Before You Even Ask

This is not a new story, but it contains a lot of food for thought!

Isaiah 65:24

This is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa.

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.

One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates).. 'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. 'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.'

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough,mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.' While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?' As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do this.

Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be?

I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried.  I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!' Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?' 'Of course,' I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.

And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.'

'Before they call, I will answer.'

Isaiah 65:24

Here are some things for you to think about.....

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  Do you put God in a box thinking that He cannot do some things?
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  Do you know that God sees all things...past, present, and future...which means that He knows what you need before you know it or even ask for it?
• 
  
  When you say "God can do anything," do you have any doubt about it?
  
  For me I believe He can do anything, but sometimes I doubt that He will do it.This reminds me of the Scripture... "...I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
  Mark 9:24b
                                    
• 
  
  Have you ever received something almost before you knew you needed it? 
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  Please share your thoughts and experiences on this theme by commenting below
  
  God bless!

Reaching Out…Part 2

Review of the book, Reaching Out, written by Storm Hendrickson

Henri J. M. Nouwen (1975) says, "Don't we often look at the many events of our lives as big or small interruptions, interrupting many of our plans, projects, and life schemes"(p. 52)? Don't we feel an inner protest when someone interrupts us when we are trying to read, bad weather our summer, illness our well-scheduled plans, the death of a close friend our peaceful state of mind, or many harsh realities of life our good dreams and future goals? The seemingly unending row of interruptions create feelings of anger, frustration, and sometimes revenge, in our hearts.

       "But what if our interruptions are in fact our opportunities, if they are challenges to an inner response by which growth takes place and through which we come to the fullness of being? What if the events of our history are molding us as a sculptor molds his clay, and if it is only in a careful obedience to these molding hands that we can discover our real vocation and become mature people? What if all the unexpected interruptions are in fact the invitations to give up old-fashioned and out-molded styles of living and are opening up new unexplored areas of experience? And finally, what if our history does not prove to be a blind impersonal sequence of events over which we have no control, but rather reveals to us a guiding hand pointing to a personal encounter in which all our hopes and aspirations will reach their fulfillment? Then our life would indeed be a different life because then fate becomes opportunity, wounds a warning and paralysis an invitation to search for deeper sources of vitality. Then we can look for hope in the middle of crying cities, burning hospitals and desperate parents and children. Then we can cast off the temptation of despair", well stated by Henri J. M. Nouwen (p. 53, 1975).

       Henri J. M Nouwen (1975) states, "The movement from loneliness to solitude is a movement by which we reach out to our innermost being to find there our great healing powers, not as a unique property to be defended but as a gift to be shared with all human beings. And so, the movement from loneliness to solitude leads us spontaneously to the movement from hostility to hospitality" (p. 62).

       I gave Henri J. M Nouwen's words concerning the move from loneliness to solitude much thought. My understanding is that we need to spend some quiet time, away from the distractions of the world, in order to turn loneliness into solitude. However, once this change has been made, a sense of solitude and inner peace can exist even in the midst of noise, busy lives, and distractions. We need to remind ourselves that it is ok to have time for self. We need to change the way we view life events that typically cause us to feel loneliness, frustration, anger, and hopelessness. Turn every situation into a time for learning, an opportunity and chance to mature. A free moment can be an excellent time to enjoy the simple pleasure of life that usually go unnoticed for one reason or another. When we take the time to examine our inner self and determine what causes us to waver from loneliness to solitude and back to loneliness again, we will discover a way to obtain a healthy balance that brings true contentment in all circumstances. When we are content and have solitude of the heart, we also develop true compassion for people and the world around us.

©Women’s Focus Ministries, All Rights Reserved

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What do you do to provide yourself some time to feel alone and to center yourself? Do you really thing that we deserve to take time for yourselves?

Please share your thoughts by placing a comment...thank you!

The Chat

One night as on the phone I spoke
To a special friend with whom I often talk
Philosophizing about various themes were we
With no set menu to pull them from
Just a kind of stream of consciousness.



We followed
Chatting on and on.


Both of us believers of similar ideas
Conversing always provided entertainment
Things like what makes a yummy Sunday dinner
How to teach a child some manners
Places to spend our upcoming vacation.



We persisted
Chatting on and on.



We shared our hearts in friendship
Bared our souls and maybe looked for advice
Let each other in on life’s disappointing moments
Revealing joyous happenings in addition
Scarcely a topic did we need to hold back.


We continued
Chatting on and on.


Because we share like spiritual beliefs
Conversation headed down a different road
Speaking of themes that bless our hearts and lives
How we have grown and what it means
When one does not worry about salvation.


We persevered
Chatting on and on.


When it was time for our good night
We agreed we would share a simple prayer
Suddenly I felt strange transformation all around
This feeling surrounding me in silk-like air
She said, “God’s there in the room with you.”


I said, “I feel Him.”
Chatting ended then.



I thought people who spoke about such things
Made up their stories just to get people’s attention
Such things had not happened in my personal experience
I felt the air modified akin to being in water
I can’t claim He told me awesome things
But we spent a quiet half hour being together.



It was heart to heart
A different kind of chat
And then He left.


©Corinne Mustafa
June, 2010
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      This is something that actually happened to me about ten years ago, when I was on the phone with my friend, Beverley. The feeling was so strong that I almost felt as if I couldn't move. I might have been tempted to think I was imagining it or something, but, without me telling her what I was experiencing, Beverley knew. Her words were, "I am going to hang up now, Corinne, so you can be with God."

