Are you the fit enough to survive?

We’ve all heard the saying survival of the fittest.  We know this means the weak fall first and usually quickly.

Life throws us all curve balls, how we handle them creates a different person in each of us.  Some curve balls are easy to handle but every now and then we get that one (or sometimes 3) that shakes our foundation.  Life can deal us various blows, the loss of a loved one, financial ruin, destroyed relationships, loss of faith, drugs, abuse, and the list goes on.  These curve balls are aiming to get us out of the game of life. We do not want to hide, run or give up through these.  These must be and can be used for our own GAIN.

Will you allow something that has no personification to take control of you?  Will you allow the universe to tell you who and what you are? Or will you show it what you are made of?

Luckily we can always get up no matter how hard we fall.  The important thing is to focus on how fast we are going to get up.  How are we going to handle the setback?  Whether you crawl and then get on your knees and then your feet, consider it a VICTORY.

We tend to forget that falling down; being as low as we can possibly be is not the end of the world.  Our end only comes when we give up, When we decide to stop fighting for what we believe in.  When we accept the cards dealt to us without fighting for our destiny.  (Yes I believe we determine our own destiny) Our failures do not define who we are, our actions define who we are.

These curveballs always have a lesson to teach us, fortunately the sooner we learn the lesson, the sooner we will be back on our feet.  We need to evaluate our situation, our beliefs and our thinking.  Diamonds are formed from coal under severe pressure.  This is your pressure.

So I am writing this as a word of encouragement, no matter how long you have to crawl before getting back on your feet, go ahead, JUST DO IT! As dark as it may feel at the moment, crawling is better than having been knocked out by life. The biggest lesson these curveballs teach us is true appreciation, gratitude and the true meaning of life.

When you are back on your feet you will stand taller than ever before, stronger than you ever were, more determined to shape your life. These lessons create a deeper, more compasionate, stronger being.

So as hard as things are now or in the future remember focus on getting up.  Step by step till you can stand tall again. Do whatever you need to do to get yourself back.  DO NOT let life, fear or despair win.  You are greater than any of these.

It’s not about how hard you get hit; it’s about how many times you get back up.

My Story

Hi guys.  Today I am doing something I haven't done in a really long time (besides blogging).

I want to share my story as I know there are few that share it and understand my point of view.

I have always been thin, and small. I finished grade twelve on a mere 28kgs and wore kids clothes usually around 10 yrs.   Though this is natural for me, I was extremely unhappy and insecure. I have never been happy with me or my looks as I thought they were the same thing.

During the last few years I have come to a few realizations. Someone can love me for who I am.  Not everyone will like me and that's ok too. I have to do what's right for me. I can do a lot more than I give myself credit for.

A year and a half ago I started with weight training. I haven't gained much weight only about 10 kegs after having my two boys, however I have come to learn how to change what I don't like and work on making myself happy.  I am still what many people consider too thin but for me I am finally at a healthy and stable weight.

I am still the person everyone stares at when I wear something tight or short but at least now I don't want to run and hide all the time. I am still one of those that  a lot of girls hate on, but again I can now face them too.

I still struggle with people trying to force feed me, but I am now taking that as a old "boere thing" where food is on the table almost 24/7.

So I guess I am writing this to say don't give up. I wanted to give up weight training a hundred times but my trainer kept pushing me and I am finally starting to be happy with my physical appearance. It does take time but we need to learn to love ourselves. It took me way too long and I am not where I want to be yet but I will get there. If you have a goal, whatever it is stick to it. YOU ARE WORTH IT!  Don't let other peoples opinions stop you.  You might just be surprised about how little it actually is.

Today I am a lot stronger, healthier and happier with myself than I have ever been. I can actually lift my boys without getting hurt or telling them they are too heavy and my eldest is 8.

Hope this provides someone with some encouragement. I have not retread this piece or edited. It comes straight from one of my closets in my heart.

When life doesn't play ball.

I haven’t written anything in a while as life has thrown me with a few curve balls this year.

Most of you know me and know I hate it when things do not go according to plan and do not run smoothly.

This year has been like that so far and at nearly the end of October the schedule seems to look like it is still going to continue on that trend.

