Ask and you shall receive:

Such a biblical title today! But it has some very practical lessons that I've learnt.

I have learnt to speak. I have learnt that communication is more than important, it's necessary. I have learnt that if I want, I must ask; if I don't know, I must question; and before all this, you need to know specifically what you want because you'll receive much more than if you only have a vague idea of what you perhaps want.

In England I got accustomed to knowing how life ran (basically). I knew what people around me did, I knew that any information I would need would generally be self explanatory or available, and I knew (basically) what was available and where. Walking into a shop I could look, touch and feel what I perhaps, maybe, wanted to buy with no-one (to my best knowledge) looking at me.

When I arrived here many things which I thought would be explained, or maybe would like for someone to explain without me having at ask, were not. For example; meal times. I thought they were crazy not having food in the evening… 'Man, they're crazy! Do they not know I'm getting hungry now?' Until I realised that, Oh! They have tea at 9!

Another thing which at the beginning I was strangely quite uncomfortable with was shopping.

Here there are not many supermarkets or large large shops, but, especially where I am (in the capital it is different, and more like Manchester, or maybe London shopping ) there are lots of smaller more specific shops eg., Kiosks, butchers, bakers, sweet shops, bag shops, odd bits and bobs shops, stationary shops, artistic stationary shops, a cake decorating shop (!!!!! :) )… etc. But you generally speaking cannot see the majority of the stock, and you may definitely not touch it (generally) without permission.

At first I was completely dumbfounded by this. I mean, I walk into a shop and right away someone greets me, and asks me "What do you want?" …
1) I'm surprised that someone spoke to me… IN A SHOP!?! - Think about it, in England it's not that common that when you enter the shop the shop assistant or keeper will speak to you, or at least straight away ask what you want. Or at least I don't think they do :s -
2) I'm not exactly sure what I wanted, I just wanted to look what was available
3) I now feel pressured…' I'm English! And someone acknowledged my presence in a questioning was in a shop!' (Ha ha)
4) I loose the words to answer back with… and worry that they'll think I'm a strange foreigner who doesn't know anything about anything, about anything!

This meant that the first few times I was buying something, I could go into a shop wanting a savory snack and some.. And walk out with a pile of junk food that I just picked up blindly so that I could escape from the shop more quickly. But as I learnt how to 'behave' whilst shopping, I began to realise this one big lesson: ASK. And do not be afraid to keep on asking until you have exactly what you want.

Specifically. You go and ask for a notebook, you'll probably be shown the cheapest or most plain one. If you don't have something in mind you'll accept it. If you don't try to communicate the full idea of what you want, they won't know what you're looking for. If you don't try to express the dream of this most amazing notebook you have envisioned in your head, you won't know if it exists or not.

How will you learn if you don't ask a question? How will you know if you don't ask? How will you make something of your life if you do not communicate with others and begin to dream big and not be satisfied with the first thing that you may see.

It's time to dream big! God says: "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will de opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened." And (one of my favourite passages) "I tell you, even thogh he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need."

What are you asking for? (I'm not talking about greedily and selfishly asking God for every whim and want… nor would He give you every whim and want, as He is a good God, who gives good gifts and wants the best for us; which sometimes we don't understand.) Are you asking for 'a notebook' or are you asking for a leather bound notebook with a picture of an elephant on the cover, with golden pages and a heavenly scent?

God can give far above what you think or imagine because He is God; He is above our human reasoning and understanding.

So why not start to raise your expectations and requests of what you want God to do in your life? Learn to ask!

Deepest blog of my life, but it was to do with Argentina.
Amor xxxxx