Category Archives: hope

Doing my part

Posted by Kerri Craig on

I live in a borrowed land.  It is a land where the values of life are not weighed easily.  The mundane choices of each day cannot be simplified into “Do have a latte or a cappuccino?”  “Do I wear the brown shoes or the black ones?”

Instead the daily decisions of life here for many include questions like “How much must I sell myself for to buy food for the week?”  “Do I pay rent or buy something for dinner?”  And for some the question has been “Do I take the healthy children and find food & shelter leaving the sick behind, or do we all stay here and die together?”

No parent or person should have to make choices like this.  I believe that we all have innate value given to us by our Creator.  He desires more for us than this. And to that end. so that none will lack, He put us in community with one another.  We were meant to live in relationship with one another, passing on the blessings we have received so that others too may share in the joy of abundant life.

But we don’t, and we all have our reasons and excuses.  I cannot blame others for faults that I have myself.  Yet I hear statistics like “…22,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.” (source) and I realize, I MUST be part of the solution.  But how?  It seems so large a problem, my little bit that I can do is not enough.

Then I am reminded of the story that the late Wangari Maathai told about the hummingbird.  It’s not about how much you do, its whether or not you did your part.  So I’m doing mine.  You can do your part by participating in the “Africa Response”.  If you text “ACTNOW” to 48510, you can donate $10.  Get 5 friends to join you and collectively you have fed a family for a month.

We use social media to invite people to a party, or share a funny story.  Let’s also use it to make a difference, and actively be the change we want to see.

Being grateful

Posted by Kerri Craig on

Its raining again, I could complain about the mud, cold and inconvenience caused by the rain, but I won’t.  Instead I will be grateful and pray that it rains in areas other than Nairobi so that there will be abundant food crops and water to drink.

I’ve lost weight.  Instead of complaining about the fact that my clothes are too big, or that I have to deal with the hassle of taking them to the tailor to be reduced, I will appreciate the fact that I can afford to do it, and that I have clothes.

water bottle sandals

photo courtesy of Facebook

Take a look at social media and you’ll find many people counting down the days, or using the alphabet to share what they are thankful for.  Here in Kenya, there are reminders each and every time I walk out of my door. God’s grace and mercy have placed me where I can feast in the midst of famine, water in the wasteland, plenty amongst poverty.

Yes, we Americans take one day in November to remember to give thanks for the abundant blessings in our lives and this is good.  Yet in the midst of the feast on your table remember not everyone can enjoy what you do.  The news is reporting stories of people in New England still without power because of the early snow, one lady even saying she felt “abandoned.”  I’ll admit I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for her, in fact my reaction was to comment “Stop being selfish & make your life about others.”

Those that are in lack are not just here in Kenya or Africa.  A friend posted a blog about comparing the lines for a homeless shelter vs. a gourmet donut shop.  So this November and the coming holiday season can I encourage you to make your life about others?  You can give your cash – that’s sometimes easier, but I encourage you to give of your time and talent too.  Because just maybe, those that seem to have nothing will give something back to you.

Change… again

Posted by Kerri Craig on
Change is the essence of life; be willing to surrender who you are for what you could become – unknown


