Journal

Most people know this about me: when I was quite young my parents decided to move us from Tamil Nadu to a small town in a rural part of North India. We were never really wealthy before we made the move, but as the only daughter of a veterinary doctor, I didn't really want for much (did I mention I was also the only grandchild in my mom's family at that time?). Life was good. However, all this changed when we moved to the north; which was quickly followed by my sister being born. A rural town meant a change in our lifestyle and a new sister meant I had to learn to share almost everything. I suddenly found myself with many wants that were no longer being met - I was not super thrilled by this. I tried the usual yelling, tantrum throwing, crying tactics but all to no avail. It was around this time that my Grandma first told me the story of Elijah's ravens.  Illustration by Jim Padgett If you need a refresher here it is:  Elijah was living in Israel during the time of King Aha...

With a name like Prarthana (which means Prayer in Hindi), 'prayer' is something I tend to think about often. It is one of those things that transcends most religious, and cultural barriers. Most people have no issues praying for the more generic, widespread things - like World Peace, Hunger relief, End to Poverty, Healing for the sick (both personal, and general in this case) etc. Some go a step further and pray for more specific things - Job security, better housing, a promotion, good grades etc. The truly spiritual will pray for even more specific, truly personal things - That God's Will is done, Spiritual growth, supporting missions, etc. All of the above are good, noble prayers and as Christians, should be part of our prayer life. However, this year God has introduced me to a whole new dimension of Prayer - "Little things". The little things that don't really matter, and probably have no global significance whatsoever, the things that are special only...