Dis-cov-ers v. to become aware through the senses, to make an unexpected find, to make known information that was previously a secret

Monday

As a child I was quite curious. . . and I had the courage to accompany my interest in things that took me from a place of ‘wondering’ to a place of ‘discovery’. In others words, I looked, I conspired, I conquered! Most children would have thought it, and maybe even voiced it. . . I did it! And normally pulled less experienced children in with me (much to my mother’s distress). I can still hear her appeasing other irate mothers when they’d claim that ‘little Sally had never done anything like that before’! My mother stopped claiming that after I started walking! I wanted to know. I had questions and I had the disposition to push through barriers that would normally hinder or stop other people altogether. Over my life I’ve made lots of discoveries - some good, some bad and some downright ugly! Some about me. Some about others. And some in recent times. . . about God.
What discoveries have you made about yourself?
What discoveries have you made about others?
What discoveries have you made about God?
Answering questions may just provoke more questions - and ‘open a can of worms’ as they say! But if that’s the case, then you really are going to go on an amazing journey of discovery. I hope this week brings you to a place of discovery about lots of things, or, it takes you to a place of looking to discover things in your life. Either way, you will move from where you are into a deeper realisation of you. Why? Because I find the most change that takes place from learning new things is what happens to me. So open up and let God show you the secrets He has hidden for you to find!

Tuesday

But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. Romans 6:22-23 (MSG)

I had discovered the delight I can have in pursuing a relationship with God. I use to think that it was all necessary for some greater purpose - like heaven. A distant hope that I was working for but couldn’t experience in the here and now. And I still think that is a wonderful hope to have for eternity, but in recent times, and I mean in the last few years, I have realised that it’s actually extremely vital for me to pursue God now, for today. I am making discoveries daily in my relationship with God (when I’m open and willing). Mostly it focuses on one of my three very different relationships with either the Father, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Actually, as I write this it is becoming a discovery - a revelation! I have three very different relationships because of the discovery that takes place in each of them - a treasure chest unique for the intimacy I share with each person of God. With the Father, I have discovered who I am to Him. He has given me my identity. My worth. How He sees me as His daughter shapes me. I listen to Him speak over me about my purpose, my future and His plans for me - just like a Daddy. I have discovered with my Father that I am so very valuable to Him and His dreams for me are too wonderful to imagine. It’s a safe relationship to discover all the good in store for you. But, you need to be a ‘big girl’ too. You can’t rely on the Father to do it all, when it is part of the relationship to respond yourself. I have discovered that He expects more of us the deeper we go in our intimacy, as His daughter. You know a Father expects more of a daughter than He does of his daughter’s friend. Why? Relationship. There’s a depth that transcends the ordinary and moves into the extraordinary. That‘s part of the discovery you can have with the Father as his girl. With Jesus, I see myself walking along the road beside him - kind of like a brother, someone I look up to and want to mold myself on. Jesus journeys with me to discover the parts of myself that need refining. He is always revealing, always encouraging, always challenging and always loving me. He gave Himself up for me, so there is an intimacy there. One that makes me feel safe and special. If you haven’t got a big brother that’s given you a taste of what that feels like in the human, then take my word for it. There is something unique in the big brother/little sister relationship. He knows you so well, but different to a father. On a kindred spirit level. Sharing secrets, holding you through the hurts, standing beside you when you take a stand, understanding the mistakes and loving you anyway. Jesus gives you a place to discover what you are going to do with who you are. He is always there, every step of the way, enjoying the discoveries you make! With the Holy Spirit, I have discovered that He wants to give good things to me in order to fulfil what I’m going to do with who I am. He is the ultimate secret revealer! The Holy Spirit is the One to equip you with new gifts, supplies and knowledge. He longs to bring discovery into your heart about Who God is. He is the one who whispers revelation in your ear. Those epiphanies that seem to come out of nowhere, but pave the way for exciting adventures with God, are given through the intimacy of a relationship with the Holy Spirit. So, have you discovered the delight of listening to God tell you what to do in your life? This passage leads to the ultimate place - heaven. But you are currently in relationship with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, which means that you can have everlasting discoveries on earth that grow your relationship with God today, this week and for as long as you’re here. That is the best news ever! We can have that now, and it only gets better! Are you ready to discover the gems waiting for you here? God doesn’t want to wait ‘till heaven, He is a time expert! He doesn’t waste a moment!

