What Matters To God

Trish Blair, North Marrieds

In 1993 I moved to Australia from New Zealand, with my Certificate of Fashion Design in my suitcase,
I had ambitions to set the Fashion World on fire! I was met by Christians evangelising at Victoria Mall
in Chatswood very soon after. I had been religious in the past, but had not been taught to apply the
scriptures to my life and to live them out!

This scripture was very true in my case: "Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many
were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose
the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of the world and the
despised things – the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so no one can boast"
– 1 Corinthians 1:26

"the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." – Romans 4:17

devotional

Soon after I was baptized an older sister invited me to stay over with her. It was a large Federation style house that she shared with several young women. My critical eye, noticed the dated and shabby old bathroom, the broken hairdryer they shared, the rundown state of the place. But these women were filled with joy, as they had read their bibles' and prayed together in the morning. She shared Romans 4:17 with me – which resonated with me deeply.

I would regularly turn that same critical eye on myself, but this verse gives me so much confidence. Before I was a disciple I placed a lot of importance on my appearance and superficial things, my clothes had to be cool. I read Vogue magazine religiously, plastered its pages around my bedroom at home.

This verse explains that God sees in such a different way than how we see ourselves, to how society sees us. As women, we are under pressure to look a certain way, to be the right weight. To present in a certain way, the pressure is relentless, even worse today with social media. This verse helps me to fight the thought that I am not good enough, I am not educated enough, I don't have a designer bag, the up to the minute style, the perfect home, nails, the list is endless. Shopping was such a habit, one that I still struggle with, ever searching for a hit of dopamine, leaving me with feelings of shame and guilt and needing to find places for stuff. It was a very evangalistic time in the church, we were always out on the streets meeting people and the church was growing a lot. I was working full time sewing Academic Gowns, a terrible job, but the only one I could get, as all the entry level jobs wanted slim girls who could double as an in-house model, which wasn't me. I realised I needed to have my quiet times every day in order to cope with my work and this new life I had adopted, it was exhausting. This morning daily habit is what has helped me to remain a Christian. We need God's word in our minds to fight the devil's schemes.

Following God's plan truly works. In 1999 Mark Colantonio and I were married after dating in the church and we have two sons Alex and Noah who are also disciples. Staying faithful to God on a daily basis reaps so many rewards. Working on our character and our teachability is of more value than outward appearance and status, daily quiet times keep us soft hearted, striving to grow and humble.

reflection questions

•  Do you have your quiet time every day?
•  Do you have a core circle of women friends who share scriptures with you, and try to help you become more like Jesus? If not, what could you do to start that process?
•  Are your friendships based on superficial things? If so, how can you change that?
•  Do you find fault with others? Judging their appearance, odd manner or even singing voice? Or do you understand that we are all called to be God's children because  God sees our hearts?
•  Do you try to make yourself happy through shopping, rather than deeply connecting with others?
•  Are you trying to impress and intimidate, or are you approachable?