      A couple of times I felt this again, but only mildly and for a short period of time. I have never had the feeling so strongly or for such a long time since. It has touched my life because, even though I had faith in the existence of God, I now have felt Him surround me with a peace and joyful solitude that I cannot even really begin to explain.

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DID SOMETHING LIKE THIS EVER HAPPEN TO YOU?
Please comment to share your own experiences.

Reaching Out...Part 1

Posted Monday, June 14, 2010

       This is about a book entitled Reaching Out that was written by Henri J. M. Nouwen. This review was written by my friend, Storm Hendrickson. Although the book itself was first published in 1975, the words and teachings inside still apply today. I would like to share some of those with you. I'll post a little bit about the book for the next few weeks. I hope that you enjoy what is written and can find a way to apply it's teachings to your life; because I believe what is written is very valuable and can help enhance your spiritual life. Enjoy!

A Suffocating Loneliness

Loneliness is something that everyone will experience at some point in their life. Loneliness comes in many forms and with many levels of intensity. A person can experience loneliness when day after day no one comes to visit, a person can feel the presence of loneliness when being mocked, laughed at or rejected by peers, loved ones or even strangers. A person can be enveloped in loneliness even amongst a crowd of people. However loneliness comes, the experience is anything but pleasant. According to Henri J. M. Nouwen (1975), "loneliness is one of the most universal sources of human suffering today" (p. 25). Loneliness is responsible for increasing numbers of alcoholism, drug abuse, psychosomatic symptoms, and suicide. We try to bury the pain of loneliness as if it was not really there. People have become so used to the state of anesthesia that they panic when there is nothing to do or nobody left to distract them. When they have no project to finish, no friend to visit, no book to read, no television to watch, and no computer to play with, they are left alone and brought to the revelation of their basic human aloneness and are afraid of experiencing an all-pervasive sense of loneliness.

       When our loneliness drives us away from ourselves into the arms of our companions (not necessarily human) in life, we are, in fact, driving ourselves into excruciating relationships, tiring friendships, and suffocating embraces. To wait for moments or places where no pain exists and no separation is felt would be living in a dream world, because those places are only imaginary.

A Receptive Solitude

One way that we can overcome "loneliness" is to turn it into solitude. The word solitude can be misleading, because it suggests being alone by yourself in an isolated location. Although it is very difficult to move from loneliness to solitude without any form of withdrawal from a distracting world, and therefore it is understandable that people who seriously try to develop their spiritual life are attracted to places and situations that allow them to be alone for a period of time, true solitude comes from within. It is an inner quality or attitude that does not depend on physical isolation. Henri J. M. Nouwen (1975) explains that, "On occasion isolation is necessary to develop a solitude of heart, but it would be sad if we considered this essential aspect of the spiritual life as a privilege of monks and hermits" (p. 38). Oh how true! It is extremely important for a person's spiritual life to maintain solitude even in the midst of a big city, a crowded room, or when leading a very active and productive life. Nouwen (1975) states, "A man or woman who has developed this solitude of heart is no longer pulled apart by the most divergent stimuli of the surrounding world but is able to perceive and understand this world from a quiet inner peace" (p. 38).

Henri J. M. Nouwen (1975) states, "By attentive living we can learn the difference between being present in loneliness and being present in solitude" (p. 38). Although alone, you can still enjoy the quietness of solitude. While attending a lecture, watching a movie, or chatting with friends you can obtain deep contentment of someone who speaks, listens, and watches from the tranquil center of solitude. It is not hard to recognize the difference between the restless and the restful, the driven and the free, the lonely and the solitary in our surroundings. When a person lives in solitude of heart, he or she can listen with attention to the words and the worlds of others, but when that person is driven by loneliness, he or she tends to select just those remarks and events that bring immediate satisfaction to his or her own craving needs and desires (Nouwen, 1975).

       Our world is not divided, however, between lonely people and solitaries. We constantly fluctuate between these poles and differ from hour to hour, day to day, week to week, and year to year. There are many factors that cause a person to fluctuate, which influences the balance of inner life. Henri J. M. Nouwen (1975) explains that, "But when we are able to recognize the poles between which we move and develop a sensitivity for this inner field of tension, then we no longer have to feel lost and can begin to discern the direction in which we want to move" (pp. 38-39). Nouwen goes on to explain that the development of this inner sensitivity is the beginning of spiritual life.   

       "The movement from loneliness to solitude is not a movement of a growing withdrawal but instead a movement toward deeper engagement in the burning issues of our time. The movement from loneliness to solitude can make it possible to convert slowly our fearful reactions into a loving response. As long as we are trying to run away from our loneliness we are constantly looking for distractions with the inexhaustible need to be entertained and kept busy. We become the passive victims of a world asking for our idolizing attention. We become dependent on the shifting chain of events leading us into quick changes of mood and capricious behavior. Then our life becomes spastic and often destructive sequence of actions and reactions pulling us away from our inner selves" (p. 49). A real spiritual life makes us alert and aware of our environment, all that is around us; all that is and happens becomes part of our contemplation and meditation and invites us to a free and fearless response (Nouwen, pp. 50-51, 1975).

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