Why does inspiration hit at the late-night / early morning hours?  What is it about these hours between midnight and daylight that cause introspection and soul-searching?  Maybe its the tiredness that keeps the inhibitions to a minimum so that I can actually get out all the things that are deep inside.
I feel like I’m standing on a precipice – right there on the edge of the cliff.  Before me are lots of new opportunities and possibilities, behind me all the familiar things – the safe things.  Those comfortable roles that I’ve lived out for so long that call to me to stay here, stay with what you know.  The roles that everyone expects of me, remembering to use ‘my indoor voice.’  Yet within I’m tired and bored by the safe and familiar and I want to shout out loud when I want.  My old comfortable shoes make my feet hurt now, they don’t fit right anymore.  As I told my dad on the phone the other day, “the American dream holds nothing for me”.  To seek after that would be to settle for a beige life.   
Who really likes beige?  Its the color you choose when you want to sell the house and don’t want to have too much personality on the walls.  Its what you pick when you want to blend in and not stand out.  I am NOT beige, so I am refusing to settle for a beige life.  I find it rather fascinating when people find my life to be glamourous exotic compelling.  Yes it can make for interesting conversation over a meal or an occasional blogpost, but then what?  Perhaps my life is a bit more colorful than some, but I right now its only pastels and I want more.  
A friend posted on Facebook that she hates the unknown.  I don’t hate it, I like change, yet there is still this part of me that appreciates the security of the familiar. Jumping off the cliff is a scary prospect.  Will I fly or will I fall?  If I fall, who will be there to help pick up the mess?  If I fly, where will I end up and when will I land? How long can I just stand here with my indecision?  Can I live in the “in-between”? What happens if… There are too many questions to answer, do I have to answer them all or will they paralyze me?  Maybe just sometimes you have to just act – ready, fire, aim as it were.
Can I do that? Really, me? Life as I know it is about to change… again.

 

deadlines and morning inspirations

Posted by Kerri Craig on

Every so often our church has to submit an article for a local paper and seeing that I seem to be the “Christmas Fairy” around here Rich asked me if I’d take care of this month and “make it Christmas themed” he says… This was Friday, the article was due on Monday by noon. I thought about it, and then got busy, and then on Sunday it hit me that it was due and I didn’t know what to say… 6am Monday I wake up hit by inspiration and without a pad, pen, or tape recorder to help me remember… Oi! So I got up and hurried through my morning routine and spent the entire commute writing and re-writing the article in my head.

So I get to the office early, start up the computer and get typing… unintentionally delaying small things like staff meetings and such, but I ended up with a decent article, that Rich approved with only one correction (minor typo).
See, the inspiration is this: Why Christmas? What makes Christmas the most wonderful time of the year? Why do these days at the end of the year hold such importance for all of us? Surely it can’t be just because of the material benefit; we have access to that all year. There must be something larger that causes us to look forward to this season all year long. What is that pull that makes us long for Christmas?

Christmas is about Home. There must be a reason we start to sing along with Bing Crosby as he starts crooning out “I’ll be home for Christmas…?” When it first came out it in 1943 it resonated in the hearts of a country in the midst of a war when so many fathers and sons, husbands and fathers were thousands of miles away. They identified with the deep desire to be at home with family. Why? Because the first Christmas was about a family. It was the creation of a Perfect Father who loved His children so much that He chose to identify with them and be part of a family and demonstrate that love in a tangible way. Home is more than a place. It is the knowledge that you are loved and accepted, cherished and wanted. No one can provide that better than the Perfect Father that created humanity just so that He could have relationship with us.

Christmas is because we need Hope. Recently the children’s book “The Polar Express” was made into a movie. The theme of the story is that all you have to do is believe to make Christmas real. How can you believe if you have no hope? The Savior of the world was born to provide that hope in something bigger than us. Because of His birth, we have hope for a life beyond this one. Because of that “Silent Night” hope was born on the earth in touchable form. We are promised, “In his name the nations will put their hope.” Even His name Jesus means “Savior.” We are saved from God’s wrath because Jesus and have a hope that we can have relationship with the Lord who loves us.

Christmas exists because of Holy. The magic of Christmas is that The Creator of the World became a human baby. Holiness covered in skin. Majesty enrobed in humanity. The feet that walked on streets of gold were suddenly wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a humble Hebrew stable. We can’t forget just how far Jesus came in order to rescue us from sin. That sweet baby boy was God Almighty, holy and perfect. That is the Christmas miracle that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV.

This season draws the soul of each of us because it makes us long for a real home, makes us believe in a real hope, and remember real holiness. May you experience the realities of these three this Christmas.