By Carolina Copa of Cochabamba, Bolivia
Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable.
In 2012, God put a great test in my life. I felt like everything was falling apart. I was unfairly fired from my job, and it was suggested that I had mismanaged things. This affected my leadership. How? I was told I was a bad influence on teaching, so I decided to distance myself from the leadership group.
I thought God was being unfair to me and wondered why, what I had done wrong. I wanted God to show me why, but I couldn’t see it, and that depressed me for several months. Until one day, when I was invited to visit a Kayarani village, I accepted and we went. Upon arriving, I saw many children playing, climbing the hills, enjoying the scenery, the lake, feeling the cool breeze, a little rain, and something that touched me deeply was seeing some girls steering a canoe (boat) on the lake, laughing, shouting, striving to steer and guide it to reach the shore.
They looked so happy, without a care in the world. It made me reflect on the fact that we must let go and allow ourselves to be guided. Having this feeling was so important in my life to begin again, to believe again, to trust that God has a purpose for my life. I will never forget that day, that sunset, and how the wind caressed my face. My tears began to flow, and I felt as if someone were telling me, “It's time to begin.”
Begin? Well, at first I didn't know how, but I did have a goal: to help others and also myself.
Visiting this place opened a new hope in my life: to continue sharing God’s love and showing the transformation God has brought about in me, to be a reflection of God. Change begins within oneself, and then, through our actions, we transmit that change to others. Over time, I came to see God’s plan. The ministry of teaching children and young people gave me the opportunity to help others by providing pathways. Sometimes we may not understand at the time, but I am certain that God always prepares us to face new challenges.
Prayer Phrase
“Let us work for the good of all” (Galatians 6:10).
Spiritual Hunger
Jesus discerned hungers of body and spirit, and he fed them through a physical, verbal, spiritual ministry of presence. In a time of listening prayer, ask God to help you discern physical or spiritual hungers of people in your congregation, community, and global family. Invite the Spirit to move you to one hospitable act that “feeds” someone’s hunger today.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.