Life with Helen Johnson

 Andy and I took part in a 7 session course on Christian marriage from October to February and we learnt so much. Today I want to share with you my top takeaways from the course and why I believe you should partake in this course if you are married. Session 1 - Strengthening Connection In this session it covered the importance of staying connected through the different stages of marriage, plus the importance of date nights and continuing to get to know one another throughout your marriage. This session was really helpful for Andy and I, as you know if you're a regular reader we've been through a lot in our marriage already, however unlike the other couples on the course, we've not had years to get to know each other and grow, so we're prepared for those hard seasons. This session challenged me personally to keep getting to know my husband through every season. Whether that's through date nights, through asking questions or taking an interest in his interests. Marria...

I've been reluctant to write a blog on the topic of submission because in the Church there is so much divide on whether people think it's right or not. I can say with a high level of confidence that those outside of the Church likely do not agree with submission, and that is partly why I want to write this blog. I want to show you and explain why as a wife I chose to submit to my husband, even if it's something I struggle with at times and am still working on daily. If you asked my husband Andy 'does Helen submit to you?', I don't think his answer would be a 100% yes, however he does know it's something I want to improve. So let's answer the question, what is submission? In Ephesians 5:22-24 it says ' Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to ...

Being a Christian is not easy, especially in the world we live in today which promotes ways of living which are so against Biblical teaching. I've been on a journey in the last couple of months, as I felt challenged that I wasn't living my life according to scripture, I was going to church on Sunday and then the rest of the time I was reacting, responding and living as if I wasn't a Christian. I want to make it clear that I wasn't purposely trying to live a life that wasn't for God, I just wasn't actively making daily/weekly decisions that re-centered my mind and my heart to God and in His calling for my life and how I should live my life.  I was listening to a sermon the other day and it was talking about 'holy habits', I had never heard that phrase before and I wasn't quite sure what it meant at first. Essentially holy habits are daily or weekly things you chose to do which aligns your life to the teachings of the Bible and to the way we are called...

  What does it look like to be a Christian wife? What society and the Bible says are very different and I've felt challenged recently to make sure I'm taking my advice from scripture, and not from what society expects. If you follow what the Bible says chances are you will be met with more challenge and it often goes against what we're taught today and what we're used to today, however I believe if we follow scripture it will lead to a more fruitful marriage which has God right at the centre of it and that's the type of marriage we should want. In Proverbs 31:10-31 it shows us what a wife of noble character looks like. I'd encourage you to sit down and read the whole scripture, in this blog I want to pick out certain verses I have found helpful and also challenging. Verses 10-11: 'She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing' Aren't these beautiful verses? To her husband she is worth more than expensive ...

As I write this blog I feel like I'm writing it as much for myself as I am for you. I wouldn't say I've fully learnt what it means to wait for something, I have been waiting, but I wouldn't say I've been doing it successfully. I watched a video this morning that was sharing the story of a married couple who had to wait 13 years for their first child, they shared some really insightful pieces of advice and I want to encourage you with their encouragement. Before we begin I want us to ponder on Psalm 130:5 'I wait for the Lord, my soul waits and in His word I hope'. We are not promised an easy life when reading the Bible, but we are promised many things, cling on to those promises, find peace in the Word of God and trust that He is a God who provides, even if it's not the way you'd expect. 1. Our identity cannot be wrapped around the blessings of the Lord Our identity is not based on what God gives us in life, it is based in Him. When you're identi...

 I've felt challenged recently, as I have plenty of time in my calendar to rest, yet I often don't feel rested. In Matthew 11:28-30 we are invited to find rest for our souls in Jesus. From my research this is specifically referring to the fact that the Jewish people at the time were burdening themselves in order to seek God, and Jesus was explaining that through him we can seek God and find rest, instead of having to prove ourselves and work to the point of exhaustion.  These verses challenged me, as I know I have plenty of time sat down so my physical body feels rested, but is my soul rested? Is my mind rested? I often sit watching TV with my husband whilst thinking about a chore I need to do, or next weeks shopping list. My husband said to me one day 'you don't know how to relax', this was quite a bold statement to make, but the more I've pondered on those words, the more I've realised they are true. So I ask myself, how can I seek rest for my mind and my ...

 We all want a purpose in life, we want to wake up for something, have energy to succeed at it and to rest our heads at night knowing we accomplished something. What a lot of people want to know is what that something is, what is your purpose in life? To quote Winston Churchill "It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something".  I want to walk you through a series of steps which I hope will help you discern your purpose. I will be sharing some personal examples and several Bible verses and quotes for inspiration.  Step #1 - The Ultimate Purpose In Ephesians 2:10 it says 'For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do'. If our purpose doesn't line up with scripture or it's not producing good works then we have to ask ourselves, are we fulfilling our ultimate purpose in life? Everything we do is to honour God, so we need to continually be seeking prayer and wis...

This is a topic of conversation I am very passionate about, I spent the majority of my 20's single and I currently have a number of close friends who are single. As you read this blog you may not agree with everything I say, but I think it's a topic that goes unnoticed and I think we should be talking about it more. I want to share some of the things I have experienced or witnessed and share my personal perspective in the hopes it will stir you to think about your view on this topic. 1. As the majority of people in the church are married it can make single people feel inferior or like they've done something wrong I want to make it clear that I think marriage is a wonderful thing and I'm not saying as a married person myself that we purposely try to make single people feel inferior, but without meaning to it can come across. I found myself recently giving advice to a group of single women about how to approach dating as if I knew the answer, as if I had some unique skill...

