Life is like a piano.

'But David encouraged himself in the Lord.." 1 Samuel 30:6

This verse has been going through my mind for the last week or so. Maybe it's meant for someone who is reading this....

Sometimes you might find yourself in a situation where there seems to be no one to encourage you. Maybe you are in a place full of people, but for some reason no one seems to have that word you are in need of. Or maybe you are in a place where you are physically alone. Maybe you are going through a suffering situation that even if people want to, is really hard for them to understand. Maybe these are some of the reasons this verse is in the bible. Is it there to remind us that on some occasions we really have to encourage ourselves by looking up to the one who understands it all. I believe with all my heart that God uses people to speak encouragement into our lives. This is precious. I know He uses the heart song of others, a letter or a scripture handed to us by a friend.
But I believe too there are certain times when we must make a choice to stir up our gifts, stir up our hearts and stir up the word of God within us. It won't always feel amazing. It may not even seem to make a difference to our emotions or change our circumstances. But I believe, and I can't fully explain why but it does do something in the spirit realm. It keeps our hearts right. It moulds us into an over comer- even is we feel far from being one.It reminds the enemy that we do trust our God.

I will never forget a message preached by my Pastor in Scotland.He gave the illustration of a piano.

There are black notes and there are white notes. Depending on where you place your fingers some create a major chord (a happy sound) and some a minor chord (a sad sound). It would be hard to imagine a piano only with all white notes or only with all black. The two are placed perfectly to create something beautiful. Our lives are the same. We need both the major chords and the minor in our lives. Just as in music the minor can still work our to be something beautiful.
We won't always like what's happening. There are times we will be sad.But God really does work all things together for good to those who love Him.

Today, if you are going through a "minor chord" encourage yourself in the Lord even if it's the last thing you feel like. Choose to worship. Choose to read Gods word. Choose to still sing.
Sometimes the songs you will sing on the dark days- "in the night" will be the most beautiful and most special. Choose to worship and choose to believe that days will come again when you will sing those songs in a major, happy key again. They will.

I can't help thinking about David in the bible.A gifted musician. A player of many instruments and a writer of many songs. These songs recorded in scripture were both happy and sad. I just wonder how many of these beautiful psalms that bless us and encourage us so often were actually birthed as he chose to encourage himself in the Lord when no one else could......

Never say the C word in a Filipino airport!

Last week we were in Malaysia for my friends wedding. We have been friends since we were six and so it was just amazing to be there on her special day and have a week in such a beautiful country with my hubby and baby. It really was quite a perfect week. However actually getting out the airport was not so perfect!

 Off we went at 6am to travel a couple of hours to the airport in Clark. We were pretty organised and even on time! Now in the past I have been made painfully aware of "required fees" that must be a paid inside the terminal. After researching  I was pretty sure I knew the amount needed. I was wrong!

The first sign we came to was "terminal fee". It wasn't so bad. The second line we were pointed to go to was"airport tax". However we were assured since I am not Filipino and Josiah is an infant that this only applied to Ron. It wasn't a small fee but we brought a bit extra just in case. Hmmmm... wrong information apparently given to us! When we got to the front, the woman said that the fee applied to 3 of us. Unless we wanted to pay an "exemption fee" for Josiah. Hold on- we have to pay a fee so that we don't have to pay another fee?!! is this making sense to anyone else?!!

By this stage I was getting annoyed. You can ask to see all the policies in the world and talk until you are blue in the face but at the end of the day , the airport staff have the say and that is it. I am thankful for a very patient husband, but even he was getting agitated by this stage since we had to go and change money back into pesos to pay this ridiculous fee.

Surely that is it I thought. There are no more signs for fees. Just one security check and then we can relax and start to enjoy our trip. Wrong! When we got to immigration the guy said "you must pay a fee". This time the fee didn't even have a title! He must be joking! It was a really steep amount. We asked to speak to a supervisor to give an explanation. After searching through an old notepad she said" because you are a foreigner and resident". Wait a minute! The other guy just said there would be no more fees because I am a resident of the Philippines! I felt like I was going to explode but Rons calming influence was rubbing off just enough to hold me from going mental. We really questioned this fee. Giving all the sensible reasons we could as to why it should not apply. We told of the information we had been given already by the other staff. Surely each post should be giving the same info? The supervisor replied " they other staff don't know what they are doing". Em... shouldn't that be her job as their manager to  make sure they did?!

I was mad! I began to speak faster and waffle why we should not pay this fee. It was not making a blind bit of difference... but i was mad! Ron spoke sensibly to the women while I sat down in a fluster. I thought I was talking to myself but said out loud "this system in so corrupt" Well!! One of the staff heard me and was not at all amused. Honestly I never meant that they particular individuals were corrupt, in fact one girl was particularly sweet. However I did feel it was unjust and the lack of communication between staff was very unprofessional. Next thing we know they are not going to allow us on the flight and they definitely would not let us on the flight if we did not pay. Sigh..... beyond frustrating. By the time we were finished we had to pay out almost 100 pounds of  money.

In my personal opinion I still think the system is guilty for legalised corruption. But I also know my attitude that day was not right. I should have been able to remain calm. I should not have spoken what was in my mind. I should have been able to control my flesh from boiling over. I shouls be more like my hubby in these situations whose moto is "a gentle answer turns away wrath". However honestly in my stubborness in this situation these are the last words I would have wanted to hear!

As you can read there are no deep lesson in this blog. Just the ramblings of a frustrated travller and the reminder to myself not to ever use the *Corruption word in an airport again! Looking back it is now a little funny...not very funny... but maybe a little bit! :)