Count your Blessings

Life is hard. And life has no guarantees. Not a single day goes by without heartache in some shape or form. It’s so easy for us at times to lose sight of what is good . And even more so, to lose sight of the meaning of our lives and ultimately the meaning we add to the lives of others. The sadness in that is that we forget to count our blessings.
So much in life is taken for granted. We forget about each breath we take effortlessly without consciously having to fight for or cling to. We forget that there are those whose unconditional love and care is wrapped around us like a comforting blanket against the cold discontent of others around us. Do we ever stop to consider when our cups overflow in abundance that there are those who battle each and every day to make ends meet? Hardly do we spare a thought for those in a spaceof adversity who have to make sacrifices we could never imagine having to make ourselves.
Yet, not all is lost. For as long as we have hope, we have a better understanding of how blessed we really are. It’s the small and seemingly insignificant deeds and words which so often go unnoticed that ought to give and sustain hope. Hope fuels our spirit like a flaming torch burning brightly in the dark. It shines a light on so many things taken for granted, forgotten and obscured. It illuminates the faces of those who love, supports, guides and reminds us why we are blessed each and every single day.
So despite all your material and personal shortcomings, failings and envious gremlins lurking in the dark spaces of your heart, know that each day you awake to behold the glory of a new day, is a blessing freely given by the Creator. He has a purpose and plan for you. He has chosen you by grace and it’s for you to follow through!
Seek and count your blessings like lost treasures found and marvelled. Be a blessing!

Don't stop dreaming

In youth I turned to dreams to be

Vividly grand and encouraging me

In being the details of life are etched

And dreaming left behind with the original sketch

Such disfavour to the soul may be grave

In dreaming we have hope to be brave

For whatever life may seem

Inspiration can be found in many a dream

                                                              Reve

Learning for change

I am not interested in what you did this week. I want to know what you learnt this week. Because if you didn't learn anything, then you cannot grow or change. The same situations with the same lessons will be repeated in your life until you learn from them.

So if you wonder why that thing always happens to you, or why you always find yourself in same difficulties, then stop and ask yourself: What am I meant to be learning from this? What can I change (within myself) so that this doesn't happen again?

I hope this thought strikes you with as much force as it struck me today. May you always be learning and changing for the better. God bless.

Good timing

Today I had a lunch planned with a friend. I was regretting making the arrangement because it meant rushing to get there and then waiting around afterwards for another appointment. I almost cancelled it at the last minute.

But I didn't. Looking back on it, I am so glad I didn't cancel. In fact, I am pretty sure there was a hand in it, making sure I kept the lunch date. I hadn't seen this friend for a couple of weeks and just wanted to catch up. She really needed to talk. What she told me about what was going on in her life really shocked me. I was amazed that she was living through this and also that I hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. I could see, as she spoke, that the reality was sinking in and she was realising for the first time how terrible the situation was. She had slipped into the horror without noticing and it was when she was verbalising it that it truly registered.

It was such a good thing we met up today with no time restraints. She needed to talk about what was going on and I perhaps didn't have all the answers but I gave her some advice and made her see the situation from the outside. Can you imagine how much worse it would have been if I had been selfish and cancelled, just so that I could sit at home for a couple of hours?

How often do we cancel or change plans or don't bother to pick up the phone? We justify our actions with comments like, I'm really tired and never have time for myself, or, She never contacts me, why should I bother? or, I'll get hold of her later, one day won't make a difference. How often have we maybe missed the opportunity to be a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear or a comforting arm?

There is a reason humans live in communities and it is the responsibility of every individual to be there, supporting the other. We are required to help each other, whether or not help is solicited.

So pick up the phone. Send the text. Contact someone you haven't heard from in a while. Don't make them feel bad for not keeping in touch but rather just make plans to get together. And when they talk, really listen. You never know what you're not hearing. You never know when that phone call will occur at the perfect time. You will never know if your voice is just the thing they needed to hear at that very moment.

An Indian Journey

At the end of 2009 my husband and I decided to mission off to an Indian orphanage in Rajesthan, a "closed" province of India where there is still a lot of persecution of Christians. Something was pulling at our heart strings, and when people asked us why we were going, it was more a case of "why not?". There was nothing in out lives that could not be put on hold for 6 weeks.

Incredible India. The experience there was shocking and amazing. The overwhelming amount of people. The filth. The fact that you can fight your way onto an overcrowded train and sit for hours without ending up in the open coutryside. Just people everywhere, and poorer than anything I've seen in Africa, even in the rural communities. Then there's the caste system - the senseless and ruthless division of class and rights and the lack of them. The ridiculous rejection of humanity.

Now I've grown up thinking I've had a normal and easy life to date, and while one should only be grateful, that life also gives one a subtle arrogance. The idea that you have something to offer the rest of the world. But anyone who spends a day in an orphanage with the poorest children who've been rejected by society cannot help but be overwhelmed by the love they have to give. Some have lost their parents in gang wars. Some rejected by beggars. Some orphaned by political wars. Some disowned by their own mothers so that they could remarry. I got more in the time there than I could give in a lifetime. More love. More caring. More understanding. More sharing from those with nothing but their personalities and the love of their Saviour to share.

We left those 600 odd children perplexed by the reversal of roles and the mind shift we had to make from the experience we thought we would have. It took a year to work through the challenges presented to our faith, the little voices and faces in our dreams and the poverty that plagued our consciences. And a year later we went back, hopefully this time with something real to give.

It's all about perspective

Having moved to a foreign country and built a life before, I know that bad patches are inevitable. I know there will be days you'll second guess yourself and days when all you'll want is a familiar face or a pair of arms around you.

Recently I went through one of these patches. It was pretty short-lived. One of the reasons this was true, was because I decided I just couldn't fit it in. If you lie in bed in the morning and tell yourself that the weather is bad and that you don't want to do anything you have planned for the day, your day is going to be difficult and exhausting. And if you stay in your room because you don't have any friends anyway, then you are never going to make new ones.

So after a day of admittedly feeling sorry for myself, I got up, and got out and pretended to feel at home. I know you've heard this a million times before, but people repeat because it's true. If you have a positive attitude, even if it's fake, that's half the battle won.

Suddenly I had more job offers. I got letters and emails from far-flung friends I hadn't heard from in ages. I went on a couple of outings with some people I had met here. And it felt like I had a life. A life that was actually quite interesting and worthwhile. I could see why people kept telling me I was lucky when lucky was the furtherest thing from what I was feeling.

Now in the mornings, I tell myself that it will be a good day; that today I might meet a great new friend or see something that will change how I think. That today has merit and worth and I will only see it if I get up and get out there to experience it. And so far, today hasn't failed me yet.

I hope you get up in the mornings, even the cold and rainy ones, with a positive attitude. It makes the world of difference.