I am extremely humbled by the ability to weave words into sprinkles of the divine that my Creator has imprinted in my fingertips. In an effort to be faithful with this gift, I embarked on a Christian devotional project termed “Purple Pulse”.
Allow me to expand this concept: the colour purple is symbolic of royalty – as a child of God; you are an essential part of His kingdom, a holy priesthood, a royal nation. And any paramedic can tell you that no matter what condition the body is in, as long as there is a pulse – there is hope! So the aim of these devotionals is to get your spiritual pulse racing as you are reminded of the goodness and grace of your Heavenly Father!
If you would like to receive these weekly devotionals in your inbox every Friday, visit this link http://www.purplebrain.co.za/list/ to sign up. Below is the first devotional I wrote in January, 2007:
Turning frustration into favour
By Cheryl Ramurath
I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of being perpetually frustrated.
Jesus told us to be “anxious for nothing”, yet we still find ourselves getting worked up about the smallest details of our lives. This appears to be a common malaise amongst my friends and family. We tend to compare the level of achievement in our lives with others and when we feel like we are falling short, fear and insecurity creeps in and we found ourselves in a sinking sand pit of ferocious activity to try and do all we can to be all we can all the time.
Phew – even writing that tired me out. And the saddest truth is that the more we struggle to get out of the shifting sands of frustration, the deeper we descend into our self-made turmoil. You see, I want to be so much for Him, that I often forget to focus on Him.
This is the way I see it – there’s my Loving Father, who has promised to take me on an exciting journey. And I am filled with exhilaration and find myself caught up in my preparation and packing. I call everyone I know about my impending trip, telling them about what I think is going to happen and the plans I have to help God make the most of my life.
All the while, in the midst of my frenetic activity, there He waits, patiently, graciously, until I remember His word in Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty.”
One lesson I thought that I had learnt, only to understand later on that I had to allow the lesson stay with me and subsequently change the course of my life, is that I can never live the life that God has created - predestined and uniquely designed for my footsteps only – until I accept the fact that I can never do it on my own strength and power.
Yes I have to make positive choices everyday; I have to wash myself with His word and make conscious, concerted efforts of will to drown out distractions (when everything else in my life is screaming for attention) and draw near to Him
But that’s all that I can do. I can’t bring about the supernatural by sheer force of human effort – it only manifests in due season when I exercise my faith. Something that Joyce Meyer stresses in her teaching is the importance of acknowledging that there is only one God of the universe. Peace (which is the opposite of frustration) only comes once we have done all that we can do, and then allow God to do what only He can do.
I am finally beginning to understand that it’s only by His spirit, living in me, that ushers in the supernatural in my life. Once I stop wishing that God looks at my agenda and plans to make things happen they way that I want them to unfold, I am then amazed by God’s scheduling of my day. Its then that I am able to see the lady in the wheelchair that needs help, or receive the right words to imparting to a hurting heart, or just enjoy the glorious beauty all around me.
He answers my sand-filled, desperate cries for help by stretching out His mighty right hand, pulls me out of the pit of common humanity, dusts me off, and wraps me warmly in His favour.
Psalm 40
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD.