What is your ‘even there’? Where are you at or where have you been where you think God’s Spirit cannot reach you or his justice too condemning that His love cannot enfold you? On the brink of divorce, facing ill health, struggling with addiction? The list is endless in this fallen world. David says in the verses leading up Psalm 139:10 above that basically wherever you go and whatever you do, you can’t escape God, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7).
Many times in life we find ourselves in places and situations where we feel estranged from God and couldn’t imagine Him being near by or ready to help in our time of need. And if you don’t know Jesus, you may have gone your whole life feeling He is far and distant, looking down from lofty heights to occasionally take note of one of His small creations and maybe make judgement.
I think it’s appropriate to remember that David who wrote the words of this psalm, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit had not led a perfect life and had even gone off the rails a bit at times. Entering written history as the shepherd boy. who defeated a gargantuan giant with one targeted shot of a sling, displaying the courage of a mighty warrior and the precision of a seasoned marksman fuelled by a heart solely dedicated to God, he later fell from his lofty position of giant-killer and king of Israel to adulterer and murderer. Like all of us David had his mountain top moments but also plummeted to the depths of despair through failures and trials. This same David was able to write in this Psalm what he had learnt through the highs and lows of life — that EVEN THERE he was not alone and in fact, if we will let Him, God will use the loneliness at the pinnacles of success and the depths of sickness and weakness to make Himself known. “If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” (Psalm 139:8)
Where is your EVEN THERE? Could you believe that God’s Spirit is present right here, right now? You and I may struggle to ‘feel’ His presence in the far away, lonely places, but feelings aren’t facts and therefore are not the truth. The Truth is God’s Word and I encourage you — read this psalm and take it to heart for God is present and He’s thinking about you!
Let that sink in! God’s thoughts about YOU are more in number than the sand! Just think for a minute how many grains of sand you could cup in your hand, let alone the grains of sand in the whole world! So where ever your EVEN THERE finds you today remember — you can’t escape God’s presence (that’s a good thing!) and He is thinking a gazillion thoughts about you and me and constantly looking for ways to get your attention and reveal to you His indescribable love and redemption through Jesus!
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
(All Bible verses taken from the King James Version of the Bible). Article by Bronwyn Olson 2025.
As time ticks closer to Christmas Day or Christmas Eve – depending on when you celebrate the special occasion, I hear people talk of last minute shopping, the cost of hams and who’s not talking to who. Stress levels rise with this time of year considered one of the 6 most stressful life events along with “divorce, moving house and changing jobs.” See the full article here by Relationships Australia. According to the article, a previous study of North Americans found that 45% of participants “dreaded the festive season” and in their own study Relationships Australia found that of the 1650 people they surveyed around one-third of participants found their relationships were negatively impacted by factors such as work-life balance and financial constraints.
I’m not sure how you feel about these statistics, but when the Father, Son and Holy Spirit talked of the wonderful plan of salvation for mankind, and how the Son would come to be born in a stable, heralded by angels as the Saviour of the world, I don’t think the intention was for us to be stressed to the eyeballs over making sure little Johnny got the train set he wanted or that Mum’s Christmas trifle outdid Grandma’s legendary dessert. Here in Australia, before the grotesque and dark decorations of Halloween have been cleared from the shops, up goes the Christmas decorations and the selling push begins – more lights, bigger decorations, the perfect presents; all the joy you need to make your holiday season the perfect celebration. The media pushes pictures of happy, well-adjusted families, and well-groomed household pets decked in Santa hats all having a wonderful time, perfectly united. It’s a wonderful picture and a great thing to aspire to overall, but so very often far from where most of us are actually at and what we can relate to.
We put pressure on ourselves trying to live up to the expectations of others and feeling that the happiness of all our family relies on us to do it all and provide it all. The big feast, the exquisitely decorated house and the perfectly choreographed Christmas Day. I think as a mum we feel that we must become the Jamie Oliver’s of the kitchen not only for Christmas Day, but also Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and any other Christmas catch-ups that happen over this period. How did we get here and what could and should Christmas look like with less pressure from the world, family and the flesh and more permeated with the heart of God?
