Question time

When my nephew was a toddler he went through the questioning phase that all children seem to go through. My favourite of the questions he used to ask was, ‘Did you forget?’, mostly because he had a knack for innocently asking this question from the back seat of the car when you had just realised you hadn’t completed an essential task for that day. What made it so adorable was the fact that when you truthfully answered that you had indeed forgotten, his follow up question would always be, ‘By accident or on purpose?’

Although my nephew has long since upped his questioning game, I recently found myself prodded with that very question.

Did you forget…

that you are a child of God.
that He is never early or late, He is always on time.
that He has asked you to run the race with perseverance.
that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
that He sees you and He knows you.
that you were created for a purpose.
that you are unique.
that you don’t have to rely on your own strength.
that He has told you not to be afraid.
that He goes before you.
that He has a plan for your life.

By accident or on purpose?

Boxing Day

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Matthew 7: 9-11 (NIV)

When I moved abroad, I planned to stock up on the make up, toiletry and clothing brands I was familiar with whenever I travelled back to the U.K, but this year’s pandemic and its devastating consequences put paid to any international travel plans for many people this summer.

Despite not having the most confidence in the Asian postal system, a few weeks ago I decided to press ahead and place some orders online. At first I excitedly checked the tracking systems I was issued by various companies, but as estimated delivery dates arrived and passed by with no sign of my parcels, and the information being issued on their whereabouts dried up, I spent a lot of time contacting companies in a bid to locate my orders. Some asked me to continue to wait, while others gave up my parcels as missing and issued refunds or replacements.

On finding that another parcel I was expecting had mysteriously disappeared after tracking had shown it clearing Asian customs, I contacted the international courier to find out what had happened. After some investigation the company managed to track down the parcel to a small nearby post office and issued me the local courier’s tracking code. Armed with my best Nancy Drew skills, I drove down to the post office ready to finally be united with my order. After begrudgingly agreeing to look for the parcel (it was his lunch break), the man disappeared off for a few minutes and after checking my address called me into the sorting office, saying he had another of my parcels. As I signed the paperwork, another man brought out not one, not two, not three, but four of my packages that had been ‘missing’ from May onwards. When I asked why they had not been delivered, he simply shrugged and replied, ‘None of them would fit on my motorbike!’ The ridiculous excuse did cause me to laugh out loud, but I’ll admit, a small part of me did want to box his ears as well!

As I drove home with my glut of parcels, I couldn’t help thinking not just about Christmas coming early (Christmas in July, anyone?) but also about the lessons I could take from this.

I felt like this was a giant prod about being patient in the wait. In life there are waiting seasons and it is just as important to reflect on HOW we we wait and not just focus on not knowing HOW LONG we are being asked to wait.

This also served as a reminder about abundance and the fact that we can be praying or hoping for one thing, but God often has bigger and better in store for us. The bible is full of stories of people who were asked to wait and have faith that they would receive what God had promised, and were then given abundantly more as a consequence. I draw confidence from stories such as Sarah and Abraham being blessed with a child aged 90 and the (new generation) Israelites finally making it to the Promised Land after years in the wilderness as although they took matters into their own hands or moaned and grumbled their way through, they still received what had been promised.

There is always a reason for the season, even if we can’t always see what that is when we’re in the centre of the storm, seemingly being battered from all sides.

‘God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.’ Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)

The parcel I was hoping to find at the post office.

What I actually left the post office with!