On a more positive note we as a family have made some really big changes for our health and the effects of my studies are also clearly visible even to people who don’t know us that well.

What I have learned is to accept all the things that jump up through life while grinding my teeth and keeping a smile on my face.  At night I take time to recap my day and rearrange anything that needs to be changed. I.e. diet, finances, schedules etc.  This helps relieve some of the stress I feel when things do not go according to my desires and I remind myself that every day is a new day, a new page, a new chance to get some things off my to do list (even though it sometimes feels like for every one thing I remove I add three more).

With broken ribs, I was out of action for about 2 weeks and the other 4 weeks were spent gently getting back into routine. Some days it feels like I lost 3 months but it has brought my focus back which is always a good thing when you tend to be overly ambitious.

I guess what I am saying is do not get to carried away with the rat race, it’s just life, The little things you do are the things that count.  The time you take to great and chat to someone in the line, or the extra hug you give the kids, or the extra 10 minutes you spend with your partner.  That is what life is about, as for everything else, we can’t control it, so live life to the full.  Accept the challenges with a smile and ride them out.  There is a saying that you cannot see the top of the mountain when you’re standing at its foot.

List the small things that are important and concentrate on doing a couple of them every day, doing many small things are what gets you closer to your bigger goals. (And ticking many small items of “the to do list” does feel good, doesn’t it?)

So inclosing, don’t stress when life throws you a curve ball, get out your biggest baseball bat and hit back with a smile.

Till next time,

Written by Claire Meintjes

15 Things Wives Should Stop Doing

by Mary May Larmoyeux

In the 1960s, The Supremes recorded their hit song “Stop! In the Name of Love!” I remember singing the words as a teenager:  “Before you break my heart … think it o-o-ver …”

Even though I've been married for decades now, it's still important for me to consider my husband's needs. I should think about the possible effects of my careless words, attitudes, and actions before I break his heart. Can you identify?

I asked some girlfriends, “What should a wife stop doing if she wants to improve her marriage?” This list is based on their responses.

1. Stop thinking that your way is the “right” way. If he does something differently, it does not mean that it's wrong. When a wife insists on having her own way, she is in essence saying, “I have to be in control.”

2. Don't put others before your husband. God designed companionship in marriage so that a husband and wife can meet one another's need for a close, intimate, human relationship. He even said in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good that the man should be alone.”

So what happens when you put your mother, a friend, or even a child before your spouse? Actually, you take a step (often unintentional) toward isolation in your marriage. If you choose, for example, to spend an afternoon shopping with your mom when your husband asked you to watch a football game with him, you may leave hubby feeling that he has second place in your heart.

3. Don't expect your husband to be your girlfriend. Most men and women not only look different physically, but also have unique ways of processing life. One example of this is the need for conversation. I don't know about you, but sometimes I'm guilty of wearing out my husband with countless conversational details that he doesn't really care about. Now if he was a girlfriend, all of those details would definitely matter!

4. Don't dishonor your husband. Suggestions included: Stop all nagging and don't correct hubby in front of others. If you finish your husband's sentences, you may be unintentionally communicating, “I don't really care about what you have to say.”

5. Stop expecting your husband to fail you as your dad failed your mom. “I spent many years waiting for my husband to give up and walk out on me, like my dad had years earlier,” said one friend. Her unfounded fears had robbed her marriage of much joy.

6. Don't put your husband on the defensive. For example, if you are driving around a section of town looking for a restaurant and he's obviously lost, does it really help for you to tell him that he's been going around the same block for the fifth time? One wise wife said that she's learned to be quiet in situations like this. Now, before she makes a comment, she weighs her words—asking herself: “Are my words needed? Would they be encouraging?” Proverbs 10:19 says, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”

7. Never use se x to bargain with your husband. Some women intentionally or unintentionally say to their husbands, “When I get what I want, you get se x.” However, 1 Corinthians 7:4-5 reminds husbands and wives that their bodies are not their own. “Do not deprive one another …”

8. Stop reminding your husband about things over and over. Don't make him feel guilty or nitpick him about small stuff. One friend said that when we constantly remind our husbands about diet, weight, medication, picking up the dry cleaning, etc., we are actually acting more like his mother than his wife.

