Thoughts for the Month

May

Over the weekend, it rained! Now, the gardens, and indeed all nature, were in great need of a good drink, but it was a weekend when we really needed it to be fine.

‘Typical!’ 

‘Wouldn’t you know it, fine all week and now it chooses to rain.’

‘It’s not fair; why couldn’t the weather have held?’

Such were the comments, and I admit some were very much stronger!

I have to admit it rather added ‘insult to injury,’ when, this morning, we woke to first cloud and then, soon after, a clear blue sky.

‘Typical!’

No, it was not what we wanted and, yes, it did affect what happened over the weekend, but, let’s be honest, we can’t blame the weather for everything, can we? The weather is often, not what we want. We need to be prepared for that.  When you think about it, isn’t that how life often is? 

There can’t be many, if any, people who can say that life always goes smoothly without any ‘hiccups.’ Life is not a straight, level, smooth surfaced road. It has its ‘ups and downs;’ it has its twists and turns; it has its numerous crossroads that so often don’t have clear signposts where we have to make decisions about which path/road to take. Sometimes, we get it right and life continues on with a feeling of well-being. Unfortunately, sometimes we take the wrong path; the consequences may be a small glitch and we get back onto the right path very quickly. Sadly, sometimes, it is much more than a minor ‘wrong turn,’ and the consequences can be dire.

The consequences of a wrong turn, or sometimes even a right turn, can, at times, have a devastating effect. Whether it is our own fault or caused by others, it can have a lasting effect on our lives.

‘It’s not fair; I didn’t do anything wrong but look at what has happened?’ 

Life so often isn’t fair, is it?

If we look around the world, today. How many millions of people could say that? People who just want to get on with their lives, living in harmony with their neighbours, but who find themselves in war torn countries that are not safe; people whose faith is different from others in their communities who find themselves not only not accepted, but in real risk of being killed for that faith; people who have worked hard to have a safe home for their families, who see it, and maybe their families too, destroyed by natural disaster or deliberate sabotage. People who see family members suffering from terrible health conditions.

Life’s so often, not fair, is it?

Sometimes, we can see why certain decisions have their consequences, but it doesn’t make it any easier to live with, does it?

 ‘If God is a loving God why does he let these things happen?’ I expect you’ve heard at least one person say that.

God created us in his own image therefore he gave us, everyone, the power of freewill.  Sometimes, consequences are not our fault; sometimes, we have to put our hands up, live with our mistakes and try to avoid making the same mistakes again; sometimes, it is a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and sometimes, it’s just one of those things.                                                  

Yes, it rained over the weekend.

We are the custodians of the earth and need to ensure it is cared for and looked after it so that many of today’s natural disasters don’t happen.

We need the leaders of all nations, communities and groups to respect and work for the well - being of all.

We need each individual to show respect, tolerance and care for everyone else.

We need each one of us to accept responsibility for our actions and to accept that sometimes, ‘things just go wrong.’ Blaming others or God won’t change anything and won’t make us feel better. If we let anger and resentment build inside us it will only make life harder

 Much better to offer all the ‘crossroads’ of life to our Lord.  We need to ask Him to give us strength to cope with all the ‘downs,’ the injustices, the anxieties, the troubles that we face through our lives but also we need to share with Him the ‘ups’ when life is going well.

If we offer each and every day to Him then we will find that the crossroads of life will indeed have signposts and wouldn’t that make life easier?

‘Let me hear of your steadfast loving kindness in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.’                           (Psalm 143 v. 8)