My non-Australia Day

Today is Australia Day! And I'm sadly not celebrating in anyway. I thought going to Maccas for lunch would be enough of a Western hit to make me feel ok. Although it was very familiar the way the menu boards are set out and the trusty Big Mac I ordered came in a box so similar to those in Aust that I was fooled. I even got the guilty/ sick feeling in my stomach I get at home when I eat the greasy goodness of The golden arches.

The heaviness of the longing to see the beautiful clean streets of Perth still hung on all day. One of the Pastors in the office even came in just to wish me a Happy Australia Day and it almost made me cry.
In the evening I had some friends from the office come over to the home for dinner. It was nice, the food and company however when they left I was really sad again. They don't know of this amazing country I was celebrating in my heart. All my life I have called Australia home. All my life I've enjoyed the abundance that we are so lucky to have in Australia. So I went and sat in my room. I tried msging a friend (one that I definitely knew was actually receiving my sms's). I hoped that he or one of the ppl he was with would be generous enough to call me. It didn't work out. I put my new album on (The Great Australian Songbook) which has a mix of about 40 old and new Australian songs and cried a little.
Determined not to dwell in the pit I got my Aussie flag out and took some fun little snapshots. I sat back down, still feeling a little deflated and started to do my nails (one of my favourite ways to relax and de-stress) still listening to my epic dinky die Aussie playlist of Farnham, Midnight Oil, Delta Goodrem, Eskimo Joe, Powderfinger etc. Then Amazing by Alex Lloyd came on.
That song always reminds me of a friend I lost to suicide when I was 16. It was played at his funeral and to this day still saddens me greatly. I remember promising myself that I would never keep quiet about my faith again after that. I began following that thought pattern to see if I had really lived up to that promise. So instinctively I went to my journal to basically put my sook down on paper.
The next song that came on was Wake up by The Living End. Some of the lyrics go like this:
"Wake up to the manipulation, Wake up to the situation"
and funnily enough the song finally turned me to God. I think it's hilarious now in hindsight that The living end, a non Christian rock band drove me to my bible and prayer. I read John 16. The final verse just hit me in the face.
Why is it that we always try to solve our own problems? - or is it just me ;)
Even if God has come through for us before, we don't run to him at the first sign of trouble.

John 16:24 says this, "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

God is so accessible from every place on this planet!