A letter to my 20 year old self

Birthdays are always a very reflective time for me and since this year marks my 30^th birthday, I have been reflecting on my past 10 years. A lot can happen in a decade and I wanted to mark this occasion on my blog by sharing a letter that I wrote to my 20 year old self. Obviously, my 20 year old self is now a 30 year old and these lessons have been learnt, but I wanted to write this letter to reflect on the things that God has brought me through during my 20s. I wanted to remind myself of the journey He has taken me on and to share with those who are standing 10 years behind me the lessons and experiences that they may go through before they reach 30.

“Dear Daisy,

You have made it to your 20s and I am certain that you think you know it all and you have figured out life. You have so much to learn and so much to experience. Let me tell you:

You will grow in your faith!

This is the time that you will learn the most yet about God and what it means to be a Christian. You will see the true power of the word of God and you will persevere in prayer. You will pick up unconventional ways of thinking, and even at times, your friends and family won’t understand your stance. Don’t be afraid to be peculiar and stand apart from this world. It will be hard sometimes but God will honour you and you will grow in Him.

You will make wrong choices

I am so sad to write this, but you will make decisions that will change the course of your 20s. Decisions that will take time to overcome, but God is faithful. Through much prayer, study and persevering effort, God will help you to stand again and will override events to make bitter trials a blessing and you will be a better you. Just guard your choices and your associations going forward.

You will move!

Yes, you will leave London with no job and no plans except a burning desire to follow God’s leading. Your new home will be in Wales and you will learn lessons in patience, diligence, perseverance, trust and waiting on the Lord.

You will have your heart broken

…but the Lord “healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3. You will trust God to heal from past hurts and you will grow to love Him more deeply. He will show you that “true love is a high and holy principle, altogether different in character from that love that is awakened by impulse, and which dies when severely tested.” Adventist Home pg. 50. He will show you his standards and He will keep and guard your heart.

You will see miracles

God will come through for you at the 11^th hour! Things that you thought were impossible, He will make happen for you…even when you are tempted to disbelieve. Have more faith and remember “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28 and “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” Psalm 84:11.

You will lose loved ones

Three times round…but God will give you strength. He will turn every teardrop into glittering stones and diamonds rare. He will leave you with precious memories to keep in frames of gold and silver, and the blessed hope of the resurrection.

You will travel

Yes, from America, to the Netherlands, to Spain, to Norway, to Paris, Berlin and many other places. God will give you new experiences as you experience different cultures, meet new people and He will give you precious memories to carry home with you.

You will be misunderstood, talked about and hated

I must tell you this…often this can be the reality. Everybody likes to be liked…but that is not what is promised. Remember, Jesus was misunderstood, talked about and hated. He knows the pains of these things yet He encourages you to keep moving forward and to trust in Him. No matter how hard you try Daisy, people may be bent on misunderstanding you, people may have so many things to say about you, people may even hate you…but it’s ok, just make sure nothing makes you bitter and that you rise above all slights. Make sure that your heart doesn’t harbour any hatred for  anyone. God will give you strength to draw warmth from coldness.

You will be betrayed

But it will teach you about wisdom and discernment. Remember the lord is a “man of war” (Exodus 15:3) He will fight for you. Just be content in knowing that all things are recorded in the books of heaven, and God will take care of things. Rest.

You will feel alone

…but you won’t be alone. Remember, being alone and being lonely are two different things. One is a state of being and one is a state of mind. Remember if Christ is all you have…you have everything. You will be alone, but not lonely.

You will have the best year of your life

The year 2014 will be the best year of your life!!! The gospel will do so much for you and you will experience true joy and peace. You will feel alive and will praise God for mountains climbed. However, sadly tough times will come upon you in the next few years but the experiences of this year and the grace of God will carry you through.

You will be greatly loved

By your heavenly father and by all of those faithful ones He will put along your path. You will rejoice in the blessedness of fellowship and you in turn will love. Make sure you cherish those blessed ones, never take them for granted and always pray for them by name.

You will learn that some friendships are just for a season.

Remember when you thought all your secondary school friends would be your friends now?

