Essential Grace Blog

Hello Dear Reader, It has been an emotional week in the world. In most Southern African countries there has been varying levels of distress from xenophobia related violence, the cruel deaths of young women, and the death of an iconic leader who was for many years a hero to many in Africa. Closer to home there has been the usual unrest through our ongoing court cases, the floundering economy, some sudden deaths that have left us reeling as a community. It has been one of those weeks that requires digging deep into one's reserves of strength just to get to sleep at night. Some more than others. On the issue of sleep, I have discovered what a luxury sleep is to so many people. As usual, I was chatting to a stranger I met at a fundraiser on the weekend. I find myself doing that a lot lately, my curious (nosy) nature gets the better of me and I find myself engaging in deep conversation with people whose names I don't even know. Well, this was the second stranger of the morning I...

There was an article I read in a women's magazine some years ago. It was about the growing trend of glamourising stress. Apparently, people get into competition on their outrageously busy schedules, their tight deadlines, their endless to-do lists and the ever raising blood pressure. I don't quite know if this has something to do with wanting to be important, or trying to paint a picture of productive energy. The point is, stress can never be glamorous. Neither can the lack of balance and pacing in one's life. The Bible speaks about suffering in terms of it being a global experience. It is not exclusive nor can it be patented. For example, when you think of suffering in the typically African perspective, it is easy to imagine that famine, floods, wars, and corruption are localized to this sad part of the world. But this is simply not true, famine, floods, wars, and corruption are well represented all over the world. Perhaps it is much easier to project so me forms of suf...

Peace is a general concept. It can mean different things such as peace of mind or inner peace, peace from war, and peace in relational contexts, to name a few. A quick wiki search on the definition of peace brings its description as ' a deliberate state of psychological or spiritual calm despite the potential presence of stressors .' add wiki link. An article posted on Letterpile * by Dora Weithers gives a beautiful illustration of peace as being the state one chooses to be in regardless of the situation; be it times of danger or calm. As a Christian, I propose that having and maintaining a peaceful heart is a genuine challenge. I say this because peace is not an inbuilt trait in humans regardless of their faith. Rather, it is something that has to be attained and worked on constantly. It is a personal choice that everyone makes at one point or another. For some, depending on their personality, religion, background, or other such factor; living peacefully is not difficult at...

How do you determine your commitment to your God? How do you elaborate on ‘giving your best’ to Him? I came across an article this week on a man named Johnny. Johnny lives a full life, is deeply involved with his local church, works a full time job and has many meaningful relationships. He is also legally blind. Reading about this man got me thinking about the many different ways through which we serve or minister in our lives on a daily basis. There are many people (myself included) who perceive ‘ministry’ or Christian service to mean something extra-ordinary. I have believed for many years that I am not actively serving God because I have not been on a missions trip in years, or taken part in door to door evangelism, or handed out pamphlets. There are many things which the church attempts to qualify as service or ministry. There are singers, ushers, cleaners, preachers, cooks, childminders, and so on who serve diligently and are considered to be in ‘service’ because of thei...

There is a quote by Joyce Meyer that says             "patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave while we're waiting" I have to admit, I am not naturally the most patient person. I know this is true for quite a few people. It can be from the smaller things like driving behind a slow driver, waiting for the toaster to pop. It can also be waiting for that elusive job opening, or for that baby you always wanted to have some day, and some day seems like five years ago. Waiting is hard. It seems to me that this is especially so when what you are waiting for is dear to your heart. I have often had no difficulty waiting for the bigger things like finishing my degree, or moving countries. This is pretty doable in most cases. But the issues begin when I have to wait on people. Waiting on your family members for example. I have had countless agonizing times of waiting for a sister or parent to make a decision that would greatly affect me...

What can we truly say we know, without a shadow of a doubt? Is there anything out here that is truly true? I know a lot of things that I claim are the truth, for example I know that I hate guavas, I know I cannot stand the smell of wet dog, and I know that I love dancing, I love movement in general-and I know this without a doubt. But what about those things that we say we know but cannot bet our lives on that knowledge? I know that God loves me; I know that He made me, put me together purposefully; and desires for me to be part of His family for eternity.  I know that He was here before time-through time-and will be even after time as we know it is no longer valid. I know that He watches over earth, guiding and protecting, saving and delivering.  I know that He has proved His love for us over and over again; the most through giving His own Son to die in the place of humanity. My knowing is tangible, it is real, and it is far beyond my own understanding. It ...