I don’t write this article to criticise or condemn myself or others on how we spend Christmas, but as I see and hear about people straining under the weight of Christmas etiquette I want to reflect on our Christmas traditions and maybe ask, “How can we do better?” “What’s the message I want to share with my loved ones and the world that looks on?” Let’s have a look at few key passages in the Bible that I think shed some light on the direction towards a more fulfilling and Christ-filled Christmas experience, and be encouraged this Christmas!
Jesus says in the second part of John 10:10 KJV “I AM come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” There it is – the abundance of God wrapped in Jesus. When He came in that manger so long ago, laying in an animal’s feeding trough because there was no abundance for Him at this time, there was no room in the inn, no place appropriate for Mary to deliver her baby, but rather He was born into a stable, unsanitised, probably no midwives, no doctors, no sparkling white floors, but surrounded by farm animals and most likely the smell of their excrement.
He chose to be born into lack so that we might have abundance! Doesn’t that just fill you with joy? Your King, your Creator, Your God chose lack, chose the lowest place to be born because He wanted to make a way for you and I to know Him and know His abundant life? Is it possible too that He was also showing that whether you live in a palace or a lowly animal stable filled with hay, abundance can be yours? For abundance doesn’t come with how many homes you own or how much money you have in the bank, but who you have in your heart. Which leads me to our next verse about the ONLY gift we truly need this and every other Christmas!
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17NLT). This is the gospel, this is the good news that Jesus came to declare and commands us, His children to share with the hurting world. The abundant life is for EVERYONE! Those who believe in Him, no matter their riches or accomplishments in this world will spend eternity with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! You may lack worldly treasures in this life and struggle to make ends meet, you may be despised by those around you who don’t understand your ‘obsession’ with all things Jesus and the Bible, but you have an abundant life because you belong to Jesus and will spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
I think of the parable Jesus told of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. While the rich man was alive, poor Lazarus, a beggar laid at his door, hungry and forgotten with the dogs licking his sores. The king cared for himself and had no pity on this poor man and yet as we see in verse 22 of Luke 16 that “when the beggar died and the angels carried him into Abraham’s bosom”, the rich man also died, and “In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side” verse 23. He wanted Lazarus to come and give him a drop of water and then go and tell His living relatives of this torment to warn them so they would repent. (Abraham speaks) “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Verse 33. I think this story really highlights where and what our priorities should be — all year round, but particularly at Christmas as we represent the redeemed church to the world and declare the birth of our Saviour, celebrated on December 25th.
What could that look like in my family’s Christmas celebrations? Maybe more time sharing the joy of the Christmas story as we all gather around the Bible and read those wonderful passages about the birth of our dear Lord. Maybe stopping and seeing how we could help a Lazarus who may not be able to even prepare a Christmas lunch this year? Who knows? We might be ‘entertaining angels unawares?’ “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” Hebrews 13:2 NLT. Maybe send a Christmas card to an elderly relative that you know won’t be getting many visitors this year. A Christ-filled Christmas could mean being more deliberate in how we spend our time and money. Instead of spending hours at the shops in the frantic chaos, trying to snare those must-have presents, maybe planning a bit more ahead and just buying one present for each family member and then agreeing together to make a donation to a Gospel-led charity that will ensure others get a Christmas present and feel the love of Jesus too. The time you save at the shops could be spent making memories that matter and reminding us that happy memories are often the ones that don’t involve expensive price tags and high expectations, but rather time together with others enjoying old friendships and making new ones. I’m reminded of the first century Christian’s of the book of Acts (verse 32), “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.” What amazing generosity and hospitality and I pray the Lord can help each one of us to be more like these believers!
Finally, remember if you belong to God — have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you are salt and light in this world. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2 not to be like the world. “Don’t copy the behaviours and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” WOW, what a wonderful promise! We can know God’s will for our lives when we choose to have Him be the one that influences our mind, our habits, our thoughts and actions. Am I allowing Him to do that this Christmas? Am I taking my cues from Him in how I celebrate and what I do over the festive season or am I copying the world and looking just like them? It’s challenging, especially when our family and friends may be unsaved or not walking close to the Lord. So how this verse impacts each one of us will be different depending on our circumstances, but can I encourage you to prayerfully consider what the Holy Spirit is saying to you through this scripture and ask for Him to help you imitate Him! “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children.” Ephesians 5:1
So it really isn’t about the ham, the decorations, the presents and for some the alcohol, but about the little babe that was born all those years ago that even now, the world is still talking about or trying to not talk about. He is alive, He is working in the seen and the unseen worlds and He is coming again soon! So be encouraged you can make a difference this Christmas in the little choices you make to be salt and light for Him and truly know a joyous, CHRISTmas!
