Tuesday 23 November 2010

The Blessing Of Discomfort

I have to share this Franciscan Benedition I found on the web.


May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths,
and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice,
freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain,
rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
And turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

This is such a godly and courageous prayer. Who would like to receive this benediction when we all want our comfort and opt for the path of least resistance? Makes me pause and think.


Well, there is another kind of discomfort we will be putting ourselves in for a few days.

From tomorrow we our getting our house painted. Its a messy , tiring and stressful job. We have employed a couple of painters. In India everyone hires painters, no one paints their house themselves.

We were putting it off because of the mess and stress but can 't anymore.

The weather is grey and cloudy, not really ideal for house painting but we will see how it works out.
The result of this discomfort will be good.


I want to recommend THIS post by DONETTA. In her family they are celebrating Thanksgiving differently

18 Fertilize my soul:

Anonymous said...

Hello Amrita,
Thanks for stopping by my blog and posting this wonderful Franciscan Benediction. Those are words we all need to ponder.
Good luck with the house painting. A dreary day to paint might be better than a scorching hot one. I'll pray for a quick and stressless job.
Sally

Amrita said...

Thank you Sally. I love the photos of your little jewels

Yours truly said...

Lovely Prayer !
The other Franciscan ( I think ) prayer I liked was "Make me an Instrument of your Peace".

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Great that you will have your house repainted. You can tolerate the slight discomfort because after the repainting, you will have a refurbished and repainted house. The benediction is similar to the fact that God created darkness so that we can appreciate the light. Thanks for the post. God bless you all always.

monsoon dreams said...

Thought-provoking prayer,Amrita.
Gonna print it out and paste where i can see it all the time,just remind myself what I should be praying for.
Getting the painting done tiring,but it does give a fresh feeling,like a new start.

Amrita said...

Thank you , Mel, Kiran an d Nina,

I wan t to memorize this prayer too and like Mel said God created darkness so that we can apreciate the light.

Carol E Wyer said...

I hope the house painting goes well. We had part of ours done this year and it was terribly stressful...mess everywhere but as soon as it was all cleared up and the house looked so nice and fresh I knew it was worth it.

Sita said...

feels like ages since I've visited any blogs....
Indeed an 'uncomfortable' blessing that I have been blessed with--a painful yet for-His-glory-and-my-freedom purpose...one of my newest blogging friends is Sr. Anne, a Franciscan nun who shares beautiful meditations...
hope the painting goes swiftly and smoothly(:

Nadwrażliwiec said...

I believe Your discomfort will only for some time. After this painting You and Your Mum will enjoyed new colours. I wish You good time.

Sr. Ann Marie said...

This is a beautiful reflection. Thank you for sharing it.

So, I Begin this Journey...... said...

Amrita- enjoyed this post....thank you for sharing.
And I wish you and your family luck while having your home painted...... it's never an easy task to accomplish no matter who is doing the painting!
Blessings*

Amrita said...

Thank you , Facing50

Sita,glad you visited

Sr Ann Marie , welcome to my blog

Thank you Zimb

So I begin this journey, thank you for your good wishes.

Grayquill said...

Why does everyone in India hire painters? Also, who wrote that poem?
Good Post!

Amrita said...

In India houses are constructed with bricks an d th e roofs a high. Also traditionally this job is meant for the painter 'class ' - Its messy, people don 't own the needed equipment or th e skills needed to do the work. Women would never do it, so how could the man of the house paint the whole house all by himself.
Its a cultural thing I guess.But some people do small paint jobs themselves, or painting iron work and wood.

Good question GQ

I really don 't know who wrote that prayer. But a Franciscan monk for sure.

Terry said...

oh now i see what's going on amrita.
you are painting your house!
oh what a job to go through..i hope that sheeba stays out of the way..she might come out a different colour of doggie!
i hope that your mama is feeling alright these days and you too amrita
that sure was a sad thing that happened at the bridge there in inida amrtia. such a tragedy and such so many sadness that your country has been going through amrita.
it must pain your heart so many times as you live your life honouring the lord.
he will bless you for this amrita!
say hi to mama for me and give sheeba a pat on the head...love terry

David Edward said...

i am sure it will be very nice

David C Brown said...

Who endured discomfort throughout His life as the Lord Jesus did? We by His poverty have been enriched!

carolyn said...

Your house will be so beautiful when it is done, renewed..

Thank you for the benediction...it is very convicting.