 I've recently started counselling to look after my mental well being as I await heart surgery. I recently had my first session, it was really helpful and a lot of what my counselor said I believe is relevant for most people. I don't want to share specifics of what was discussed, but I do want to share some of the tips she gave me and how we can implement them into our lives. Looking after our own well being is crucial, it allows us to have capacity to help and love others and helps us navigate our own lives more effectively.  Tip #1 - Listen to your body A lot of the time we carry stress and anxiety without realising, and it can be quietly impacting our quality of life. Our body's often reflect what is happening under the surface, this could be tiredness, irritability, stomach issues, headaches etc. We need to be aware of these visual signs that something internal isn't healthy and needs extra attention. Throughout our days we need to take moments to pay attention to h...

Many of us are living with illness, whether it's an ongoing diagnosis, a mental health illness, chronic fatigue etc and it can be debilitating and can also lead to a lot of anxiety. As a Christian I believe that God can heal our bodies from illness, it doesn't happen to everyone, but it is something that is possible. Many of us won't know what to think about healing, but I hope today's blog helps you trust that there is still hope for healing.  In 2011 my mum Bev received a very shocking and worrying diagnosis. She had been experiencing heavy bleeding so she knew something wasn't quite right, this led to her having a routine examination. Following the examination she went to see her GP who informed her she had endometrial cancer, the lining of the womb was covered in cancerous cysts. Her GP informed her she would need to be fast tracked for a hysterectomy and that this would happen in the next two weeks. My mum and dad were shocked and devastated, she didn't exp...

 The other week I released a blog titled 'Wife Talk', this is going to cover any topics related to marriage and specifically being a wife. Today I wan't to launch 'Real Talk', which is where I share some of the challenges I'm facing and how I'm learning to live life to the full in-spite of those challenges. Today I want to talk about disappointment. I found a quote from American evangelist Billy Graham which I think is a good place to start. ' Don't let failure or disappointment cut you off from God or make you think that the future is hopeless. When God closes one door, He often opens another door - if we seek it' We will all walk through disappointment in our lives, we live in a broken world so therefore we must accept we will experience failure and disappointment. The first thing I want to say is that we shouldn't assume just because life hasn't worked out as we planned that God isn't in our lives, or that He doesn't love us. A...

 I have shared on this blog that I'm a Christian, it is a massive part of my life and has made me the person I am today. I'm aware some of my readers aren't Christians, but I hope today's blog will encourage you and if you do have any questions after reading this blog please contact me directly. At Church the other week we heard a Bible verse that really brought me comfort and peace. Isaiah 58:11 'The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail' I've been feeling very dry recently, spiritually, mentally and in my day to day life. I've been asking myself questions like 'what is my purpose?', 'am I doing what God wants me to do?', 'why am I finding life so challenging at times?'. Life is full of seasons, some are good, some are bad. We can experience moments in life that can leave us rock bo...

  Our first year of marriage was hard. I know that seems a bit to the point, but it was. Here is a list of things we had to deal with in our first year of marriage: - We had a leak in our kitchen - We had to have some of our roof repaired (another leak) - We got scammed by those roofers and had to pay more money to get it fixed properly - We had multiple gas leaks (I hate the word leak...) - My husband lost his job - We had to buy a car for work (this drained our savings) - I got diagnosed with my heart condition As you can see we had a lot to deal with, especially a lot of financial strain. Throughout that first year Andy and I continued to fall deeper in love and were so thankful we got married, but the circumstances around us weren't brilliant. We also were newly married and new to living together, so there was a lot to learn. Below are some tips for married couples in their first year of marriage: 1. Remove your expectations and try and live in the moment I had SO many expectat...

 It seems weird to say I'm thankful for the condition I have, at times I really am not, but there are some things I am thankful for. I hope these give you encouragement to see the silver lining in your struggles. 1. I'm thankful that I've had my heart checked and will continue to get it monitored So many people die of heart attacks or strokes without knowing that they even had a problem with their heart. In a book I listened to called Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity by Dr Peter Attia he said that many young people in their 20s who sadly passed away, after the autopsy it showed plaque build up in their arteries. I'm thankful that I can have my heart regularly checked, so if anything is starting to develop it can be treated. If you have a history of heart conditions in your family I would encourage you to ask your GP for an echo-cardiogram.  This is a photo of me being monitored (a 24 hour blood pressure monitor): 2. I'm thankful that I can enjoy my early...

  Andy and I got married on the 21st January 2023. It was a wonderful day, finally months of stress had been worth it, we were married!  Enter marriage, or should I say enter months of wondering 'is this what married life is like?'. Do not get me wrong, I love being married to Andy, the first year had some incredible moments and I was so thankful to have him in my life, as my husband. But what shocked me, was how much preparation I thought I had done, to only realise I had overlooked so many important things! So here are four things I wish I would have known before saying 'I do': 1. I wish I would have realised how selfish I was When you're dating or engaged it's so easy to love the person whilst still having independence and have certain things your way, however once you're married it feels like every decision is one you need to make together. A light-hearted example is when I realised that I wanted to pick every film we watched, every film my husband recom...

 Hi, I'm Helen Johnson and this blog is about my life (the good and the bad). You could say it's the journeys the Johnson's go through (my husband Andy and I).  To introduce myself, here's some facts about me: - I'm 31 years old - I've been married to my husband Andy since January 2023 - I'm a Christian - I'm a debt advisor (I help people get out of debt) - I'm passionate about good health & fitness - I'm on a waiting list for heart surgery - I love walking and travelling  - I love food - Andy and I are currently starting our own walking business (with a few more businesses up our sleeves) This blog is going to be following the journeys I take as I became a business owner, have heart surgery, grow in my marriage and my faith, continue coming up with useful business ideas and just enjoy life! I'm excited to have you join the journey!  Next blog: Why I Need Heart Surgery