Can you be replaced?

Image from Toy Story 1, when Woody gathers the toys to try to reassure them, that no one’s getting replaced.

This week’s FMF prompt brought to mind a line in Toy Story 1 (Pixar 1995).

Woody tries to reassure the other toys in Andy’s room, and says emphatically: ‘No one’s getting replaced!’

The toys don’t believe him, and there is something in that statement that speaks to most of us – some kind of primal fear or insecurity that we may be replaced, left in the attic, forgotten, abandoned or given away.

This is both because we need each other, but also because truly we ARE IRREPLACEABLE!

We are each such a unique creation, with a unique individual purpose – but the purpose is corporate.

Friends may come into our lives and then move or drift away; we may have new friends with whom we engage our time and lives, but the old friends are not replaced, they leave something in our lives.

Each one of us adds a unique value to one-another’s lives, even if that value seems to be to knock of some of our own rough edges and to grow our own gifts of forgiveness and patience! Remember what happens when you pray for patience?

God says in His word: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

Isaiah 49:15-17

We don’t need to worry about being replaced.

Our Father God never forgets His children and never ceases to watch over and guide His people.

Reflect for a moment on the unique value that the people in your life bring to you today and in the past. God wastes none of our experiences.

The message is: You are irreplaceable!

Stay with me… watch and pray.

Five Minute Friday prompt word: Watch

17:32

Bleibet hier und wachet mit mir, wachet und betet, wachet und betet.

The word ‘watch’ inspired that refrain above, that I first learned in 1985, at the beginning of my introduction to the Taizé community.

I later went on to spend a couple of separate weeks in the Taizé community in France and also travelled with them to various towns and cities, Ljubljana being one I remember most strongly, as it was before ‘the wall came down’ in the old Yugoslavia.

Taizé is a wonderful place to spend a week! I highly recommend it.

But the song – ‘Stay here and watch with me. Watch and pray; watch and pray’.

This is a daily, constant invitation.

Watching implies being awake and alert, in expectation of seeing something happen.

God wants us to watch and listen with Him; to be alert, sensitive, aware of His purpose and see what He is doing around us.

It is God’s invitation to us, based on Jesus’ pleading invitation to His disciples on His night of passion, in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus wanted the company of His friends as He embraced His suffering. Jesus wants the company of us, His friends.

God invites us to remain in Him, to abide in Him, to stay and pray and linger in His presence. He invites us to partner with Him; to listen to His voice, His heart.

Like with Jesus, our Father wants us to say and do what the Father is saying and doing. We won’t know what He is saying and doing unless we stay close – watching, listening…

He desires that intimate relationship with us.

What more delightful place could there be than resting close to Jesus and hearing the love and purpose He has for our lives and for the lives of those He has given to us.

Refresh and delight your heat and spirit by spending some time resting, abiding, listening and watch with Him. Do it today.

FMF: Milestones galore!

As you might know, I moved home 5 weeks ago. I guess that in itself is a significant milestone, after having lived elsewhere for 10 and a half years and now coming back.

But whilst unpacking, I’ve been sorting through huge boxes, labelled ‘photos’ and I decided to sort through them and put them into more accessible and manageable storage containers that also don’t take up quite so much room.

I have tens of thousands of photos and so I purchased online some storage boxes that would manage and contain this many. So far I have sorted over 2,000 of them.

Taking photos was a hobby of mine since buying a box-brownie from a jumble-sale when I was 8 years old.

I have photos of mine and my family’s milestones.

To sort the photos out has been and still is a major task – and it is physically, mentally and emotionally tiring.

Who is that? When was that? Where were we then?

Naturally (I suppose) I’ve sorted them into chronological chunks – in milestones of age and time, as it were.

Milestones of graduating from one stage of life to another, one house to another, moving up through schools from Juniors to Seniors, to A Levels, to travels, to jobs, to Germany, to University, to marriage, to children…

and then with my own children – the first smiles, teeth, visitors, first steps, outings, first friends, baby brother, first day at nursery etc…

Every first is a milestone.

I have photos of the firsts and the second and the third….

thousands of photos and films

Milestones and moments.

Precious moments.

Every new day is a milestone, full of moments to be cherished.

Precious moments.

His mercies are new every morning.

Every morning is an opportunity for growth and for a first and second chance to change and to grow more like Jesus.

For a second chance and a third and fourth and fifth.

Each time we repent and turn back to Jesus is a milestone and our heavenly father delights as we become more like Jesus.

I wonder if my heavenly Father has an album of photos and precious memories of my milestones too?