Unexpected Blessings

Sometimes I think I ask God for a lot when I pray.

Forgiveness? Definitely.
Mercy? You betcha!
Wisdom? I try to pray for this at least once a day.
A general, ‘help!’ when I don’t know what to ask for? Oh yes.
That I’ll wake up in the morning in time to catch a flight/get to work/ be somewhere really important? Probably more times than I care to admit. (Unlike the alarm on my cellphone, God hasn’t let me down on this one yet!)

Of course, there are things I hadn’t asked God for before:

Discomfort? I know we’re called to pick up our cross, but I’d tended to see this as something we do out of duty, because it’s expected of us – not something we specifically seek and ask God for.
Anger? Can’t remember ever praying, ‘God please make me super angry today. Just make me mad at the world and everyone in it. Amen.’
Tears? Not high on my priority list.
Foolishness? Hang on, I’m sure I remember a Sunday School song about the wise and the foolish man building their houses.  It was great fun, we sang about the foolish man building his house on the sand, and when it came TUMBLING! DOWN! we jumped from the stage onto the floor. But I’m fairly sure the foolish man wasn’t held up as a role model.

Then, this morning at church, I heard something interesting. Our services always conclude with a blessing for the congregation. This was today’s:

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts.
May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, hunger, and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done.

I like this. A lot. Suddenly, these things seemed like good things to be praying for. We can’t ever know truth or have fantastic friendships with people unless we’re irritated when answers don’t seem to quite it, or annoyed at only ever discussing work, school, and the weather with a friend. How can we help those who are oppressed and persecuted unless we are livid and downright angry at the awful situations we find them in? If we aren’t moved by someone’s plight, we’re unlikely to feel any need to comfort them. Be uncomfortable. Cry. Get angry. Be motivated to do something!

Our world is broken. There’s so much that needs to be fixing, and the situation can seem hopeless. I don’t know about you, but I often hear a voice at the back of my head: Can anything you do really make a difference?  

I encourage us all to shout back ‘Yes!’ Be foolish. God is in the business of making a difference. This idea is at the very heart of GB, as our international vision is: Girls’ lives transformed, God’s world enriched. That’s making a difference. That’s changing the world.

I pray that God blesses us all with an extra dose of foolishness this week. Let’s make a difference. 

Happy International Women's Day!

Today is International Women’s Day - Happy Women’s Day Everyone!

In honour of this day that celebrates women, I want you to take a moment to think of one woman who has made an impact on your life.

For me the woman that immediately comes to mind is my Grandma. My childhood is full of memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa’s place and eating loads of baking that my Grandma always had on hand. Chocolate button biscuits were always my favourite!

She was the perfect Grandma - she baked, she made things, could knit without looking at what she was doing, won prizes for her jams and preserves and ALWAYS watched Coronation Street. She loved all her grandchildren, and always had time for all of us.

Every Christmas and Birthday revealed another beautifully and lovingly handcrafted gift sometimes it was bed socks, sometimes a picture - once it was the Loch Ness Monster!

Every grand-daughter on her 12th birthday was given a china doll that Grandma had made for them. She hand crafted them, and made them look a bit like the recipient. She was worried that when it came time to give her youngest grand-daughter her china doll, she wouldn’t be here, or wouldn’t be able to make it. So she made it in advance and kept it safe until it was time for it to be given away.

As I grew older I came to appreciate the true gift I had been given in the form of my Grandma.

She had an unshakeable faith, she was involved in her community, and more importantly her family. She was a loving wife of my Grandpa for over 60 years, raised 5 kids, and 14 grandchildren. She survived cancer, moved to the other side of the world and rode a motorbike (once...).

She was the kind of woman I can only hope that I one day become, and I thank God that I had the privilege of being her Grand-daughter.

So take time to appreciate the women around you - they are truly worth more than you know.

God Bless