What Were You Made For
Memory is an amazing thing! It seems so random the things that I remember vividly, sometimes down to small details, and then other huge important things I barely remember at all. This week three memories have stuck with me, coming to me at random times, inviting me to sit down and explore them. At first they seemed random and then I realised the gift that they were, reminding me of the things I am made for.
The first is a memory from when I was in Primary School; sitting at home in the evening before I went to bed and writing in a pink Holly Hobbie notebook. I can vividly see the front cover of the notebook as I recall this memory but alas it was back in the early 90’s and so there is no exact picture on the internet that matches. I also remember what was written in that notebook in my sprawling child’s handwriting - it was my book of prayers. On a regular basis we would sit down before bed and read the children’s prayer guide from Operation World and then I would write prayers in this pink Holly Hobbie notebook.
Another memory I keep coming back to is being sat in Geography class when I was in the first year or so of Secondary school. I can make out the room, the maps on the wall, the teacher, my friends sitting around me, and for some reason the teacher is talking about Kuala Lumpur. I can’t for the life of me remember why because at that point I became so distracted with this place name. I’m not sure I even knew what country it was in but the name entirely fascinated me. I can so clearly remember thinking to myself “I want to go there.”
I also remember a story people always told me about when I was four or five. I had just started school and was being taught to read. Apparently I loved reading so much that I decided my younger sister who must have been around three at the time couldn’t miss out on this amazing discovery and so after school every day I would go home and teach her what I had learned that day. Surprisingly the whole endeavour worked and she was a pretty advanced reader before she even started primary school.
As random as these memories seem sitting on my balcony in Malaysia tonight preparing my English lessons for tomorrow and this post. Having spent last night praying and interceding for missions .... maybe these memories really aren’t random at all. The things I loved and was fascinated by as a child: prayer, missions, reading, writing, teaching, even Malaysia, are basically my life now so many years later. Despite my teenage rebellion somehow here I am.
So today I am thankful. Thankful that I had a childhood where I could grow these loves, thankful that my parents encouraged me to love prayer and the nations, thankful to be reminded that these seemingly mundane daily things are things I was made for.
The first is a memory from when I was in Primary School; sitting at home in the evening before I went to bed and writing in a pink Holly Hobbie notebook. I can vividly see the front cover of the notebook as I recall this memory but alas it was back in the early 90’s and so there is no exact picture on the internet that matches. I also remember what was written in that notebook in my sprawling child’s handwriting - it was my book of prayers. On a regular basis we would sit down before bed and read the children’s prayer guide from Operation World and then I would write prayers in this pink Holly Hobbie notebook.
Another memory I keep coming back to is being sat in Geography class when I was in the first year or so of Secondary school. I can make out the room, the maps on the wall, the teacher, my friends sitting around me, and for some reason the teacher is talking about Kuala Lumpur. I can’t for the life of me remember why because at that point I became so distracted with this place name. I’m not sure I even knew what country it was in but the name entirely fascinated me. I can so clearly remember thinking to myself “I want to go there.”
I also remember a story people always told me about when I was four or five. I had just started school and was being taught to read. Apparently I loved reading so much that I decided my younger sister who must have been around three at the time couldn’t miss out on this amazing discovery and so after school every day I would go home and teach her what I had learned that day. Surprisingly the whole endeavour worked and she was a pretty advanced reader before she even started primary school.
As random as these memories seem sitting on my balcony in Malaysia tonight preparing my English lessons for tomorrow and this post. Having spent last night praying and interceding for missions .... maybe these memories really aren’t random at all. The things I loved and was fascinated by as a child: prayer, missions, reading, writing, teaching, even Malaysia, are basically my life now so many years later. Despite my teenage rebellion somehow here I am.
So today I am thankful. Thankful that I had a childhood where I could grow these loves, thankful that my parents encouraged me to love prayer and the nations, thankful to be reminded that these seemingly mundane daily things are things I was made for.
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