Wednesday

Elijah obeyed God’s orders. . .Then God spoke to him: “Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I’ve instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you.” So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. . .  Elijah said to her, “. . . This is the word of the God of Israel: ‘The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought.’”. . . And it turned out as he said—daily food for her and her family. The jar of meal didn’t run out and the bottle of oil didn’t become empty: God’s promise fulfilled to the letter, exactly as Elijah had delivered it! Later on the woman’s son became sick. The sickness took a turn for the worse—and then he stopped breathing. The woman said to Elijah, “Why did you ever show up here in the first place—a holy man barging in, exposing my sins, and killing my son?” Elijah said, “Hand me your son.” He then took him from her bosom, carried him up to the loft where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he prayed, “O God, my God, why have you brought this terrible thing on this widow who has opened her home to me? Why have you killed her son?” Three times he stretched himself out full-length on the boy, praying with all his might, “God, my God, put breath back into this boy’s body!” God listened to Elijah’s prayer and put breath back into his body—he was alive! Elijah picked the boy up, carried him downstairs from the loft, and gave him to his mother. “Here’s your son,” said Elijah, “alive!” The woman said to Elijah, “I see it all now—you are a holy man. When you speak, God speaks—a true word!” 1 Kings 17:5-24 (MSG)

When I first chose this passage I’m sure it was for a reason, maybe to do with being a woman who discovers. Then as time got closer to actually writing it I couldn’t see how this widow of Zarephath could possibly be an example of discovery! But the more I looked into her story, the more I realized just how many things she actually discovers - about herself, others and God. Notice how upon first meeting Elijah, this woman discovers that God can actually cause something to be produced out of nothing. In fact, she has a daily reminder. Every day God replenishes a jar of flour and a bottle of oil that only holds enough ingredients for one last loaf. The loaf she was going to make as the final meal for herself and her son before they died. But incredibly, she listens to Elijah (and perhaps God speaking to her spirit) and makes the last loaf for Elijah. What comes as a result of that act is a constant provision of ingredients to keep her and her son fed. She trusted a man unknown to her, whom she met at the city gate, and took a risk with the only hope she had for her child (humanly speaking). I wonder if she discovered in herself an ability to make choices based more on the discernment in her spirit and less on the facts surrounding her. She discovered that some decisions are not always rational, but reap unimaginable dividends. The Amplified Bible says this continued for some time, days or even longer, obviously allowing this woman to discover the supernatural ability of God to invade our physical world and work against it to produce something miraculous. Think about it - every day the ingredients were used and everyday they appeared again! WOW! The widow discovered something every day! A provision from the Lord because of her generous faithfulness towards Elijah. BUT. . . then disaster strikes, and the widow confronts Elijah as her only point of reference. All these supernatural events going on around her since meeting Elijah, when only days before she was ready to hold her son and die. Now her son does die and she’s angry. Why? Because she discovers that hope is a powerful drive that overtakes your circumstance and brings with it a whole new desire for something excellent. This widow had transferred her thinking and discovered a yearning for life. So when her son is taken from her, she becomes resentful, something she had not taken liberty to feel before. Elijah does what I would have done - goes to the Lord and recognises that the only hope for this boy is Him. And God answers Elijah with another miracle - life. Now the widow is presented with her son (for the second time in days, when you think about it) and she discovers, again, that God is the authority over all things, even death. She discovers that Elijah has a connection with God that changes the atmosphere - a man who is so in tune with the Almighty that death holds no boundary. When you think about it, this widow just had the ‘discovery ride of her life’! I hope this example of a woman who discovers inspires you to look at every situation with a new ‘eye’ - God’s ‘eye’ - and see the treasures laid in wait for you as His girl.

