Sometimes it’s hard to
find words to put life into. Not necessarily because life is exceptionally good
or bad, because it’s just life. And even if the day-to-day brings many
reflections and processes with it, typing them out in a manner that is
understandable beyond the author isn’t always as easy as thinking them.
I love writing, and yet months have passed since updating this blog. A blog I write mostly as a reminder to myself of what my journey these years has looked like; because like most people I am prone to forgetting once something new fills up the space in my immediate memory.
I love writing, and yet months have passed since updating this blog. A blog I write mostly as a reminder to myself of what my journey these years has looked like; because like most people I am prone to forgetting once something new fills up the space in my immediate memory.
I am sat at my kitchen
table. A half-written page of my journal lies next to me, and a vase of wilted
tulips stand in front of me. On my wall I have a small selection of photos of
loved ones and those I have met on some of my journeys. Faces that bring a
smile to my heart.
It’s Tuesday evening
and as good a time as any for a short reflection...
Today I was busy
wrapping gifts to bring to our women’s evening in the local prison tomorrow. It
not being the most demanding task mentally, it gave me ample time to think. I
thought about church on Sunday, where I listened to a teenage girl share a bit
of what her walk the past year has been about: a journey of “seeing the one”. A
journey of being faithful and intentionally seeing and encouraging each one she
meets. She shared with such joy and life of how something as small as smiling
or wishing someone a good day can make a huge difference. And how it’s
available for all of us. It was such a powerful reminder, and something I take with me. I don’t have to try to see the multitudes or masses, but simply be
present and available to the person in front of me.
And I thought about
what to share at the women’s evening to encourage them in what they are going
through. And I remembered a situation in Brazil some years ago. We were
organising a women’s lunch, and as we were handing out invitations in the
brothels, one of them women said that my hair was so beautiful. I turned to her
and said the simple phrase: “You are beautiful!”. Later that day we held the
lunch, and many of the women came. It was a beautiful time of really honouring
and bringing value and love to them. Towards the end of the lunch, as we were
finishing up, I saw the woman I had met earlier, and she called me over. As I
came up to her she called out to her friend, and pointing at me exclaimed:
“This is the woman who called me beautiful!” It was such a strong reminder of
the power of words, and of how a simple phrase, spoken in a matter of seconds,
can make a difference that lasts a life-time... if the person chooses to
receive it.
And so that is what I
want to share with the women tomorrow. That our words can build life, and that
it doesn’t take a lot of them to impact someone else’s life But also, that kind
words given to us by others can change our lives, and make a difference in our
hearts... if we choose to receive them and believe them.
So there you go... a
few simple thoughts on a Tuesday evening. A reminder about seeing the one and
speaking life- which if lived out can make a huge difference to us and those
who cross our path.