Welcome to this section of Beauty For Ashes exploring a theme that has come up time and time again for us, when working as therapists with people experiencing trauma and pain……. Does God Care about what I am going through?
Much of the start up period for this website is going on during the Corona Virus outbreak. A season when much of what we took for granted and felt was a safe secure part of our lives, has been shaken to pieces. Had you told me at the beginning of 2020 that within 3 months retail, education, tourism, travel, leisure industries etc would grind to a halt and that all public gathering including churches would be forcibly closed, I would have laughed in your face!! With the fabric of our society crumbling and changing there has been a sudden realisation that life is nowhere near as secure as we thought it was; and this has given rise to a new surge of people looking outside of their circumstances towards more universal spiritual answers. Questions like Does God Exist, and if so does He care enough to help me are poignantly and powerfully relevant to many of us; and we warmly invite you to the listen to our own personal stories and check out the first section of this website.
This second section, Does God Care?, contains videos around the theme whether the existence of a Divine Being can impact our personal lives and situation, and most importantly does what we are going through matter to Him.
John and I believe that the answer to that question is a resounding YES.
Each short video tackles aspects of this question and gives answers that we hope you find useful. We trust they will be helpful to both those new to this search and and those who have been on this path a while. Many of the pictures used can more deeply clarify issues we have some knowledge of, as well as give insight to travellers at the beginning of their search.
Both of us have not had easy lives and have experienced many of the issues that traumatise life and relationships. We do not say things tritely and instinctively veer away from simplistic answers to complex situations.
It is our sincere hope that you will find insight, comfort and blessing through what you hear.
The Ultimate Sacrifice.
In the time of the peak of the Corona Virus outbreak, medical and care professionals paying the ultimate price for nursing the sick and dying was on everyone’s radar. People recovered because of this selfless sacrifice and sometimes lived because others gave their lives to save them; and we are all deeply grateful.
This video explores the central theme of our faith where the Ultimate Sacrifice had an even more powerful impact on lives and society. This video covers the core statement and gesture that God has made concerning His care for us. Sacrificing Himself.
Responsibility and coming of age.
God has created us free to make choices and take responsibility. Support and care from Him are things that He wants us to invite. Love never imposes where it is not wanted.
Why?
“Why is God allowing this to happen”, is a question I hear a lot in my counselling room. It comes out of the anguish of pain and is perhaps one of the deepest cries of the heart in our search for answers.
God is a God of intervention.
Jesus clearly taught that He was Gods representative on earth; and it is clear that everywhere He went He bought wonderful interventions for harrowing sickness, mental anguish and emotional and social poverty. That same God absolutely loves to intervene in the trauma of peoples’ lives today.
God feels our pain too.
Healing interventions for complex circumstances can take a while to unfold but be assured God is concerned when He sees us hurting, and our pain matters to Him.
Intervention and Redemption.
Jesus joyfully spent His 3 years of ministry bringing amazing interventions into peoples’ lives, but voluntarily (albeit agonisingly) gave up being rescued by God from the death on the cross. By that sacrifice He birthed the biggest and most impacting Intervention of all times……. Redemption for the World. Understanding this pathway is one of the keys to making sense and moving beyond the painful situations we find ourselves in.
Why wont this go away!?
It is really hard when we find ourselves stuck in situations that won’t go away. I have walked this path both in my individual and family life so understand how difficult it can be.
No Easy Answers ( an apology).
One of the hardest things for people going through difficult situations, is that the people around us do not always understand. Maybe we have been given solutions that haven’t helped or even made things worse. Maybe you have been left feeling guilty, hurt or angry. I believe this leaves God very sorrowful and I would like to apologise sincerely on behalf of us all if this has been the case. Please listen in !!!