Monday 24th February
Around the Coffee Table
Monday 24th February 2025
Hello, everyone! I hope you are all feeling blessed and loved. It’s great to be releasing a post! As a part of the new and improved ‘Journey with God’ publication I am currently working on, I am introducing this new, cosy corner of my Substack called ‘Around the Coffee Table Mondays’. In the style of a journal, I’ll share my week with you and help you all get to know me better. With no agenda but to draw closer to my readers, I’ll share how God has worked in my week, my strengths and vulnerabilities, and my good and bad times. Just real and raw. As I work hard to revamp this publication, I don’t want to lose the personal side. There is a person on the other end of this post you are reading. People are receiving these posts as I press ‘publish’—people living their lives, battling their struggles, and rejoicing in their achievements, brothers and sisters alike. Here, I will relax and reflect in the Lord’s perfect peace… or try and re-enter it. You are invited to do the same :)
Last week was half-term. Parents… how are you doing? I hope you managed to get some sort of rest?! My stepdaughter was off, and we went to a trampoline/soft play place five days out of seven. I repeat, five days. I wish I were kidding, but she had a blast; we’ve got to wear them out somehow, bless their little hearts. The trampoline park has one of those massive pillow inflatable things where you jump off this platform and sink into it. The pillow more or less engulfs you and makes you feel oh so small. When the 4-year-old jumps in, she practically disappears. It’s SO comfortable though. I definitely could have drifted off to sleep. After the never-ending bouncing, lots of playing, lots of running around and lots of socialising with friends and family; we made it to the end of the week. Back to school; well done to all.
A lot of personal matters have occurred this week. It’s been one of those weeks where I’m feeling so thankful for Jesus. Let me re-phrase: I’m always thankful for Jesus… but this week, I couldn’t imagine getting through it as well as I did without Jesus. I’ve experienced some quite intense anger over certain things. Certainly justified anger, but it’s never a nice emotion to feel, and it’s arguably one of the hardest to control. I stood in my kitchen feeling absolutely livid but equally very calm in it. It was as if Jesus had taken my anger in His hands, still letting me feel it, but he soothed it before it boiled over into physical actions or harsh words. I was left feeling quite astonished and grateful at the same time. Let me just say that it was one of the weirdest mix of emotions I’ve felt in a long time. I’m feeling much calmer now, for the record.
I’ve got to be honest: I’m glad the week is over. I feel more overwhelmed than relaxed, and even as I write this, I don’t feel completely relaxed. When my emotions become overbearing, I must take extra time in Jesus’ presence, and I am ashamed to say that I have not read my Bible enough this week. I have to pay special attention to His perfect works in the mundane. We’ve had a few sunny days, which has been lovely. The sun has just come out after a miserable rainy day, and my mood has already lifted. Praise Jesus for that. I’ve also had a great couple of days with family members and friends. Hosting, enjoying yummy food, laughing lots, and being vulnerable with each other are always blessings.
I’ve definitely missed having sufficient time to write. Some of you may know that I aim to turn my writing into a source of income. I’ll be completely real with you; I am not earning anything at the moment. I used to freelance in Stage Management, which is a lot of fun but wildly incompatible with my home life. My priority is my family over any job, so the Stage Management work came to a halt. I now spend all my time writing and reading, trying to follow God’s path and remain calm in His promises. The anxiety does creep in sometimes, though. Alarm bells ring from nowhere, reminding me I’m not earning and elevating my heart rate. If anyone here is anxious about money or work, please know you are not alone. Many others and I are with you, and I still praise Jesus for his abounding peace.
There always seems to be so much pressure to be happy all the time. I guess I automatically thought that my writing should be cheery because, let’s face it, I don’t want my readers to feel sad. I’ve battled with that in this post, especially as it’s the first one, but I want ‘Around the Coffee Table Mondays’ to be like this. Raw and real. If it’s a sadder post, then so be it! It’s okay to normalise all emotions we feel. Jesus gifted us them, and as children of Christ, we should learn how to be vulnerable with each other. To lean on each other and come together in prayer for one another. I want to encourage you all to be real here. Leap and trust Jesus. Let your shoulders come down from your ears, and take a breath… I’ve been doing it all week. I’m so glad that I haven’t faked any joy, and now I can focus on letting Jesus re-stabilise me and calm me in every area. I can’t wait to see what this new week brings!
“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’” - Matthew 11:28
Thank you for reading this short but sweet post and getting to know me a little better! Until next week. God bless x
