This Wild and Precious Life by Susan Barclay

Good new year, everyone.

As I considered this month’s writing prompt, I was reminded of a book I read last year, A Curious Faith by Lore Ferguson Wilbert. An entire chapter is devoted to the question, “What is in your hand?” Lore offers a different and thought-provoking perspective: “When God asks what is in Moses’s hand, the staff in his hand is there because so many things have gone wrong in Moses’s life.” Lore suggests that when God asks you what’s in your hand, he is asking, “What did you not expect to carry into this ‘wild and precious life’?”

A close friend shared this with me: “I don’t always like what is in my hand, and often look at what is in someone else’s hand and wonder why I didn’t get that. But I know God gave me what is in my hand and know he must have a purpose and use for it. I believe that God has given you the issues you are dealing with now, because he knew you could handle the job. And that you would handle the job with Christian love and grace and would be a witness to those around you. One day God will say to you ‘thanks for taking care of that, I knew you were the right person for the job’.

What is ‘in my hand’ is a story I never wanted and never sought out. It is a story involving prodigal children and a challenging caregiving journey. The stage of life I am in looks nothing like what I expected or hoped for. But God has shown me my faith is built on the solid rock of Christ. I may be tested and tried, my “trunk” may be bent against hurricane-force winds, but I will stand in him. He is faithful, he is good, he is kind, he is the one true Promise-keeper.

I trust that God will use what’s in my hand to bless others, whether that is in my writing or in conversations and offering support. As Lore says, “he uses our grief to make space for another’s grief. When our grief is palpable and present, mourners find their way alongside it sooner or later.”

Moses used his sheep-herding staff to astound a pharaoh, split the Red Sea, bring water from rock, and help the Israelites win a battle against enemy forces. God didn’t waste Moses’s flock-tending years; he redeems the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25). Since he doesn’t waste anything and turns for good what the enemy means for evil (Genesis 50;20), I can hardly wait to see what he does with what’s in my hand! May it be soon, Lord Jesus!

_______________________

c. Susan Barclay, 2025. For more about Susan and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

Say Yes to Alphabet Prayers by Sandi Somers

 

As we near the end of our alphabet project, I discovered something surprising.

I lay awake one night, worrying. Gradually I turned to praying for a family on my prayer list. It wasn't too long before I fell asleep. Next morning my mind was clear of the worry, and I realized I hadn't even finished praying for everyone.

Occasionally I have restless wakeful nights, and I try praying. Recently I read an article that suggested praying Scriptures--work your way through the alphabet. Recite scriptures until you fall asleep. 

Aha!

It was a great idea. I could combine alphabet Scriptures with praying for people or personal needs. So the next wakeful night, I began.

A "Ask...Seek...Knock."

B "Bless the Lord, O my soul."

C "Confess your sins one to another."

 I didn't get too far. By the letters G and H, I was drifting in and out of sleep. But I did wake enough to J, and recited, "Jesus wept."

The next sleepless night, I decided praise was in order. I focused on Scriptures from Isaiah, even though thoughts were out of alphabetical order: "Almighty God, Wonderful Counsellor Everlasting Father, Prince of peace." "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord."

Then came a night I lay awake, even with quoting Scriptures. I was surprised that, though I've memorized a lot of verses, I couldn't recall examples--K, Q, R---Perhaps I wasn't fully alert. 

On later nights, I diverted from a strict alphabetical order and prayed The Lord's Prayer, praying into each verse. Or Psalm 23. Or favourite verses. 

I prayed for our pastors. I prayed for my writing. I prayed for our Canadian leaders. 

Then I realized something else was happening.

I was generally sleeping more soundly. The Lord's words were becoming a balm to my spirit. And I wasn't worrying nearly as much.

But more. I was reminded of how important it is to pray with Scripture. In this way, we know we are praying according to God's will. If we don't, we can, as the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoefffer wrote, "become victim of our own emptiness", praying in generalities.

In my regular morning prayer time, I began writing down special Scriptures for people--a process that will continue to grow. 

How will this process grow and influence my praying? My hope is that it will lead to more effective praying. God's word is powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit...and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

If you haven't tried it, pray through Scriptures during a wakeful night, matching verses with special requests. 

God bless you this coming year.

Image by Pixabay

What is in Your Hand? by Lorrie Orr

 

Here we are, beginning a brand-new year. 365 days that unfold one by one. In Exodus 3, Moses, called by the Lord to an enormous task, expresses doubt about his abilities. The Lord replies to him, “What is that in your hand?” God then uses Moses’ staff to demonstrate His power to use what Moses already had.

