Five Minute Friday - Joy Restored

Go.

She sits, with this look of absolute delight. Her face glows and it’s obvious something is going on. She looks different, she has this spark. There is this cheeky, wild, wonderful sense about her. And it draws us in. It’s so … so … so … majestic. Like a dramatic transformation has occurred, from the inside out. Her eyes shine, with a depth that just can’t be explained.

It’s like she’s been stripped bare of the guilt and shame of the past, and all she can see is what’s ahead; a glorious future. Just looking at her makes me want to dance, to jump, to spin in circles, to do cartwheels, to sing loud.

 What she’s got, she’s exuding, and it’s contagious. I want that, more than anything, right at this moment, I want THAT! 

She’s been restored, renewed, redeemed, and she knows it, she gets it … like … REALLY gets it! And it shows, it shows in her eyes, in her smile, in her countenance. Joy.

“Restore unto me the joy of my salvation, and renew a right spirit within me”

Stop. 

Today I'm linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker for five minute Friday, a bunch of people write for five minutes on a prompt word (Joy), 5 minutes only, no editing, no perfecting, just real and raw as it comes. 

Her Global Snapshot - where to from here?

It's 2013, and her picture is bleak. It's a picture of inequality. It's a picture of injustice.

From New Zealand to China, Ethiopia to Yemen, Congo to Cambodia, throughout the Globe women face inequality and injustice on a daily basis. Her Global Snapshot: Domestic Violence, Female Genital Mutilation, Honour Killings, Breast Ironing and Human Traffiking doesn't begin to brush the surface of the injustice. Be sure to read 'Her Global Snapshot' before reading on.

Injustice!

She is Beautiful. She is Strong. She is Gifted. She is Woman.
And she deserves better than this!

 In the midst of the dark cold hard stories and facts there is hope! In the face of injustice people are standing up and fighting for the rights of women, for their equality and for their freedom from oppression. The truth is, that no matter where we are, what our situation, there is hope and we can be involved in the fight for justice. It can be really hard to know where to start, so here are five tips to get started:

1) Get Informed.
Don't be ignorant, read newspapers, search the web and find out what's really going on out there. Injustice seems to be everywhere we turn. I've compiled a list of websites and resources here which confronts many of the issues raised in 'Her Global Snapshot'. Be proactive and learn about what our sisters around the world are facing each day.

2) Identify your passion.
As I've delved into the injustices women face, there are a couple of issues in particular that pull on my heart strings and bring me to tears (ok, so most of them make me cry, but some make me really bawl!). I've discovered a passion for maternal health and fistula repairs (maybe due to my nursing background?). Other people are driven to fight out about other issues. On the weekend I was speaking at a youth event and shared about some of the injustices in 'Her Global Snapshot', one young woman shared afterwards that after hearing about child rape as a tactic of war in the Congo, she was stuck on that for the rest of the message. It pulled on her heartstrings, it's her passion. Identify yours and then use the passion to fight for justice.

3) Get Connected.
There are others fighting for justice. Others who are equipped and resourced to fight with the know how. They are seeing success in womens lives. Follow their facebook pages, sign up for their newsletters, get connected with them. When you do, your own understanding, involvement and influence increases. I've certainly found that to be true for myself.

4) Spread the Word.
Don't keep the information to yourself. Talk about it in your circles of friends, post statuses on facebook bringing the issues to peoples attention, let others know what's going on and how they can get involved. MAKE SOME NOISE! SHOUT OUT ABOUT INJUSTICE FOR JUSTICE.

(Found this pic on Pinterest)

5) Spend some cash.
Like I've already mentioned there are plenty of organisations doing amazing work in the lives of women around the world. Get connected to them, and spend some money. Pay for a fistula surgery, finance a little girl to go to school (seriously, education is the greatest way to combat the injustices women face), micro finance a woman so she can start a business and care for her family. Check out the websites and resources for a list of organisations to get connected too. Most of them tell you how you can give.

Who knows what you'll end up doing once you get started.
Easy aye! Change the World! Fight for Justice! Do it!

SamMe

"While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight" - William Booth