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1

And this is also the case for friends, even in your 20s you will experience more “growing apart. God has a purpose and a plan for you – remember where God is taking you, sadly not all can go with you…even if you want them to. This may also be the case for them – maybe where they are going, you cannot go.  It will be painful and sometimes baffling, but you’ve just got to trust God’s wisdom and trust the process. Just like the autumn season, trees have to let go of leaves in order to grow and enter into the next season. Thank God for the season and thank God for growth.

You will start a blog

And what an experience that will be. You will blog about faith, love, marriage, sheep (lol), moving, loss, relationships, contentment, friendships and much more.  God will give you the courage to be bold about your faith and the grace to be candid and share intimate details of your life. Remember even if one person is blessed by your blog, your mission has been accomplished.

You will learn that what will be will be

Learn to accept things and move on. Allow God to order and direct your steps and He will bring it to pass. Always remember that the best place to ever be is in the centre of God’s will.

You will experience trials

…and you will learn patience. You will learn to be still and trust God…even when you don’t understand. Our trials are weighed and measured in heaven before being given to us so always remember “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.  He will never give you more than you can bear.

“Our sorrows do not spring out of the ground. God “doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.” Lamentations 3:33. When He permits trials and afflictions, it is “for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness.” Hebrews 12:10. If received in faith, the trial that seems so bitter and hard to bear will prove a blessing. The cruel blow that blights the joys of earth will be the means of turning our eyes to heaven. How many there are who would never have known Jesus had not sorrow led them to seek comfort in Him! The trials of life are God’s workmen, to remove the impurities and roughness from our character. Their hewing, squaring, and chiseling, their burnishing and polishing, is a painful process; it is hard to be pressed down to the grinding wheel. But the stone is brought forth prepared to fill its place in the heavenly temple. Upon no useless material does the Master bestow such careful, thorough work. Only His precious stones are polished after the similitude of a palace.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pg. 10

You will rejoice at the end of days!

Life may not have worked out as you expected it to but you will rejoice at his unfailing faithfulness and loving kindness. As you enter your 30s your anthem and song will be “Great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentation 3:23) and you will sing Daisy…and not be silent.

“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”

Psalm 30: 11-12

With overflowing love, 

♥ Miss Daisy ♥ (Your 30 year old self)

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30 things I've learnt in 30 years

So 30 days before my 30th Birthday, I shared a video each day on multiple social media platforms describing one thing I have learnt in 30 years.


These videos can be found on my Facebook page – www.facebook.com/missdaisyspetals


For those who want a quick summary, here they are below.

1. A word is enough for the wise

2. Only by pride cometh contention – Proverbs 13:10

3. Those who gossip with you gossip about you.

4. Input = Output

5. Be careful who you fall in love with. Some people are looking for love and some people are looking for help.

6. For children: Don’t wear clothes with your name displayed on it, as strangers can approach you acting like they know you.

7. What you compromise to get, you must compromise to keep.

8. Your enemy today could be your helper tomorrow.

9. A continual dropping in a rainy day and a contention woman are alike –                Proverbs 27:15

10. “I’m sorry you…” is NOT an apology.

11. Go by facts and not by feelings (principle over emotions)

12. Do not get involved in work/office politics and dramas – you will get burnt.

13. None of us are above influence.

14. One can lie by omission so probe FULLY

15. Our thoughts follow our words.

16. “…the curse causeless shall not come” – Proverbs 26:2 – Nothing ever happens for no reason.

17. Your friends are NOT your customers.

18. “Church hurt” is REAL…but you’ve got to rise above it.

19. Look after the pennies and the pounds will looks after themselves

20. Be wary of people try to tell you about how other people are like. (Form your own first       impressions)

21. Take mixed signals as a no.

22. It’s important to understand love languages.

23. A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity – Proverbs 17:17

24. Approach is key!

25. What Susie says about Sally says more about Susie than Sally

26. Sometimes no closure is closure.

27. When yuh 'an inna di lion mout tek time draw it out (When your hand is in a Lion's mouth remove it carefully/slowly)

28. Thinking about getting married? You need to have a list. 

29. Sometimes you have to lose to win. 

30. SMILE! You don't own all the world's problems. 

I am thankful for all the lessons that life brings and for the many ways God teaching us to navigate through them. If you were following the videos each day I pray that
you were blessed by them and look forward to the many future experience that God has in store for us, to teach us and strengthen us.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

