Prayer

My church is currently having a project where we record our prayers. So here is the focus of this blog for the next little while.

So the recording of God's grace is once again my mission, this time though the whole church has been asked to do it. Husband is even do it!

So today

I was graced with some wonderful friends who made time in their day to come out to my belated birthday party. I felt so loved.

I also made a stupid turn in traffic today, yet God blessed me with a kind motorist who let me through.

Service - Poem

As part of the leadership course I am taking at church, I was asked to write a poem about service. Here is my attempt.

Service

Speaking for those who have lost their voice.
Energizing those who have lost their spirit
Reaching out to those who are alone.
Vacating when someone more able comes along.
Ignoring the petty sniping of those who are jealous.
Calling out to those who have lost their way.
Embracing those in need of love.

So yesterday, I got some bad news at work. Something that will affect what I do next school year, possibly even where I teach. I was very upset and trying to figure out my deicision. So I called a fellow teacher friend and left a message.

She called me back and we talked. I am much calmer now and feel better about the whole thing. I am thanking God for a friend like that right now. I have been blessed.

Wednesday there was a huge revalation to me.

A contracter who works with my school revealed something huge. Her parents both tragically died of cancer when she was in her twenties. She quite her job to look after her parents. After their deaths, she re-evaluated her life and decided she wanted a job that made a difference. So she came to teaching.

Why is this revealing? Well - I had very little respect for her. I found her abrasive, and difficult to work with. And I thought that she was a little rough on the kids. I tried to speak to her about this and her reation was "I respect your opinion, but I would still do it that way."

This is huge. A whole bunch of things clicked into place and I understood what was going on with her. The lense I use with my students snapped into place. If you have been hurt by life as much as this lady has, you tend to develop a negative interaction style. I have seen it a hundred times.

And so, inspite of myself, I begin to warm to her. Through this God has reminded me one of my favourite quotes - "Almost everybody has some light somewhere, and light is always worth fighting for." I have also been reminded to be less judgemental.

Amen.

Okay - so after the grumpiness of this morning now I have found God's light in my world.

* After a fill-up, I left my gastank cap completely off and drove home. A complete stranger got out of his car at a stoplight and let me know and then put it back on.
* Kyrgyzstan's quest for democracy, reminding me of Russia, Ukraine, and all the other places where the people have made a difference.

It is very hard to see God's light in my world when your cat wakes you up at 5:00 am because he wants his snack.

So today I looked around and saw God in my life in the following ways:

* the sound of the trumpets with the choir during church
* the warmth of the sun on my face as I went about my business
* my husband deciding to walk to and from my mother's so that I could drive my grandmother to and from the event and have a long chat
* the return of a good friend from a not so safe trip

My life is full of his blessings.