9. Don't make your husband earn your respect.  Many women think, I’ll respect him when he earns it. But there's a reason that Ephesians 5:33 says, “Let the wife see that she respects her husband.” As one friend said: “If women could learn to understand that respect is a man's native tongue, that it absolutely heals his heart and ministers to him like nothing else, it would make the biggest difference in the world.”

10. Stop giving your husband your long term to-do list. A colleague warns against overwhelming your husband with too much information. You may unintentionally cause him to feel like a failure, thinking that your long list means you are discontent. Or, he may incorrectly assume that you want him to do something immediately.

11. Don't act like your spouse is a mind reader. Instead, be specific about your requests. One busy mom said that she used to feel overwhelmed with household chores, wishing her spouse would help her. She now realizes that the only way he knows her needs is when she tells him. “Most often,” she says, “when I simply say, ‘Honey, will you tuck the kids in tonight while I get the kitchen cleaned up,’ he is glad to help.” She's discovered that a few words are all it takes “to change a resentment-filled, stressed-out night into a team-effort bonding time.”

12. Stop putting housework ahead of hubby. One young mom told her husband that she didn't want to make love one night because she had just changed the sheets and she wanted them to stay clean. What do you think that response said to her husband? Another woman, who puts her husband ahead of the housework, said: “Do not leave the unfolded laundry on your marriage bed.

13. Put an end to taking the lead because you think he won't take it. “The first many years of our marriage,” one wife said, “I would see what needed to be done and get frustrated that my husband would not take charge and get it done.” She went on to say that she's changed by learning to wait on her husband's leadership. “I really believe,” she says, “that our men don't lead because we women are too quick to jump in and take care of it all.” 

Ephesians 5:23 says, “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body … .”

14. Do not expect your husband to be Prince Charming. After all, the perfect husband only exists in fairy tales and your marriage exists in real life. One young wife said that instead of focusing on her husband's shortcomings, she's learned to recognize the wonderful things about him. What's been the result? He's been encouraged to do even more to be the man of her dreams.

15. Never look first to a book, a plan, or a person to fix a problem in your marriage. Instead go to God’s Word and believe and act on the things that He says. “He will lead me to any resources I need,” one woman said. “God has already given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) but we have to live according to the promises and expect Him to show up for us.”

A question

The Bible paraphrase The Message, says in 1 Corinthians 13, “Love never gives up … isn't always ‘me first,’ … doesn't keep score of the sins of others … trusts God always, always looks for the best.”

What do your words and actions say to your sweetheart about your love? Do you need to stop doing something in your marriage?

Before you answer, think it o-o-ver.





No matter who says what, you should accept
it with a smile and do your own work.
~Mother Teresa

Worth Repeating

Worth Repeating
Brenda Wood


Jeremiah 31:3 - The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. (NKJV)

I know that I've told this story before, but it bears repeating until we all get it! Several years after becoming a Christian, I still struggled with the after-effects of child abuse. Fear, rejection, and poor self-esteem remained a daily part of my life. In desperation, I sought out a Christian counselor.

"What would you say if God told you that He had a great gift for you?" she asked.

"I'd tell Him that He'd made a mistake and that He should give it to the next person in line," I sobbed.

We parted company early. As I fumbled for my car keys, these phrases dropped into my heart:

"Brenda, beloved Brenda. Be loved." "You are Brenda." "You are being eternally loved, overwhelmingly valued, and you are endlessly dear."

B-eing E-eternally L-oved! Who? Me? God loves me that much? The Creator of all things found me to be O-verwhelmingly V-aluable? I am E-ndlessly D-ear to the God of the universe?

And I finally accepted that free-for-the-taking love that God had offered all along.

Years later, I still repeat those treasured phrases to myself: B-E-L-O-V-E-D -- Being eternally loved, overwhelmingly valued, and endlessly dear.

Because I am loved, I'm able to love the people around me.

1 John 4:19 - We love because he first loved us. (NIV)

When others ask why I have changed so much, I share my little phrase: "You are Beloved: B-eing E-ternally L-oved, O-verwhelmingly V-alued, and E-ndlessly D-ear to God.