Jesus said to the people that believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32NLT.
Most cultures overtly display their broken hearts to the world through certain clothing, behaviours and customs. I think we have all probably seen an Italian widow in her traditional black, mourning the loss of her husband. According to the aptly named website Myend.com there was a common ritual in southern Italy, called Lutto that dictated appropriate mourning practice including beating oneself, pulling your hair and wearing black. Others would often join in with the beating of their chests and heads to show their shared grief and support of the mourner.
“Another part of Lutto, dictated that women should wear a black mourning garment including a veil. That was not only a sign of grief, but also an invitation for others around to join in and take part in the grieving person’s new reality.”
In Bible times, we see a vivid picture of some of these cultural norms with the suffering of Job. I can’t begin to imagine the anguish of his heart as he mourns the loss of all his children, servants and animals and then his health as his body is inflicted with painful boils! Job 1:20 says “Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship.” And Job 2:8 “Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat amongst the ashes.” It was this outward display of tearing clothes and sitting amongst the ashes that conveyed the deep sense of anguish of the heart. In the tv series, The Chosen, if you’re a fan you would have seen this demonstrated so movingly by Nathanial (played by Austin Reed Alleman). Having his worse day at work, where all his dreams have come crashing down, he goes to sit under a fig tree, burns up the plans, he as an architect had made for God and then takes the ashes and with bitter weeping, sprinkles them over his head where some land and the rest significantly, scatter to the wind. You can watch the free episode here.
For me, growing up in Australia, in a mish-mash of cultures with a pommy (English) father and a convict-stock mother, I didn’t witness any of these types of customs in my encounters with death and grieving. Rather, it was only the people who really knew you that were aware of your loss and may have offered condolences. This may work in a small, country town where everybody pretty much knows everybody, but doesn’t equate too well in the big, old suburbs where maybe only your immediate neighbours and those you work or play with would know anything of your unexpected loss. I remember when my nanna died, even though she had lived and worked in the same little area of Melbourne for well over 40years, neighbours had sadly passed away themselves or moved on and work colleagues had long been gone. Only those few loyal friends outside the family unit knew of her passing and what a loss that was.
Why am I even writing about this? Have I recently lost a loved one to death, passing on to eternity? No, not recently, though I have lost a few people over the course of my 47 years including my dad when I was just 24 years old and my dear nanna when I was 34 years old, as I mentioned above. This doesn’t include the heartache of a broken marriage and the betrayal to those wedding vows, nor the betrayal of a long term boyfriend who made similar promises only to leave me and my then, 5yo child alone – again, so he could go ‘find himself’. There’s many more memories from childhood right through, but I prefer not to spend too much time in looking back except to learn something new and grow a deeper sense of thankfulness to how far God has brought me. No, I have had many losses in my life, but now it’s a loss that so tucked away in my heart I wish I could wear black, throw ashes upon my head and have a funeral of sorts to acknowledge my loss and communicate my pain. Maybe even to go as far as the Bible custom of hiring professional mourners to declare to the world, “I am suffering. I am broken. I have lost something of tremendous worth and don’t know how to go on.” The practicality of being followed around by a band of sorrow-filled groupies obviously prevents this so I must go on silently, carrying my invisible burden. The hurt in my heart, only eased by the love of Jesus and a wonderful husband and understanding friends, never goes away but radiates outwards from deep in my chest and comes and goes like the ebb and flow of the waves – at times almost unnoticeable, yet sometimes radiating throughout my body and mind, robbing me of sleep and concentration. This pain is mine alone. No one else is at the funeral with me, no one else feels quite what I am feeling, for I am a mother and my child is far from me.
While all my daughter’s old friends are celebrated on social media by rightly, proud parents of their baby growing up and becoming, I sit in my emptiness and just feel alone, numb, disappointed and hurt. I have no photos to show, I have no news to celebrate. Not from here anyway.
The waves threaten to come in over my head, but there is One who sits beside me, holding me, comforting me —whispering words that only He can utter because He is the only One who truly understands.
