Category: Uncategorized

Doing the impossible

by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

I played half a round of gold the other day with a friend at the nearest golf course (which is pretty much up the road from my house). It was the first time I played in over 8 years so it was going to be rather interesting but nonetheless very exciting.

On the 6th hole I played what I would like to think was a beautiful stroke with my 9 iron. It was the perfect velocity and flight to land perfectly on the green close the hole, but my accuracy was unfortunately just wide and it landed in the bunker.

After my shot we walked to the bunker and my friend looked at me and said:”Just take it out, that shot is impossible.” Now we aren’t professionals and moving the ball wouldn’t change much because we were just having a good time; but the word impossible made me eager to show him that the shot in fact was possible.

It felt like one of those epic moments where all the odds were stacked against me. I get my stance, look at the hole and just give a gentle shot towards the hole. Lo and behold I was able to get enough flight and power to give the perfect shot to not only escape the sandpit but get it pretty close to the hole. What a feeling it was to prove him wrong even though it meant absolutely nothing in terms of our game. But it was still epic.

Having something that is your favourite means that you prefer a certain thing out of all the others of its kind. It doesn’t matter how many new flavours of ice-cream is introduced at your favourite restaurant you will still choose that flavour you always love.

Some favourites can be easy to choose from such as colours, animals and even sports. But there are certain things that aren’t so easy to favouritise. If you look at films, I can only think of a handfew of those that I know that have a favourite film, the rest can’t decide between a select few, and I don’t blame them. There are just so many to choose from which makes it difficult to decide.

One of these tough decisions on favourites are words. But I do have a favourite. That word is impossible. An event that is unable to occur. We tend to use it incorrectly for some reason. Exaggerating how difficult something could be. It seems to be in our nature. We are prone to rather accept that we can’t do something instead of attempting to get it right. There are too few of us challenging the limits of what underachievers have set out for us. We simply believe that what they say is true.

There was once a story of a farmer who had a elephant calf. The farmer didn’t have a fence to sorround it so he tied a rope long enough that the calf was able to move freely but strong enough that it couldn’t escape.

Once the calf became the size of a normal elephant the farmer never realised the rope wouldn’t be strong enough anymore to contain the elephant. But the elephant never tried. So for the rest of its life it was tied to a tree even though it was able to escape.

The elephant never believed it could escape from the beginning so it was bound to stay tied up.

Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying – Roy T. Bennett

We need to break the culture of trying not to fail and make a fool of ourselves but to rather try and try till we get it right. There are some pretty ‘average’ people who chose to face their fears and have failed so often but through it all they learned from it and now are victorious.

Thrive on failure because it makes you stronger. Show others how easy it is to do something that is ‘impossible’ because you will inspire others to try and break the cycle.

And above all, make sure you see the faces of those that say you can’t when proving them wrong.

God’s plan for you is so much greater than any plan you could ever think of

by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

Sitting down and planning out your life can be tiresome. You plan your journey on how to get to your ideal destination.

Will you make it though? Will you even come close? Or better yet, if it’s a 10 year plan and half way through do you realise I don’t even want to be there anymore?

That’s the thing about life. You wish you could hit back but trying to break the system is like trying to attack your shadow, it takes a lot of your energy and in the end you probably regret even trying.

Life gives you curveballs. You fall short on occasions and there isn’t a single thing you can do about it.

I believe there is a solution however. There is one who knows your future, one who created you in your mother’s womb and who knew you before you were even conceived.

Here comes a clichè bible verse~ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

I thought I had life figured out. I thought I had control over it but in the end you only really have control over your decisions (you don’t even have control over your stomach, i mean if you gotta go you gotta go). I always wanted to be in control, in everything. But a wild turn in my life caused me to think differently.

This wild turn was a decision. A decision to take my pride and instead of doing what’s best for me (or so I thought) I decided to listen to what God was saying. It was a yes/no decision or rather a stay/go one; but the impact it had was so much more than a simple question.

From that day on my sense of controlling began to lessen. Today there’s a very good chance that someone will ask me to do something crazy and I won’t even think about the possible ramifications, i’ll just do it ,Nike style. Ok yes, I do think about my decisions but it’s those little ones that we tend to instantly reject instead of just going with it and having a fun time. For some reason we tend to say no so often without thinking about it, we need to say yes way more often. I can honestly say though the frightening things I’ve done has been liberating and it also brought me to a place of excitement and joy, taking away the fear I once had for things.

So my conclusion is this: Yes, it is important to have goals because they challenge you to strive for better. But planning your life is going to give you a headache pretty soon. But don’t worry because God’s plan for your life is so much greater than your own. It is greater than your wildest dreams. I had a plan for what my year would look like and looking what it truly is I couldn’t have asked for a better year. It has come with a lot more hardships but the way it has stretched me has been so incredibly significant.

