Lent Day 24

Sorry Im late with posting today.  Ive been busy being asleep.  And then was at the healing service in St Annes Cathedral.  Always a good night.

The talk tonight was about the life of St Patrick as it's his day tomorrow.   He was a cool dude.  If you dont know much about him you should check him out.  We also listened to this.  And I cant really think of anything else to say.  So I wont :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkLzIeztC3c

lent day 25

Its all for a reason,

The older I get the more I realise that God doesnt say things just for the sake of it.  Nor does He say things for His own benefit.  When He gives us instruction it's because its good for US.

So, for example, the recent craze for 5/2 dieting is based on the science and nutritional data which has discovered that fasting is good for us.  Who would have thought?!   A day of fasting a week reduces cholesterol, the threat of diabetes and cancer, lengthens life...... there are lots of benefits.  Not spiritual ones but physical ones.   God knows this.  Which is why He tells us to fast.  The added bonus of fasting being that we can focus the time we usually spend on eating, on Him  http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-of-fasting-that-will-surprise-you.html

I read recently that circumcision can dramatically lower the incidences of male cancer - especially in black men.  And that it is helpful in preventing sexually transmitted disease and urinary tract infections too.   So it's not just a weird thing God asked His people to do for no apparent reason - it is a practical way of promoting health and avoiding premature death.   Way before science worked this out God was ensuring His people were doing what was best for their bodies.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2860727/Benefits-circumcision-outweigh-risks-Procedure-cuts-risk-HIV-STDs-penile-cancer-official-report-declares.html

A day of rest - its crucial for our wellbeing.  Not just for our physical and psychological health but for our families and our relationships.   God knows that we need to stop, to sleep, to reflect and relax.  He knows that we tend to be ' human doings' instead of ' human beings' and that we will all run ourselves into early graves if we dont have specific instruction to stop.   So He tells us quite clearly in the ten commandments and elsewhere to do NO WORK on one day a week and set that day apart.   If you are like me and like most people I know you are rubbish at this.   But it's important.   God doesnt tell us to rest because He wants us to spend time with Him ( although of course He does) He tells us because it's GOOD for us to rest.   Good for our hearts, our stress levels and our mental health.  He is looking after us.  In all His commandments and rules.
https://www.floridahospital.com/blog/health-benefits-of-rest 

The more I discover the more I realise what good care God takes of His people.  We should never doubt it.  We should trust Him and do what we are told :-)

Lent Day 24

( Can you tell that I've ditched the book I was using?  :-)  Didnt feel inspired by it any more. )

Clearing out the Rubbish


We have lived in this house for fifteen years now.  Over that time we have had three kids and amassed the most incredible amount of stuff.   STUFF has a life of its own - it breeds in the night time.  It invites its friends round when you are not looking.  It especially likes under sink cupboards and attic spaces.  Added to which, Im a bit of a hoarder.  And a compulsive bargain buyer.  So as you can imagine there is not much space in our larger than average five bedroom home any more.

For a few years now Ive been working on Keith - drip feeding him with the idea that in a couple of years time when Ben goes up to high school it will be time to move house.   Keith isnt much of a moving person.  I think he would be happy to stay put in one place till the day he dies.  But it makes no sense for us to live half an hours drive away from schools and an hour drive from his work ....... it just costs a fortune in petrol and adds an hour onto everyone's day travelling.   So we will be moving.  And Im excited about it already

Until I start contemplating the stuff  !!

So even though the move wont be for at least eighteen months Im starting now.   I've been through the bookshelves and taken bags and bags of books to the charity shop.   I've dumped a few bits of furniture which no longer serve a purpose and I've even been up into the roof and had a start on sorting out up there.  Im exhausted - but its rather satisfying.  And the charity shop thinks its great.
What I am learning is that a) we dont need half the stuff we actually have  and b) getting rid of stuff is easier than you think its going to be once you get started.

So whats the spiritual lesson?   Well, lots of lessons really.

1) we settle very easily and the longer we stay in one place the harder it is to move on.  Spiritually I have definitely ' settled' in the past fifteen years.  And it has not necessarily been a good thing.  I've replaced ' this is excellent' with ' this will do'.  I've settled for convenient and easy instead of challenging and dynamic.

2) I gather loads of spiritual 'stuff'  but then don't use it.... or don't use it as fully as I could.   I've had decades of excellent teaching, loads of wonderful experiences with God and shed loads of opportunities to lead worship and pray with people and even preach.... but I tend to put those books on the shelf and leave them there rather than using them every day.

3)In order to move forward you have to keep shedding the things of the past and leaving them behind.   Yes, there are lots of great things accumulated along the way, to be used and put into practice but you cant take all of it with you.  Most of it was for the moment anyway.   It has taken me years to stop trying to relive the ' good old days' and accept that where I am now is where God wants me to be.

Lent is a good time for taking stock.  And a good time for clearing out the junk.  I hope that by Easter I will be feeling more spiritually sharp, divested of some of the dust Ive accumulated recently and with a clearer vision of where Im going next.

Lent Day 23

Its been a mega busy week this week and today I havent really had time to think about the blog.  Ive been covering Jo Jingles classes for Karen who isnt well.  And that means that everything else has been squashed up into the rest of the week - all the cooking and housework and homework and tutoring and piano lessons etc etc etc.  I havent had an afternoon nap any day this week!!!  Its a miracle Im still alive!

