New Beginnings
Volume 1, Issue 5
January 2008
Do We Matter?
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched on its branches.”
Again he asked, “What shall I compare the Kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (Luke 13:18-21)
Do we matter? What would a life that matters look like? This is a question we were asked to think about this month. It is also a question I have been asking myself my entire life, especially this year.
Each and every person God created matters. Every man, woman, and child is important and significant. Nowhere is this stated more clearly than in the Parables of the Mustard See and the Yeast.
The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, yet when planted and nurtured, it becomes a tree where birds can perch on the branches. Like the mustard seed, yeast is tiny, but when it is used to make bread, it is dispersed throughout all the dough so it rises and makes large loaves of bread.
To describe the Kingdom of God, Jesus used the smallest of things – a mustard seed and yeast. This parable can show us that we are never too small to be important in God’s eyes. If God can use a mustard seed to grow a marvelous tress, then He can use us to grow His kingdom. In the grand scheme of things, we may all be small like the mustard seed and yeast but God uses us for such great and wondrous things.
I do not believe there is a template that shows what a life that matters looks like. Each and everyone of us lives a life that matters. No life is more significant than the next. In God’s eyes, we are all magnificent, splendid, and important.
This past month has brought on many new struggles and I have particularly been struggling with this question. I feel the pressure to decide what to do with my life. Who do I want to be? How can I best serve God? Am I listening to God or just living in fast forward?
I struggle with who I am and who I am becoming. More than anything, I want to help others. I want to show others that they do matter and that they are important in God’s eyes. But if I do not believe in myself and think that I do not matter, then how can I teach this to others?
I feel as if I am continually being bruised and battered by no other than myself. I am so hard on myself and I am fighting a battle between disliking myself and feeling bad that I dislike myself because I have been made in God’s image. It is a vicious circle that seems to have no end.
But above all, deep down, I do know that I matter. I know I am a child of God and I don’t need anything else except God. God is sufficient and I know He will get my through the hard and trying times.
I am aware now more than ever of how important each human life is. Everyone has something extraordinary to offer and use. God has made each and everyone of us special in our own ways. In a world of 6 billion, like the mustard seed, we are tiny. But in God’s eyes, we are significant and we matter more than we can ever know. We are God’s instruments and tools and we can offer what we have to make better the Kingdom of God.
Prayer Requests:
- For the women at Charis House – that they may seek and find where God is guiding them.
- For the unrest in Kenya and all who are caught in the middle.
- For peace and guidance in the new year.
- For old and new family and friends.
“The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.” – John E. Southard
I want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and prayers. You will never know how much it means to me. I am so blessed to have each of you in my life. May God bless you and enrich you as He has enriched my life because of you.
Christmas in Sweden
As many of you know, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend Christmas in Sweden. My grandmas’s cousin, Barbro and her husband, Arne, invited me to spend Christmas with their family and I gladly accepted their offer.
I was in Sweden for five days and I had the best Christmas I could have had without being home. Barbr and Arne, Goran and Yolanda, Anki and Henrik, were also so hospitable and welcomed me into their homes as if I was one of their own.
I had the opportunity to sight-see in the Old Town. Stockholm is an absolutely beautiful city. It was such a warm, cozy, and welcoming country and I cannot wait to one day return to Sweden.
On Christmas eve day, we put up lights in the yard and decorated the tree. Goran and Yolanda then had everyone over for supper and it definitely was a “high class” dinner. I had never seen so many glasses or silverware at one setting before. We had wonderful fish and salads and although we had no food like we do back home, it was all very good and a wonderful experience!
It was such a blessing to be able to spend Christmas with family and to meet new family. I had never met Henrik or Yolanda before and I feel so privileged to have them as family and friends. God definitely blessed me this Christmas season.
Something to be Proud of…
I am happy to say that work has been going quite well as of late. I am enjoying my administration work and have had enough to do thus far in the new year.
I am especially enjoying all of the women who are in the house right now. They all really seem to be trying to get their lives back together and it is such an inspiration to see how hard they are working.
There is one lady in particular that I am especially proud of. She came into the house about two months ago. She was extremely shy and had a tendency to self-harm. She also is on a variety of different medications.
I have been working a lot of weekends lately and on one particular weekend, we became very close. She has opened up so well to staff and the other residents. And I am so happy to say that she has quite taking some of her medication, and hasn’t self-harmed in a month.
I am so proud of her and I look forward to what the future has for her. I ask that you keep her and the other women at Charis House in your prayers.
Halfway Done
On January 28th, all ELCA volunteers had officially been at their placements for 5 months. It is incredible to think how fast the time here has gone. It is also quite exhausting to look back and see what has happened in the past five months.
To mark this halfway point, TFG sponsored a conference in Wales this past month for all TFG volunteers serving in the UK.
There were approximately 150 volunteers gathered
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