But I got there out of a place of obedience. I did have a plan for my year but my final decision came from the Lord’s guidance. Spend lots of time with Him and He will reveal to you what you need. It probably won’t be everything that you would want to hear but you will know the most important things. Then the rest He probably wants you to figure out or is waiting for the perfect time to tell you.

So be happy with what God has shown you, but be in pursuit for more. Perhaps He has more to tell but He is waiting for you to show up at His feet more often than you normally do. Sink deeper into His presence, His word, His love and His grace.

Sometimes all you need to do is take a leap of faith and trust that His decision is what’s best for your life and I’m sure you will live out the best life you could ever expect.

Change is necessary for growth

by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

I had the priviledge of visiting my parents home for just a few days, but it was very much needed. It’s the first time where I can actually say that I don’t live with my parents anymore. But that’s why it was needed to visit, because this new and scary change was difficult for me and I needed the support from the people that have known and loved me their whole life (it was also nice to not have to cook for a few days).

What was also special of this vacation was that I finally saw my parents new home. I left just before they moved so I never got to see it. I lived in the same house with my parents for my whole life and finally when I leave they move, quite ironic.

Seeing the new home that is just a few hundred metres from the beach as opposed to being a 30 minute drive was music to my ears. And to top it off we have a pool as well, not that i’ll use it.

The move was difficult for the whole family, saying goodbye to close friends, my dad leaving his previous job and just putting everything we have and own into this new move, this new life.

With a tough journey ahead there was no other option than to fight through the hard beginnings and perservere through the sudden change of lifestyle.

I was unfortunately not able to play a bigger role in the transition of a new journey and be there for my family, I was on my own journey, still am. But now when finally seeing the new home I was blessed to see how they have settled in and started to get the rest of their bodies above water.

It got me thinking though. This new move for them was difficult and they had to say goodbye to certain comforts and embrace their new lifestyle. It was definitely difficult for then but the change was totally beneficial.

And I do actually feel I played a role in the transition even though I was not there, through prayer. Prayer is the way to bring the supernatural power of God into all situations because even though you aren’t in a specific place He is there and He can act on your behalf as long as you call upon His name.

Change is good. Change is necessary. It keeps you updated with the worlds hardships. Change is inevitable. You should never fear it for it’s always there.

Embrace change, it’s there to make you grow.

How to get rid of any addiction

by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

The things that you own end up owning you.

Imagine what life would be like if you were not addicted to anything? What would the benefits be? If you are addicted to something you rely on it for whatever reason. Now if you don’t have that item on hand and you need it you really could be stuffed (or it could be the start of your addiction falling away, depends on how you look at it really).

Warning: this addiction hack may be very harmful to your body if you aren’t careful. It worked for me but will it doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you.

So let’s dive in.

I’m an all or nothing type of guy. I’m also an idealist. Some of my friends call me an extremist which isn’t far from the truth. I love to push myself, go beyond the boundaries set by the world. I would like the world to be a better place and if I can be the best me possible it will definitely bring a positive atmoshpere to the world, yeah I know it sounds cliché.

Being the all or nothing type of guy what I would do with certain addictions are to just indulge in my addiction. I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous but hear me out.

Have you ever heard a song that you just instantly love and listen to it over and over…and over again. You probably listen to it about 500 times. Your friends start to tell you to just stop with that song because they can’t take it anymore. But then finally comes a time where you can’t even listen to it anymore and that’s where my theory comes into place with addiction.

I had an addiction for gaming on computers and I eventually got to a point where I was just sick of it and now I can’t really sit in front of a screen and play games for too long, it makes me sick.

What I did was simply spend all of my free time on gaming until I couldn’t anymore. I have now taken that knowledge and tried it with other things and to my amazement it worked!

I must also say being the all or nothing type of guy I would rather not tempt myself at all with a potential addiction, even with food. What I’ve noticed is that having small portions of let’s say sugar doesn’t work because I will just want more. So I rather just neglect it completely. Sometimes it’s better to just take out any potential addiction so that there is no chance of having an addiction.

What you would probably notice is that my theory would not work with drugs because you might just OD. So then what another theory of mine is to cut it off completely. I did it with coffee instantly when I found out how harmful it is to my body, even though it tastes great and gives you energy it was a sacrifice I was willing to take to live a healthier lifestyle in the long run. Life is not a race, it’s a marathon.

Being free from addictions is liberating. You feel more alive, happier and trust me you will have more time and money to do the things that will keep you happy long-term and not some quick fix. Keep your dreams and goals at the back of your mind when trying to neglect your addiction and I’m certain you will see the fruits of it.

Do you wear a mask to even your friends

by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

How often do you approach people wholeheartedly and how many times with a bit of your own flair surpressed? I’m sure that sometimes you don’t feel that the people around you are ready to hear your deepest darkest secrets or the quirks that sets you apart. Sometimes it is better just to be ‘normal’.

