Southland Christian Ministry Training
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By Ian Whitley, on May 24th, 2010%
The story is told of great men in the middle ages who were called archers. Their weapon of choice was the long bow. It was made of one long straight piece of wood that was very strong and resilient, so they could shoot arrows long distances.
Every night the archers had a ritual of taking care of the bow in order to have their bow working for them when they needed it. They would un-string the bow and wax it down, making sure it stood tall and straight.
Then just before going into battle they would string their bow, thus placing tension on the string. BUT, if they were to leave the bow strung, after a couple of days the bow was bent out of shape having no strength. These archers learned how important it was to take the tension off the bow so it would be strong and able to send arrows flying when they needed it.
This is exactly what happens to us. If we keep thinking, worrying, striving, moving, all the time, after a while we get out of shape, we become sprung, fatigued and we are not able to work the way we want or need.
Sometimes we go to bed with problems and worry about them all night long. In the morning, we find we have no strength to implement any ideas that might have come to us during the night.
At other times we keep working relentlessly on one project until there is an answer…thinking that pushing ourselves is going to make us more creative. But when we finally relax we become even more creative and more productive.
So, what are you doing to “un-string your bow?” How do you stop thinking for a while? Each of us needs to find out what works for us. For me, it is meditation while I walk. For you it might be yoga, Tai Chi, swimming, running, working out in the gym, music or videos. What is important is that you let you mind be quiet. The aim is to allow our brains to rest and so restore our balance on the inside.
Chaplain Ian Whitley
By Ian Whitley, on May 24th, 2010%
Stress is part of normal life, but sometimes if there are new challenges and difficult situations, it can get to all of us. My experience is that just ignoring it, doesn’t make it go away, so here are a few suggestions about what works for me.
Back to basics! Make sure that you are eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep. Poor eating and sleeping habits will increase your stress levels quicker than anything else. If in doubt have a talk to your doctor.
Exercise! Physical fitness is a great way to sweat out problems, and get a new perspective on things. It also releases natural endorphins which will make you feel better. Find an exercise group that you can join, or a partner to go walking or jogging with.
Laugh! Don’t let things get you down, and don’t always take yourself seriously. Loosen up and have some fun, even if it means laughing at yourself. Aussies have always been known for being able to see the funny side of things.
Initiative! Don’t just sit there, if at all possible, do something about your situation. Instead of blaming everybody else for how you feel take responsibility for it. Become proactive and take control of your life.
Expect things to improve! When you adopt a positive attitude it is contagious and will catch on. Even if it doesn’t change your situation it will change how you feel about it.
Friendship! Allow those close to you, someone that you trust, to know how you feel and what is getting at you. Yes, that requires some vulnerability, but how else will they know you need some encouragement.
What holds all that together? BELIEF! Faith that God is in control and that He cares about you.
The fact is, stress can have beautiful results. Pearls are the product of stress, pain and pressure, they are the healed wound, born of adversity and irritation.
Who knows what beauty may grow out of your stress IF you handle it the right way. If you’re needing someone to talk with, find a Padre, Priest or Pastor – they can help you find some direction in life.
Chaplain Ian Whitley
By Ian Whitley, on May 24th, 2010%
An unblemished pearl is one of the most ancient symbols of perfection, used as a form of adornment for thousands of year. But how do they come into existence? By accident, a foreign object gets into the pearl shell. The animal who lives there (Mr Pinctada) puts a layer of nacre around it to smooth it out, get rid of the irritation and stop the pain!
Of course, these days we are too impatient to wait for these accidents to happen randomly and use trial and error to find them. So, in the 13th Century, the Chinese worked out how to cultivate them by opening the mussels’ shell and inserting small pellets, waiting 3 years to harvest the mature pearl. The only problem was that all too often the pearl stuck to the wall of the shell. It was the Japanese in the latter years of the 19th Century, who perfected the process, using small pieces of mother of pearl to initiate the growth of the pearl. Mr Mikimoto made a fortune out of it!
What are you doing with the irritations which come into your life? Are you able to make something beautiful out of them? We might now know whether they are accidental or intentional, but with God’s help, we can grow through those painful experiences and become priceless in the process.
Chaplain Ian Whitley
By Ian Whitley, on November 27th, 2009%
If you have had a long unproductive week, without any wins, then I invite you to share in my joy! Last Tuesday I welcomed into the world a brand new grandson who now owns the name Max William Whitley. Someone has said “babies are always more trouble than you thought and more wonderful” (Charles Osgood). My daughter in law would agree with the trouble part after the labour she put in, but when I saw him and held him for the first time I couldn’t help but be amazed at the wonder of it all and God’s goodness.
The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made and any suggestion that we are just an accident as a result of random mutations has never pondered the miracle of birth or held in their arms a new born babe. It is a humbling experience, which drives me to thankfulness to God for such a precious gift, and reminds me of the awesome responsibility we have as parents and grandparents.
 Life is a journey, with challenges at every milestone, and who knows what great things are in store for Max.
But my role is clear, to be there for him, alongside his parents, and to help provide physical, mental and spiritual nourishment, teaching and examples so that he will grow up to know who God is and what God expects of him.
Chaplain Ian Whitley
By Ian Whitley, on November 13th, 2009%
Several times this week I have got to the end of the day and wondered “who am I and what am I trying to achieve here?” Been there? It might just be the time of the year, the weather, or the fact that more and more people are feeling stretched to the limit and don’t want to try any more, but the result is the same… physical, mental and spiritual meltdown! The universal response – go see the Padre! So, as a result, I have seen people with relationship issues, work issues, stress, depression, grief, financial crisis and others just fed up with the system. I have done what I could for each… but there have been too many times when I felt inadequate, and unable to “fix” things.
Out of all that I have to admit I am not the Messiah, I am not all powerful, and I do not have a magic wand to cure all the ills of the world, not even my small part of it! Several times I have heard myself saying that we are where we are because of the choices we have made, and if we keep doing what we have always done we will get what we have always got. But we can each choose to do something different!
Hopefully the people I have shared with have come away with some practical options of what they could do to get that different, better outcome. Yet, as I looked back over my week and pondered my own actions, I had not challenged others to do what I knew I had to do… pray. William Barclay in a book called a Plain Man’s Book of Prayers, put it like this:
“Our Father, who dost desire us to love and to serve one another… grant us through this day the gifts and graces which will make us easy to live with.
Grant us courtesy, that we may live every moment as if we were living at the court of a king.
Grant us considerateness, that we may think of the feelings of others even more than our own.
Grant unto us kindliness, that we may miss no opportunity to help, to cheer, to comfort and to encourage another person.
Grant unto us so to live today that the world may be a happier place because we passed through it, Amen.”
I hope that is something worth pondering and praying today.
Chaplain Ian Whitley
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