Jesus. There is no other hope in this situation. Without Him I fear what my life would be and how I would cope without becoming bitter and cynical as so many have when their hearts have been broken and their hopes have been dashed. In fact, that has become my own mother’s fate to the point where relationship with her is bound up in negative and desolate views of life so altogether consuming that I can no longer safely approach her. This of course brings its own heartbreak and pain, but — back to my daughter.
Only a few months ago, exasperated, after flying 2500kms to see her and being greeted with a closed door that refused to open to a mother’s entreaties, I was left with no option but to hang, a carefully chosen present on the front door and to send a text to say, “We just wanted to take you out for lunch and make sure you were ok.” No answer. A week later, still devastated by this response, I asked the Lord, “How can children do this to parents? You love them, work so hard for them, try to give them everything they need and they turn around and won’t even acknowledge you? How is that possible?” I heard His quiet, matter of fact answer and it stunned me. “I understand. Everyday, I paint my children a beautiful sunrise and yet how many of them do you think ever acknowledge me or thank me for it?” I was instantly humbled and comforted by His reply. How could I think I was the only one that suffered or that He didn’t understand my distress and pain? What comfort it brought to my soul to not only know God saw me and my situation, but completely and personally understood my grief as He had and continued to experience it many times over Himself as people continue to run from Him and ignore His displays of love.
“They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.” Nehemiah 9:17
Author, Point Halloran, Queensland, Australia.
My grief will continue to be with me in my heart as I hold onto Jesus and pray for my child to come back to me and back to Him, but knowing I have a Saviour who is intimate and sees all my sorrow – in fact He catches each one of my tears in a bottle (You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8NLT), well what can I say? Nothing heals a broken heart quite like the King of Kings who not only made my heart, but made my daughter’s heart and is passionately pursuing her not just for my sake and for my earnest prayers, but because He loves her more than I can even comprehend. So can I encourage you, whatever you’re going through, don’t leave Jesus out of the equation – He is the equation! All problems/ sorrows/ heartbreaks/ disappointments + Jesus = peace and comfort. For He is the God of ALL comfort. Invite Him in to your situation and see what happens! — Bronwyn Olson
“Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort and we ourselves receive from God.”
I’ve noticed myself often looking at someone younger wistfully for their strength and stamina or someone older for their stability and wisdom, but in doing so I am almost wishing away my journey, for I will never be anyone or in anytime other than the present. And surprisingly, when we look at others and think , Oh to be young again and have no health problems, or we look at those a bit older and think, wow, they’ve done all the hard yards and are now reaping the benefits of all that hard work and wise decisions, we must remember that no matter our age, each phase of our journey will come with different goals, expectations, opportunities and trials.
I look back on when I was young and think how much more enjoyable it could have been if I had embraced my younger years, my inexperience and my limited resume! I had YOUTH! Fully moveable joints, a clear slate to go and do and be and experience the world God had waiting for me! I look back now and see so much insecurity, self-doubt and the voices that sing their lullabies. Sometimes things happen that are outside our control and we are left to deal with hurts they cause, but I can attest to God’s goodness that He does heal and he does restore! In fact, He’s the Master of healing and restoration. So my advice to the ‘younger than me’ generation is this: if you’re struggling with negative self-talk, scars from a not-so-great upbringing or simply just not finding ‘joy’ in your journey, seek God in His Word like your life depends on it – ’cause it does! Seek out good Christian counsel, talk to a Chappie if you know one, or ask God to lead you to a mentor – someone who is a bit further along the journey and can help you avoid some of the pitfalls they might have fallen into when they were younger. Don’t underestimate the value of those with more candles on their cake than calories! Which brings me to my next point…
Wow, I love our older generations. I get the privilege in community nursing to work with the 60-95yr old age group and I think they’re amazing – most of them anyway! Sadly, a lot of them don’t realise how precious they are with their incredible resilience and life experience. Did you ever think that someone in their 90s has been impacted by two world wars (they would have have family members coming back, deeply impacted by WW1 even if they weren’t born yet), the Great Depression, major industrial changes including big changes in the rights’ of women and then we all have a bit of an idea about the craziness of the 60s and 70s. These same people like well-weathered ships, have then experienced a pandemic like nothing else in their lifetime (the last pandemic was the Spanish Flu of 1918), which has rocked their very foundations of family and independence. So