When the Angel Gabriel
appreared to Mary
declaring,
“Rejoice, so highly-favoured!
The Lord is with you!”
I reckon that Mary
probably looked behind her
to see who the angel was speaking to,
convinced
that it couldn’t possibly be her.

Mary was very young
very ordinary,
and was looking forward
to marrying a carpenter.
And yet Mary was the one
chosen by God
to be mother of His Son.

Wow!

So it is
for each one of us.
Every day
God calls out
to all of us,
because each one of us
is His beloved son or daughter,
invited each day
to follow Him
and to bask in His love.

As we rush around
in our hectic lives
God is proclaiming to our hearts,
“Rejoice so highly favoured!
The Lord is with you!”

The question is
will we take the time
to listen?

© Claire Murray, 21st December 2014

As I go for a walk
after work
I’m just in time to see the sun,
a huge, fiery ball,
as it sinks slowly
behind the Balls on the Falls.

The whole sky reflects
the gentle orange glow
of a sunset
that is beautiful,
calming
and peaceful.

I turn a corner
and the huge sun disappears,
slipping quickly behind
a tower block of flats.

I smile to myself,
fascinated by the way
that this beautiful, enormous sun
can simply vanish
in the blink of an eye.

It reminds me of a game
that my Mammy used to play
with babies.
She would hide her face
behind a cushion,
singing out, “Theresa’s away!”
only to bounce up
a few seconds later,
calling out,
“Cuckoo!”

Babies used to laugh and giggle
excitedly,
delighting in this game of surprises.

The road straightens before me
and the sun slinks out again,
resplendent still
in its fiery glory.
and I can almost sense the sun
calling out, “Cuckoo!”

And I have a sense
a fun-loving God
who is taking delight
in the beauty of His sunset.
I have a sense
that on this walk
My God is engaging in playful antics
and playing a divine version
of the game “Cuckoo”.

© Claire Murray, 27th November 2014

Kindly-disposed people
might describe Saint John the Baptist
as being “eccentric”.
Everyone else
you might describe him
as being “weird”.

There he was,
the Wild Man of the Jordan,
dressed in animal skin,
eating insects,
and rejecting the way
that the rest of society
chose to live their lives.

Yet something about this man,
something in what he said,
was compelling.
People listened to him.
People repented.
People turned again
to God.

At all times
John the Baptist did his best
to deflect attention
away from himself
and towards God.
John the Baptist
was like a sign post
pointing to you.

And it strikes me
that this is how I want to be.
I want to be like a compass
pointing people towards you
through my singing,
through my writing,
through the way that I live my life.

Like Saint John the Baptist
I feel a bit of an oddity,
not quite the same
as everyone else.

In my own, ordinary, everyday life,
let me be a compass,
pointing towards you, Lord.

© Claire Murray, 7th December 2014

Have you ever wondered
what you would do
or what you would say
if you met Jesus
face to face?

I know what I would do –
I’d ask Him for a hug.

So many people
in the Gospel stories
were healed
by the touch of Jesus.

I find myself thinking,
“If the woman
who had the haemorrhage
for 36 years
was healed
when she surreptitiously
touched the cloak of Jesus
as He walked by,
imagine how much healing
could come from a hug
if Jesus gave it to me
intentionally?”

That hug
would heal
even the deepest of wounds.
That hug
would take away
all of the pain.
That hug
would make me whole again.

And so I wait
and I live in hope
that some day I’ll meet Jesus
face to face.

© Claire Murray, 3rd December 2014

I’m convinced
that if you look for the negative in life
you’ll never be disappointed.
The real challenge
for each of us
is to look for the positive
wherever we may find ourselves.

In daunting situations
this can be extremely difficult,
but the positive is always there
somewhere –
in the unexpected kindness
of strangers,
in the support
of family and friends,
in the promise
of a prayer.

When we’re struggling to cope
with all of the trials
that life throws at us
and finding the positive
is a bit like
trying to play Where’s Wally
in this gigantic puzzle
that we call “life”,
our challenge is
not to give up
but instead
to keep looking.

© Claire Murray, 1st December 2014

Light at the End of the Tunnel

When I was wee
my Daddy used to play
Country and Western music
on an old-fashioned record player
in our house.
One of those songs contained the words
“I want someone to love me
just for what I am.”

Please believe me when I say
that I’m not a fan
of Country and Western music!
But I have to admit
that sometimes the sentiments expressed
in Country and Western music
hit the nail
squarely on the head.

I’m convinced
that “Just For What I Am”
could well be an anthem
for every one of us.

Deep down
each of us yearns
for love,
for acceptance,
for someone to think, simply,
that there is no one else quite like us –
that we are the bee’s knees.

Lord,
at those times
when I feel rejected by others
remind me
that I am always
your wee girl,
beloved and precious
in your eyes,
always welcome
to clamber up beside you,
always welcome
to snuggle in for a hug,
always loved by My God
just for what I am.

© Claire Murray, 23rd November 2014

As I walk to work
on a winter’s morning
my heart sinks
at the prospect of all of the tasks
that I have to do.

Tired is too small a word
to describe how I feel.
I’m weary.
I feel lost,
buried under an avalanche of work
and there is no light
at the end of my tunnel.

I stop near Nuala with the Hula.

As I gaze down at the Lagan
flowing slowly, quietly by,
I’m struck
by how timeless the Lagan is.
Thousands of years ago
the Lagan flowed here
and thousands of years from now
when I am long gone
it will continue to flow.

This thought calms me
and I sense My God saying,
“Claire, remember
that this is not life –
it is only work.
Make time in your hectic life
for me.
Make time
for Paul
and make time
for your children.
We will all support you
and all will be well.
Trust me.”

And as I continue
on my journey to work
I feel reassured.

Now I can see light
at the end of my tunnel.

© Claire Murray, 13th November 2014