 Psalm 32:8

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥  


Stay in touch with me 

Email: missdaisyspetals@gmail.com
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A thoughtful hour: 5 tips for spending time with God

So last month I wrote about my commitment to having a “thoughtful hour” each day – which for me was all about my desire to find small intervals throughout the day to spend time with God while still juggling a busy schedule. In this blog post I wanted to get practical and share some tips and ideas of ways we can find time in the day to have our thoughts drawn to Jesus. Some of these tips I already implement and some I am hoping to try out.

So, getting straight into it – Here are my 5 tips:

1.       Bible Audio

I love Bible audio!! Bible audio is handy when you are on the go or when you want a few thoughtful minutes. I sometimes use bible audio when I do things that require me to walk around, for example: - walking around the building at work, walking into town, taking a stroll by the sea front on my lunch break etc. I find listening to Bible audio generally keeps my mind in a focused and reflective place. I use the Bible audio app – Bible.is - this app has the Bible in many different languages and has a variety of different Bible audios to suit different preferences. As a side point, I make use of Bible audio almost every night - I leave it to play quietly and it is so great to go to sleep and wake up to the word of God!

2.       Scripture on paper

The title may make this tip sound a little bit sophisticated, but with this I literally write down scriptures on a small piece of paper (about the size of my hand). This allows me to read and mediate on the word of God in situations where I am not able to have my bible open in my hands. This is handy for me as most of you know I work in ICT Support, and there are times when I have to wait for things to install/load, so I am pretty much sitting around and waiting. However, I am technically still working so I can’t just crack open a book and do my own thing. However, having that small piece of paper in my hand allows me in that period of waiting to lift my thoughts heavenward and meditate on scripture.

3.       Scripture memorisation

This is an area I definitely need to improve on, but when I have been consistent, it has been such a blessing. Scripture memorisation is a powerful tool for keeping the word hidden in your heart, and you can recall to your mind scripture at any time when you need them. I try to memorise scripture that I can use when I am confronted with specific situations throughout the day.

For example, when I am in situation where:

·       I am feeling overwhelmed and have so much on my mind:

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” Psalm 49:19

·       I need to plan something important:

“Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.” Proverbs 24:27

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

·       I encounter possible conflict:

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” James 1:19

Some people find scripture memorisation too hard or boring, but the key is in finding a method of memorisation that suits you. Some people memorise through repeating the scripture aloud repeatedly, some have to write the scripture down over and over again, some use scripture songs to memories and some make use of memorisation apps/websites. My best friend recommended this website as being very useful for scripture memorisation - https://learnscripture.net/

4.       Sermons and Audio books

Sermons and audio books are great for when you have longer periods where you may be sitting down working on something, on a long journey or doing something that doesn’t require much mental focus.  Sermons and audio books work for me specifically because I often drive long distances and have very little time to sit down and read leisurely. Using this method has helped me get through   many sermons and even whole books, which would have taken me longer (if at all) to complete if I tried to do it leisurely in my spare time.  Sermon and audio books are also great if you want to focus on specific topic - one of my favourite audio books is The Desire of Ages by Ellen G White.

5.       Scripture songs

Most of us know that when something is put to a tune, it is easy to remember. Music is a great learning tool and there are some songs that I haven't heard since childhood, but granted if I heard the tune, it is likely I would be able to remember the words too. If you want to memorise scripture fast and keep it in your mind for longer, then scripture songs are a very effective method. There are so many scripture songs out there that you can learn, and if you want to be creative you can make your own scripture songs. Creating your own scripture songs can also give you time to really think and meditate on the words as you put it to a tune.

6.       Journaling

This blog post is meant to give only five tips, but I will throw in a somewhat related bonus. Journaling is so special to me!!!! I find journaling extremely useful as it gives me the opportunity to really pour out myself and express myself to God. It is such a blessing (sometimes hard) to be completely candid and vulnerable before your maker. I write a daily journal, and it is so powerful  to look back at my past journal entries and view times that I have rejoiced, cried, surrendered. It is such a blessing to review what God has done and to also track your growth in Him. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer try adding journaling into your time with God, and you won’t be sorry! J

I hope these tips have been helpful, if you have any more tips please share them with us in the comments section below.