As we begin the year, this month's challenge is to consider where and how we might move forward in faith and in writing. Share what is in your hand. What do you know about yourself? How has God revealed Himself to you as a writer? What tools do you possess to help you? How can you use what God has given you to enhance your writing?

When I think of the many ways that God has led me think of myself as a writer, I had a difficult time narrowing this post to a reasonable length. Here are a few of the gifts God has given me.

1. A love of words. Words are beautiful things. From an early age I devoured words. Words jump out at me everywhere. I find the shape of letters and words appealing. Spelling errors, particularly in public, like on big advertising boards, newspapers, or church screens stand out like a petunia in an onion field. (Not that I haven't made my own share of spelling errors.) I love putting words together to create images or to tell stories.

2. A story. God has given me a story of love and faithfulness. Of redemption. Of a grace that is so beautiful I see it everywhere. Of intense challenges and ordinary days. Of a life I could never have imagined for myself. In my life there are everyday stories where God shows up in small but significant ways, and life-altering stories where God's hand works amazing miracles. Taking note of these moments is part of living a life that honours God.

3. Source material. For 21 years I wrote thousands and thousands of words by hand in letters to family and friends. Letters were my only connection between Ecuador and Canada. Shortly before my mother-in-law passed away in 2017 she gave me two boxes full of those letters. She had saved every one of them, going so far as printing out emails in the later years. It was my eldest daughter who said, "Mom, you should put them into a book for all of us." Her idea spurred me to begin a memoir that is very nearly complete.

4. Encouragement. I tend to belittle myself, particularly in my writing. Creating with words is like having children; it's incredibly hard work. Exposing my writing to the world is difficult. I don't expect praise and adulation, but when someone comments that they've enjoyed a piece of writing, or found solace or encouragement through my words, I thank God for his encouragement.

These things in my hand are God's gifts to me. I think of the Apostle James' words "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." I desire to honour God by accepting and developing the gifts he gives me.

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island.

She hopes to publish her memoir in 2025 with God's help.

From Beginning to End by Mary Folkerts

 

Staring down the last
of another year
and I can’t believe
the march of time
could go this fast.
It never did when
I was a kid waiting
for the school bell
to ring.

What a life this life we live! It starts out slow and then speeds up like one of those terrifying merry-go-rounds, banned for how dangerous they are! Ok, I’m being dramatic, but this time of year, after the busyness and celebrations of Christmas and before the New Year begins, we sit in this in-between land of rest and reflection. Too much backward-looking can leave us with a melancholy spirit of regret and loss if we only focus on what is gone. Reflection, on the other hand, is beneficial if it helps us move forward with purpose and direction.

As storytellers, it’s important to remember that our lives are stories in and of themselves—a whole library full of stories, from comedies to romances, tragedies to memoirs. Some stories we have a hand in writing and others are written for us. Many are never completed until our days are done, but the stories together create a life lived.

I wrote a poem to depict this idea, but more significant than the stories themselves are the bookends that hold up the books: the One who holds all our stories with tender care from beginning to end.

The pale December light
fades outside the windowpane,
but in here, the glow
from the lamp
and the warming fire
illuminate the shelf
lined with volumes
upon volumes of books.
I run my fingers across
the spines,
my heart inexplicably drawn.

Some books fall open
wide
as I examine,
full of words, loud
boisterous, scribbles and
artwork in the margins
dog eared and creased—
those were the confident
days.

Some books have spines
that are broken,
the ink within splotched
and water-stained.
Those were the hard
days.

There are love stories—
romantic curlicues
depicting the emotions
of two hearts
becoming one.
Some books are blank,
stiff and unopened
the pages yet to be marked.

Thumbing my way through
I notice that many stories
have no ending
as of yet…
These—
the stories of life.

But it’s the bookends
holding the whole lot
together that give me
pause.

On one end, tall and strong
stands A—
the beginning,
the Alpha.
And on the other
keeping the books from
toppling is Z—
the ending,
the Omega.

I see it now,
the thread of continuum
woven through the pages,
my stories cradled
in the Father’s
Hands.

For just as He is the Alpha
And Omega, the beginning
and the end,
so He has set a hedge
around my story
from beginning
to end.


Let's keep living and writing our stories, friends, because we know God is the Keeper of our stories!

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a Proverbs 31 ministries COMPEL Writers Training member involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/ or connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/