want to be an overcomer and be so glued to Jesus that nothing can penetrate my outlook on life no matter what happens. Setting my mind on things above, the eternal unseen reality will make us invincible because we have Jesus, the Founder and Perfector of our faith.
Written with much excitement, joy, comfort and strength in the Lord,
Your friend and supporter,
Sarah Louise Clarke
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