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥  


Stay in touch with me 

Email: missdaisyspetals@gmail.com
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A thoughtful hour...

“It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit…”

Desire of Ages page 83

Doesn’t the above sound amazing! Imagine how much power we would have if we spent just a thoughtful hour each day contemplating Christ’s life and the great sacrifice he made for us. 

Well…

As amazing as this sounds, there is a problem…

Time!

Time is definitely something that we all can say we need more of!

…but God is gracious. He has given us 86, 400 seconds/1440 minutes/24 hours in a day and yet he doesn’t demand all of our time.

It’s almost like tithe, God could ask for 75% of our income or even 50% but he only asks us for 10%

…because he that is faithful in little is faithful in much?

Going back to the actual topic though…

God has given us all a measure of time and it’s up to us to choose and determine how much time we should spend with him and how to allocate our time and juggle things like family responsibilities, work responsibilities etc. 

Can I be completely honest with you...

I sometimes struggle to have my thoughtful hour each day. I remember praying and asking God to interrupt my day. I wanted to find extra time with God throughout the day outside of my morning and evening devotional time.

This sounds all good in theory, but I’m finding that as you get older and take on more adult responsibilities your days tend to be drowned by all the “important things” that need to be done.

Lord I need more time!!

…or maybe I need to be intentional and find time.

..but from where?

Hmmm, it’s time for me to get creative and find a new way to do things.

I need to make time.

I remember a sister in Christ sharing her testimony and she mentioned the “thoughtful hour”, and how she does it in 15-minute increments throughout the day.

I thought to myself “That’s it! That is exactly what I am going to do!”(Getting creative doesn’t always mean being completely original 😊)

So…

I have decided that I am going to be more intentional about my time and ask God to grant me little pockets of time throughout the day. I want to be able to pull away from the day’s activities and take some time out for reflection and meditation. It may mean sacrificing a trip into town during my lunch break, postponing that telephone call, reducing my time on social media etc

Have you always desired to have that “thoughtful hour” during the day but are struggling to find the time? Join me…Get creative and find a way to make time that works for you.

… But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

Psalm 1:2

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥  


Stay in touch with me 

Email: missdaisyspetals@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missdaisyspetals 
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2019 is NOT going to be my year

If we judge it by how long it has taken me to write this one blog post!

No, but on a more serious note.

God has a reputation of answering prayers,

…therefore we need to be careful what we ask for.

It’s true that he “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” Ephesians 3:20.

But that “abundantly above” doesn’t always look pretty, or come in the way we expect it.

Sometimes answered prayers bring us face to face with our own weaknesses and may even require sacrifice.

In 2018, I prayed.

I asked God to help me to learn to stand tall; and for His name, be able to face this world and not flinch.

I asked for this and received;

trials, challenges, estrangement, grief, and even betrayal.

…But like I said God answers prayers.

I guess, firstly he wants to give me an experience that can maintain what I am asking for, right?

He has to build me and make me stronger; otherwise what I am asking for will never be of any benefit to me.

I used to have the “this is going to be my year!” mentality.

I had 2018 planned so well but the Lord had a change of plan...

…I tried so hard to resist it.

But the scripture says “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

I know this very well yet here I was falling into the same trap.

2018 did not go to plan at all, but the change of plan turned out to be such a blessing; one that I wouldn’t have been able to plan myself…or even fathom.

God is good!

So much so that I can look back at 2018 and count it all joy because he is “too wise to err, and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly” Steps to Christ, page 96.

I needed to learn that God will change plans for our benefit and his glory; so I need to be ready and willing to surrender.

So! 2019 is not going to be my year,

...Because I am going to trust.

 I am going to give it over to him, come what may, so that his name may be made great…even in all the earth.

Happy New Year everyone!  I pray that God’s will may be accomplished in your life this year,

… be ready and willing always to surrender.

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