many of our wonderful elders live in fear of becoming sick and yearn for the time they can hug their children and grandchildren again. And for those in residential facilities such as nursing homes, the restrictions placed due to the pandemic is often more severe and limiting. These people have often contributed so much to our society and to our way of life and don’t be fooled by the quiet demeanour some may have! I’ve met some pretty amazingly, adventurous people who have travelled to the other side of the world, with little money, no internet or phones or language guides and shared the love of God because they chose to courageously follow Him! Unfortunately, one of the struggles for this generation is feeling needed and finding purpose when their lives are not filled with chasing after children, running off to jobs or being busy in this or that group or committee. Don’t get me wrong- some of this age group still do all these things and are a wonderful support to their children and communities, but their does come a time for most when these things slowly drop off due to their own health or the health of a loved one and with that can come a loss of identity and sense of importance. I would love this age group to know just like the other generations, You are loved! You have purpose! You are still here because God has a work for you to do! You have a wonderful story to tell of God’s faithfulness and you can pray, pray and pray! I want our elders to know they are so special to God and are still powerful warriors in His mighty army. May they continue to look to Him for their daily bread and not lose the fire to share the Gospel and be the light! Their earthly body may start to fade but that just makes the light of the Gospel shine from them even brighter!
And of course there is my age group – the 40 somethings to 50 somethings, but I will save us for another day! What I would like us all to go away with after reading this is be kind to yourself, be kind to those younger and be kind to those older. We are all frail humans who need our Saviour’s love whatever our age and the struggles that that entails. Don’t look at others as older, younger, washed-up, inexperienced or finished, but let us ask Christ to give us fresh eyes to see others as He does, and to love our neighbour as ourself. Lord, help us to humbly help each other on this journey called life – ’til we see you face to face!
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God and God lives in them.
“I had a bag of bottles each one a different hue. I’d been carrying them for so long, I didn’t know what to do. Each one was old and heavy filled with memories from the past, of times of disappointment or of so called love that didn’t last. Some were filled with hopes now dashed that just weren’t meant to be, but I knew if I gave them to Jesus a lot better it would be. So awkwardly I handed the whole bag over to Him, wondering what He’d do with my strange bag of suffering. And then to my amazement – one sweep of His dear hand, He’d made a beautiful light stand that shone across the land. For as I dared to look up to see what He had done, I saw each bottle shining in the light of Him, God’s Son. The bottles once murky, dusty and alone now moulded all together did shine like bright gem stones! For when you give your hurting, your pain and loss to Him, He’ll shine His love right through it and heal you from within. Then all the world will see it, the beauty He has made from taking those old bottles and bringing healing for which you prayed.”
I used to think of my life as a patchwork. I’ve lived in so many places, done so many things from – wrangling wild goats for our millionaire Taiwanese boss, living in an orphanage my parents were running solely on a remote island in Bangladesh, working with first nation peoples in outback Western Australia, just to name a few and that was before I started uni at the age of 21! But the problem with a patchwork – as lovely as it is, is that it’s not made to shine light through, it’s made to keep you warm. I realised that God has made us to shine His great light, through all of it – the disappointments, the mistakes, the let downs, the back tracks to get on the right path again, it all happens before His eyes and not one thing we do is done in secret from Him, but the beauty of it all is, just like coloured glass when we let Him come live in our hearts and take up residence there, His beautiful light and presence can radiate out from us and transform us to shine a beautiful mixture of colours unique to us, to our journey, to our suffering, to our relationship with Him. So I’ve decided to think of my life more like a stained glass window – made up of many little pieces of different colours and qualities, but when put together with the light of the sun shining through create a beautiful masterpiece that points to it’s creator. How about you are you willing to give your ‘bag of bottles’ to Him? – Poem and story by Bronwyn Olson May 2022
Welcome to Swede Ginger! I’m so glad you stopped by and hope that you might find encouragement today in the midst of whatever life looks right for you right now. With a professional background in healthcare as a registered nurse, I feel God calling me to new ground – uncertain, unchartered ground outside my comfort zone, experience and knowledge into a dynamic role still in it’s infant stages, with so many unknowns. A role of using my creativity and love of words and nature to display God’s beauty and point people to Him. I would love you to join me on this journey!
