Life's signboards... keeping your eyes, ears and heart open

I did not come from a religious family. I was brought up with a belief that there was a God somewhere.....

When I was 15 my father died leaving my mother alone to look after me and everything else. It must have been a scary moment for my mother to think that she would have to see me through life alone. Some nights I would wake up in the middle of the night and find my mother crying alone in the kitchen and it scared me as I had always seen her as a strong woman. So I prayed to God (who I had never spoken to before) nightly for about 2 weeks to help my mother. A fortnight later my mother turned to me and said, "Jennifer (when she said my full name it was always serious!!) we're going to church... St. Andrews the one I was baptized at!". I looked at her like she had gone mad... church on Sunday when I like to sleep in!! Are you crazy!! She practically dragged me there and we got stuck every Sunday.... she became very involved in church work and eventually she became an elder... she grew from strength to strength with her faith... and even when she died she knew she was going "home".

One year later after following her "religiously" to church I reflected on my request to God and understood that this had been the answer to my prayers... church and the faith had helped my mother and gave her the strength to carry on right to the end of days and for that I thank God and truly believe in the power of prayer. So sometime the answer is not as straight forward as you think..... which brings me to the quote from the movie "Evan Knows" (God speaking to Evan's wife who has walked out, doubting her husband)...

"God: Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

Boy did that hit home.... life is like a highway you have to read the signs or forever be lost.... you MUST believe and have FAITH no matter what your religion!!

Originally posted on Facebook Notes on Friday, March 28, 2008 at 2:59am