And as they accept these words into their heart, they, too, are able to love others.

James 2:5 - Listen, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and in their position as believers and to inherit the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him? (AMP)

Prayer: Lord, how can we ever thank You for making us Your Beloved? For Christ's sake. Amen.

The weak can never forgive.
Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.

Do You want to get well?

“Do You Want to Get Well?”
Tommy Harrison

John 5:1-15

That's a curious question for Jesus to ask a man who has been sick for 38 years! But the disabled man's answer is just as intriguing as the question; he replied to Jesus, “I have no one to help me.” Imagine going through an excruciatingly long and terrible illness without anyone to help you. It is difficult enough with medical and family support. What I have learned about the power of sickness is that disease is not the only way to become sick.

Deteriorating values weaken the family unit, the core of our society. The more frail families become, the more difficult it will be to rebound from the sickness in our society. Children should not be taught morality in school, on the playground, or while hanging out with friends. They need the direction of parents who are grounded in biblical principles and who teach them to their offspring by instruction and practice.

How do we deal with crippling sickness in our churches? Strife and pride can rip apart a congregation and leave them beaten up, bruised, and bewildered by the turmoil.

More than a few nations are now overcome by sickness, weakened by the misguided teaching of tolerance toward an ungodly society, stricken by the hand of a dishonest, greedy government. When the bedrock of a country's faith is shaken by non-Christian laws and practices we suffer the consequences of our immorality. What is the answer to this dilemma? You will find the answer in our scripture lesson for today.

After pronouncing the man at the Bethesda pool healed, Jesus later found him in the Temple where two life changing statements were made:

1. Jesus said, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

2. “Then the man said to the Jews that it was Jesus who made him well.”

If God is ever to heal our families, our churches and our nations, we must first stop the sinning! Repentance is the first step to recovering our relationship with God. Secondly, we must confess that Jesus is Lord and He alone can make us well. Beloved, there is no other way to overcome the non-Christian influence which has spread like a runaway wildfire. If we continue to close our eyes to the problem it will engulf us; every ungodly act must be confronted with the truth of the Gospel. Measure every decision you make, and every decision that is made by people who represent you in government by the perfect standard of God’s Word. If it fails that test, it is a bad decision and will not please our Lord now or in eternity to come.


GospeLines Prayer: Father, praise Your Name for the promise, “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” Amen and amen.

The weak can never forgive.
Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.

Facing life like a gladiator!

We have daily challenges that we face some more so than others.

Our challenges differ from day to day and from each situation to the next. However we always get through to the next day.

Some challenges could be financial, marital, emotional and even medical.  This is part of life, not necessarily a part we like but a necessary part as it shows us a couple of things.

Firstly, it shows us at the end, just how strong we really are. We might feel like giving up but as the saying goes “you don’t know how close you are to the finish line when you give up”

Once you have crossed the “mountain” we often find that we were much closer to the end than we realized.

Secondly: It also helps us appreciate the times things are going well (It may feel much less in our current economy) but there are times where our worries escape our attention, even if it’s just for a little while. Concentrate on these times.  If you relax while watching movies, or a picnic, or perhaps while having a braai with friends, arrange to have them on a regular basis. Concentrate on what feeds your inner being. Find out what it is and make a place for it in your daily life.  (For me for example it is my silent time, one of the first things I give up yet the main thing that gets me through any hard time) It is important to also give yourself this distraction so you have the strength to get through your next challenge.

Also if you are facing challenges at home being stable at work helps give you the strength and determination to hang on a while longer. When there is trouble at work having a stable marriage can help you deal with that stress also. Having stable or reliable friends can help with family problems. It is very rare that problems not of our own creation go through ALL areas of our lives. Most times when problems are everywhere, we either have the wrong perception or have caused them indirectly. (There are some exceptions to this rule, we all know Murphy and how he works)

With the challenge you are currently facing, remember it makes you stronger! Braver! And more Resilient! Keep heart and charge on to your next one! Your challenges are for YOU and no one can handle your challenge better than yourself. So the next time you feel like giving up, remember you will eventually become your own life’s GLADIATOR!!!

Think of David and Goliath, Little David became a very prominent person because he chose to believe and not to give up!