Letitia Matthews

15/10/2024

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07/10/2024

They ran into their shelter in a cloud of sunrise dust - tails up and their only focus on following their protector into the place of safety she had created for them... That was how our safari began - with a happy story of a vigilant mom leading her young warthog family to safety until the danger had passed. We call it survival of the fittest, but really, survival often depends on those who protect us - in the wild and in our 'civilization'.

It reminds me of bomb shelters, and how they have become a daily reality for so many people around the world today. I am privileged to be among those who have never been in (or even seen) a bomb shelter - let alone needed one.

Even so, I am cognizant of how dangerous our world continues to become. In fact, I am persuaded that this mess can only be fixed by the one who created the earth with great love and intention, before it spiraled into a perversion of the peace, beauty and safety it was intended to be. It's heartbreaking... I long to live in a world where people care more about each other, the animals and the environment, than they do about their personal goals and agendas. I'm no politician, but I'm not blind either, and every day, in this amazing place I call home, nature testifies to the way I believe our world was originally meant to be.

Sadly, I think we are headed for a storm - in fact, I am persuaded that the clouds are already blowing in on winds that will bring disruptions we have never yet experienced or even contemplated. Sound far-fetched? How many things have you heard in recent news that were previously 'far-fetched'? At this point, I'm asking you for a personal favor - would you mind reading to the end of my story today? I have something in my heart that I really want to share with YOU ❤.

I have said many times before that I am not religious, but I openly confess that I am in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is more real to me than many of the people I encounter and while the world's myriad of religions spout rules, dogmas and divisions, the language of my Lord and Savior is LOVE. He doesn't say hell is a real place to threaten me so that I'll behave - He warns me that it is a real place and invites me to choose the alternative He gave His own life to secure for me. That's the difference between love and religion.

I have been asked why my God only saves those who choose Him... If He created all of us (as the Bible says He did), then why doesn't He just save all of us? I asked Him about that recently, and I felt like He was saying: "Titia, I am not a hostage taker." It was a profound realization. We live in a world where there have never been more slaves than there are today! We don't hear about it as much as we should - but every day, men, women and children are being snatched from the safety of their lives by people with evil agendas. When God gave us the gift of life, He also gave us the autonomous freedom to choose how we would spend it - that's why bad things happen! That freedom of choice was such an important gift, that even the giver does not violate our choice, even when our choices must break His heart at times.

Why am I sharing this with you today? Simply because I believe a devastating storm is imminent - possibly even this week. I am persuaded the time has come for each of us to contemplate the invitation of the One who made us, to follow Him into the safe place He has created for us. This is not about me trying to convert you to what I believe. It's about me sounding the alarm for the danger I think is impending and inviting you to put your hand in my friend and savior Jesus's hand, as He leads us into the bomb shelter until the storm has passed - It's important, because He is an inviter - not an abductor. If I'm mistaken, then you will have gained the best friend I have. But if the storm is about to come, then I am persuaded (after a LOT of prayer, research and contemplation) that the following sequence of events is about to unfold:

1) Jesus is going to lead those who have accepted His invitation to be a part of His family, into the heavenly safe place that is described in the Bible. It will happen in the blink of an eye.
2) The safe place will be occupied for 7 years while the 'storm' rages.
3) At the end of the 7 years, Jesus will lead His family out, where He will reign for a thousand years of peace.
4) After that, cataclysmic events will culminate in eternity with the one who created us to live in peace, health and harmony.

That's a VERY simplified version, and I don't claim to be a Bible scholar, but if you would like to know more to make your own informed choice about accepting or declining Jesus' invitation to be a part of His family, (and going into the place of safety), I'll link some resources below that I have found very helpful in my own journey. This is not about religion and it's definitely not a 'turn or burn' message. I'm just telling you that the Jesus I know personally loves YOU! Today - just as you are with all your mistakes, sins, addictions, doubts. He doesn't wait until you are perfect to call you family - He simply waits until you say yes to receiving His love and grace. I hope to see you in the 'bomb shelter', so if you want to chat or have questions, PLEASE reach out - you can even just start a conversation with Jesus right now - I KNOW He WILL answer, because He has never let me down and He won't let you down either. I am beyond excited to go with Jesus - I trust Him with my life and based on some of my most traumatic life experiences, I KNOW there is life after death when we choose Him, so life after life is perfectly plausible. Just like those baby warthogs, I don't fully understand the details of the danger, but I have peace in the knowledge that the One who loves me, will protect me - and you, if you accept His love and protection. If you want to join His family right now, but don't know how, I'd love to lead you in that conversation...

Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of your son, Jesus. Your Word says, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). I am calling on You. I pray and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life according to Romans 10:9-10 "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."

See you there! Or, if I'm wrong, I'll see you here for a bit longer, but either way, I look forward to seeing you soon ❤. Thank you for your time - I really appreciate you hearing my heart~👑

15/01/2024

FB threw up this memory from something I wrote in 2016. I know so many people who are grieving right now - I hope this will be a blessing to you 🫶🫶

I am in a season of tears. Not the normal cry about a sad movie, or cry because I feel your pain tears - I consider those par for the course. I'm talking about tears of change. Right now, mine is good change that will make me happy when I am done with it. I am no stranger to loss and as a result I have always advocated crying as an expression of what you feel... until my first husband died.