I myself can be a very sarcastic person with desert dry humour which can rub people the wrong way so when I came to my first job I didn’t open up like a jack-in-the-box because I knew I would probably offend someone. Eventually I will show that audacious side but by then it won’t matter because my co-workers will become my friends, or at least they will accept me.

You might argue and say that you should be 100% yourself in any environment. This can be true but to a point. I do believe there is a time and place to finally show your true colours but it takes time.

I think the real question is though: Do you ever take that mask off?

Some believe that we wear 2 masks. One is for the world to see, the second is for your close friends and family to see and finally you are left with no masks but you are all alone.

It shouldn’t be this way. One should be able to be maskless to at least someone. A place where you can be who you ought to be in an environment where there are those that can see you for you do have something to give. This raises another question.

How can I know who my true friends are?

Your true friends are the ones that let you be yourself, no hidden treasures, all flaws revealed and sincerity in your actions.

I’d like to thank my close friends that allow me to be…me. I always feel at home when I’m with them and it never feels that I need to be someone that I’m not. And that’s the type of people you need to find. Those that don’t change you so that you can fit in with them but rather those that look for the gold that’s inside of you that you might not have known existed.

Do not take heed of those that only look at the surface for they do not care of what may be inside for they only look for the benefits of what you may have.

As iron sharpens iron, so does man sharpen another~Proverbs 27:17.

So find those that sharpen you and bring out that special something that the world needs from you and you alone.

Why I enjoy being in nature, far away from civilisation

by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

Last Saturday I was able to enjoy an off day at work. My previous week went from great to not so great towards the end and I was at that point of frustration. Luckily it was Friday already and so I had the weekend to look forward to.

We all have our own limits and it’s important to test them as often as possible, just as long as you don’t surpass your breaking point, I believe that the more we push ourselves the more we will grow, the more challenges we will be able to face.

Last saturday I was ready to push my limits. I decided that I want to go for a run across the beach, out of civilisation until I couldn’t run. Then, take a break and run back home. Crazy right? Yeah I’m crazy.

I never measured the distance but I started my expedition in the morning at 11, at the halfway stage there was nothing but sand and ocean, I couldn’t see a soul. I was completely alone. But then again was not.

Here is a photo of how long I ran for, this was only my halfway mark. I ran about 3 hours in total which isn’t bad considering I haven’t went running for the past 3 months.

I really loved to be in a spot where there is absolutely no one near me and just nature that sorrounds me. I wouldn’t want such a thing for me to happen on a daily basis but to get away from it all is purely special.

One of the reasons why I love to get away into nature is because I feel so much closer to God’s voice. Imagine this: Before God created man there was nothing but an untouched beauty of land. No harm, no pain, no war and no buildings designed to cause nothing but chaos.

These places can still be found, but it takes a lot to get there. You might have to leave town and you might need to go during your off day but it will pay off.

When I got to my spot in the middle of nowhere I had a really special time. There were no hindrances, no phone calls and no upcoming tasks so I had all day to spend time with the Lord. Reading the bible that day felt like poetry, as if the Lord was reaching into my heart and warming my soul.

Those type of moments are the ones that give me the strength to push through for the Lord always seems to give you encouraging words for the present, bring back positive memories from the past and show you a glimpse of your future which can be daunting at times but gives that sense of excitement.

I would urge you to do the same from time to time, on a daily basis always seek Him first but on some days seek Him only. I would love to know if you have tried it or will try and also the feedback of your happenings.

What are you doing here on earth?

by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

A question that all of us ask at least one point in our lives and if you’re lucky, you’ll only ask yourself that question about a hundred times.

The wonderful thing of the modern era is that with all the opportunities out there you will definitely find something that suits you.

But then again, having all these options could be a negative thing because you will spend endless amounts of time looking for your niche.

In every person’s life there comes a time where you come to a stumbling point. You ask yourself why you are here on this earth. What is my purpose? Am I doing what I should be doing?

It doesn’t matter how high you could go in terms of enjoying life, there will be that meltdown. Am I doing the right thing right now?

We all have the same purpose, but our destiny is always unique. The purpose one has that is common to everyone else is intimacy with God. Your sole purpose in life should be to build a relationship with God. The first thing you do in the morning shouldn’t be to check your social media but to have a figurative coffee with God.

The purpose one has that is common to all is intimacy with God.

From there things will start to make more sense. Doors that were once closed will now open. You will attain wisdom like never before, wisdom that Solomon had when he ruled over Israel. Your sense of feeling lost will now be found because this God will never leave nor forsake you. He is the same God today as He was yesterday and will always be. The amount of grace and favour upon your life will be tremendously strengthened and nothing will stop you. Spend time with God and your identity will be found, your love for something that you can’t theoretically see will be far greater than anything else, and you will find true happiness. God wants those who are completely healed to change nations.

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. Proverbs 21:30