Thursday

It doesn’t matter how old I get or what experiences I’ve had, I am always discovering new things - about me, others and God. I think back to the time when I was a young married woman (the ripe old age of 19) and I felt that despite the obvious maturity I would have over time, I was a pretty wise chick! Oh dear! What naivety! I could write a whole book on the lessons I learnt from that kind of pride! The irony is, as an older woman now (in my late 30’s) I think I am a wise chick now! Perhaps for you (who may be older still) you are smiling at me and shaking your head, knowing full well I have such a long way to go yet!  And that is the wonder of discovery. If you want, there is always an opportunity to discover something new. How sad it is when people get to a place in their lives where discovery is draining and useless. I think the problem for those people is that there isn’t an action to accompany it. The beauty of discovery - it multiplies the effects it has on your life. One discovery leads to action, then action leads to another discovery and so on. . . Those that refuse to act on the discovery made leave it collecting dust on a shelf and never know the thrill of fulfillment. There are three elements to discovery - discovering yourself, discovering others and discovering God. When you make a discovery about yourself it’s often through a circumstance that is out of your control. Before I had children I would have considered myself to be quite good with babies. I could get a friend’s restless bub to sleep and I didn’t get hung up on nappies, burping, or crying. The day I brought my first baby home from hospital I realised something about myself - I was not going to find motherhood a ‘walk in the park’! My husband rang my mum (who lived about 4 hours away) desperate for some cure to this hysterical wife and screaming baby! She told him to put ‘her’ in the bath. 4 hours later my mum and dad arrived to find both myself and the baby in the bath (constantly being topped up with warm water) because my hubby was so confused about who the ‘her’ was that he took no chances and put us both in! The discovery I made about my ability as a mother caused an action in me. I decided that I needed to get better at it, and so I did. Over time, I made a new discovery - I loved being a mum and I was good at it. Many of the negative discoveries I’ve made about myself have required a mindset change. I’ve needed to look at the situation through new ‘eyes’ and work on change as a positive outcome. Sometimes it works and other times I don’t see the change I’d like, but either way I’ve learned something about me that can take me from a place of naivety into a place of power. Power over my choices and behaviours. Discoveries about other people can be wonderful or difficult. The closer you are to the person, the more discoveries you’ll make and the more wonderful or difficult they’ll be! Discoveries made in relationship with others can be a shared experience - where you may witness someone you care for discover something about themselves in that moment you are with them. Discovery can give you hope for others. You may see something in someone that causes you to act a certain way, hoping for a positive outcome. I have a friend, who when I met her, was not anything that particularly stood out. She was sweet and never seemed to rock the boat, but I couldn’t see any passion in her and that left me disappointed. But God showed me something about her that was truly a discovery to me. I saw a little spark! Well, being the quiet little wall flower that I am, I decided to fan that spark to see what happened. And I got more than I was bargaining for. . . it blew into an all consuming fire! I witnessed a duration of time when she made discoveries about herself and acted on them, only to discover something else. It was a privilege and delight to see her become a woman of discovery. Now I have to run to keep up with her! In fact, when people meet her now, they look at me like I’m delusional when I describe who she was when I first met her! Go figure? Discovery brings change. It has to, because that’s the way God designed us. The last thing I’ve discovered is the wonder and sovereignty and creativity and love of God. I can’t ever imagine not discovering new things about Him. He is the most exciting and passionate Person in my life, and I pray that I never tire of discovering with Him and about Him. Every time a new discovery is made, God places it perfectly into my life to bring about new thoughts and actions to bless me, mold me, challenge me, equip me and use me to glorify His kingdom.  There is a world (and beyond) of discovery to make. Let yourself be open to looking in the right places for it.

Friday

I know this will seem strange, but you are going to answer the very same questions today that you were asked on Monday. Now, if you can, try not to look back over your answers until you journal today. Then compare the answers. I believe that deeper revelation comes when you have spent some time meditating on a particular subject. This week you have been focusing on discovery - about yourself, others and God. There is something wonderful that takes place in your heart when you open yourself to thoughts, ideas and reflection over a time period. In this case, one week. Let yourself probe more deeply into these three questions and let God lead you to new discoveries. It may have the same flavour as Monday, or you may have been taken on a whole new journey with the Holy Spirit - maybe even to place that you had closed yourself off to.
So here are the questions again. . .
What discoveries have you made about yourself?
What discoveries have you made about others?
What discoveries have you made about God?
What ever the result of today, be a woman open to God. Let Him lead you on an expedition of discovery to places you never thought you were even equipped to go! God is a wonderful Planner, the Holy Spirit is an awesome Guide and Jesus is the best Companion for a journey He has already walked. So get ready for some fun as you become a woman who discovers.