I reached a point where I could not stand the pain of crying any more. I tested the prevailing theory that tears are a sign of weakness and a source of pain in and of themselves (if tears have selves🙈). I was wrong. Bottling up my pain crippled me for a while and to this day I am so thankful for an under-cover wise man who came into my life and insisted that I cry until I was done. (Side note: I will forever marvel at the strength of a man who loves me enough to have held me in his arms as I cried excruciating tears for another man who would never come home again♡).

My journey brought me to a theory of my own:
Our tears are often in proportion to the size of the hole someone has left in our hearts and our lives. Nothing and no one can ever fill that... except maybe our tears. Our tears are a tribute to those we love - they say "you mattered a LOT". There is NO way around that pain - that hole- I have tried!! So my theory is that only when you have cried enough tears to fill that hole, can you swim safely to the other side. It takes time to cry a tribute that size, but I can testify to what lies on the shore - recovery. Not a recovery where you erase the love, memories or pain, but recovery where you can celebrate all these and how they have strengthened you.

Psalm 56:8 says: "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears and put them in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."

I don't know about you, but I think our tears are a precious currency if even the God of the universe catches each one. So if you are stuck on the wrong side of the cavernous black hole a loved one has left in your life, I challenge you to get busy on your tribute and I pray that today God will send you the priceless gift of someone to hold you for the duration... If that doesn't happen, (and some of us need to cry alone at times), remember there is an unseen Father holding you as He fills the bottle with only your name on it. The shore on the other side only becomes visible through your tears♡. Grief is painful. But I believe that when we embrace the pain and the raw emotions, it brings healing. My test to prove that avoiding the pain and tears of grief makes it go away, was an epic failure.

P.S. Tears are a much bigger deal than we have been conditioned to realize. Tears of grief look very different under a microscope when compared to tears of laughter/ onion tears, etc. Check out this amazing article: https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/slide-show-the-topography-of-tears

17/07/2018

We live in a world geared toward sharing and interacting with others on an unprecedented scale. From a distance.

Ironically, the technological/ social 'revolution' has created more distance between human beings than ever before. Sure, we like, 'poke' (on FB, just to be clear), wave and 'share' every single day. We take selfies with everything from our meals to Granny's cat.

But we hide behind our devices and our carefully created images. We don't know our neighbours, because it isn't safe (but sharing everything on social media is...). As an introvert who borders on being a (happy) hermit, this shouldn't even matter to me. Except that it got me thinking...

About all the broken, hurting people in the world, who hide their pain because it isn't fashionable. Who die a little inside every single day because they feel so alone and utterly afraid to reveal their vulnerability. The world moves around them (not always in oblivion to their condition) - keeping a safe distance from the messiness of their pain.

The Good Samaritan in the Bible is a sweet Sunday School memory for most of us. But think about this. The man who lay bleeding and broken in that ditch was left there by people from his own culture and social standing. People passed him by - pretending not to notice, but CHOOSING not to get involved.

The Samaritan was someone who should never have stopped based on strict social/ cultural rules. There would have been a stigma attached to his interaction with the victim. More than that, the victim was dirty and bleeding - helpless. He needed to be carried to the nearest town, where the Samaritan paid for his care at his own cost. This is no inconsequential Bible Story - this is a crucial life lesson, especially for our time, no matter what your religious persuasions are.

Are you prepared to reach out when your friends will think it's uncool? Are you willing to carry someone who is hurting - physically/ emotionally/ spiritually? Are you prepared to let someone's blood/ dirt/ tears stain your fancy shirt, and allow their story to break your heart?

Dirt, tears and blood can be washed from shirts and hands. You can find new friends with more depth and integrity. But a human life is fragile, precious, transient. The Samaritan also had boundaries - he was there to pick someone up and facilitate healing, not enable a victim mentality. He saw, he stopped, he cared, and he did what he could. He saved a life.

What will it cost you today to reach out to someone who is breaking inside? Will you consider it worth the price?

05/04/2018

21/02/2018

The problem with prejudice is that not every rodent is a rat! Read more here...http://wp.me/p7FgNN-78

01/01/2018

As I was reflecting on the year past, I was thinking about time. How, even here in the quietness of the uncomplicated bush life, I sometimes feel like I don't have enough time for everything I want to do. I realise that each of us has to make time for everyone/ thing that really matters to us. Last year, I was able to finally make time to get some of my manuscripts published - this year I hope to publish others, and write new ones. Thank you for being a part of my journey and this year, I hope to be a part of yours. May you know an abundance of time in 2018, to do what you love, with those you love. Happy New Year!

24/12/2017

This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth and love of Jesus Christ, I wish you and your family a day of peace and blessing. Merry Christmas!

14/11/2017

Are you looking for a different Daily Devotional? Something fresh to challenge and inspire you in your walk with God?
Then, Whispers in the Wild, is just for you! Get your copy on Amazon - goo.gl/kzaBaB. Available in e-book format, or get your own paperback, with a daily journal space to document your personal thoughts and experiences. Whispers in the Wild is a perfect Christmas gift for nature lovers too!

12/10/2017

Ollie has been writing up a storm... Do you know how the little cloud saved the hippo? Find out soon!

22/09/2017

Winners: Lynn Cupido, Lorraine Elizabeth Patheyjohnss, Karen Magee, Heila Smit, Pauline Watkins McGovern, Terri Hoover, Samantha Allee, Morag Roy, Suzette Schoeman, Carol Ross - thanks for participating, and I hope you enjoy your books ###