Tonight Ive been watching Comic Relief.   Half way through the evening Ben came in and asked if he could have his Christmas money which Ive been keeping for him.   I asked him why.  He didnt say and left the room.    Later he came back with his money box and started hunting around on my dressing table.  I asked him what he was doing.  ' Nothing' he said.  And left again.

Finally I worked out that he was going round the whole house looking for coins.   By the time he had been through every drawer and shelf he had collected a couple of pounds.   I pinned him down and asked him what he needed the money for.  I was expecting that he had seen something in the Toys R Us leaflet which came through the door yesterday or something.    But he said he really wanted to send something to Comic Relief.


Our kids can put us to shame sometimes.

So I reached for the jar in which I throw all the pennies.   We counted up £8 worth.  Ben's excitement was rising.   Finally all the cash he had found, added to what was in his money box came to £26.   So that's what he donated to Comic Relief.   He was in tears as he watched a very sad piece of film about a 3 year old who had died of malaria.   Ben is 9.   His heart is still tender.  His belief in the good is untainted.   His desire to help is fierce.  He has no compassion fatigue, no scepticism, no complacency.   He's a bit like Jesus really.

Lent Day 22

Boredom

For some reason I was thinking about this today and the phrase ' The devil makes work for idle hands to do' came to mind.   Have been chewing on this all morning.  Here's what Ive been thinking.

First off, I dont think boredom is the same as idleness.  You can be very busy and utterly bored.  Or still and quiet, and totally engaged.   Boredom is , according to the dictionary, the state of being weary through dullness repetition and tedium.   Or uninterested because of frequent indulgence or exposure.    Weary and uninterested sums it up nicely I think.  When we feel like this, particularly for any extended period of time, this is when the devil can seek us out and lead us into temptation.  

Ive spent a good deal of the past fifteen years feeling bored.  I found parenting young children incredibly boring.  It was exhausting and uninteresting , cripplingly repetitive and dull for the most part.  I know we arent really supposed to say it are we?  But I really did not enjoy spending six or seven years talking about babies and doing ' baby things'.   And since then life has mostly consisted of housework  ( I seriously envy those people who really enjoy housework) and doing a part time job which I do enjoy but which doesnt particulalry engage the brain cells.   There have been times over the past few years when I have teetered on the brink of doing things I shouldnt in order to inject a bit of excitement into my life.  Don't worry, I havent been planning a bank robbery or  contemplating becoming a professional gambler.   But I can actually understand why some people do go off the rails just because their lives are dull.

When our lives become routine we are in danger of being lured away from the straight and narrow paths by the bright lights and excitement of sin city.  Spending unwisely, eating wrongly, watching forbidden fruits on the telly or internet, having an affair,  developing unhealthy interests or perhaps just sinking deep into depression and despair...... none of which are what God wants for us.   It's true, we cant expect life to be exciting and dynamic all the time.  We wouldnt survive it if it was.  We have to suppose that for stretches of life things might well be routine and hum drum.    But we do need to look out for each other and make every effort to identify the ' weariness and disinterest'  in our friends and family.   We need to be accountable for our moods and share our disappointments and frustrations with each other so that we can avoid temptation and keep our eyes on Jesus.  We need to be kind to ourselves ( and to those around us) and look for opportunities to bring some light relief, enjoyment, excitement in good healthy ways so that our enemy has no foothold

Lent Day 21

Yesterday I wore wooly tights under my work trousers - Im a cold body, always have been, and so quite often try to layer up to conserve heat.   The only problem was that I didnt realise when I put them on that there was a hole in the toe of the right foot.

I started to realise it halfway through the morning when my toes were getting sore as they were poking through the hole.  But of course I had to continue on with my day.  Didnt have spare socks or tights with me.  And even if I had, the faff of getting the holy tights off was too much to contemplate so I carried on with my day in discomfort.   By the time I got home my toes were really sore.  However I tried to move the hole round to another place it worked its way back again.   The tights are now in the bin.  On examination there was a hole developing in the heel as well!!

It seems an odd thing to write about but it got me to thinking how often I put up with things which are uncomfortable, ill-fitting, not right just because I cant be bothered to fix them.  Or dont have the time or energy.  It's partly a cultural thing I think - that thing about tolerance and stiff- upper lip and not making a fuss.  But that is so contrary to how God wants us to be.  He wants us to be holy as He is holy.  To eradicate sin and bad habits, to strive for perfection and godliness not just put up with the stuff which isnt quite right.  He wants us to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, recognising that He is a righteous and just God who does not deal in half measures and ' making do'.

Of course Im not talking about socks.   Im talking about character.  My temper.  My laziness.  My tendency to judge and be critical.  My greed and self serving nature.   All of these attributes are uncomfortable for me, but so often I just ignore that feeling of discomfort and carry on with my day.  Every time I refuse to stop to deal with the ' hole' in my character that hole just gets bigger.  And more uncomfortable.

Lent Day 20

Dying.

We are all going to do it.  And yet people always seem to be surprised when it happens.

In the past few days I have been in conversation with several friends in different settings about people who have died ' before their time'.    'He was only 65'   ' She shouldn't have died, she wasn't even ill!'  I also have an 83 year old stepfather with terminal cancer and a 48 year old friend in the same boat.
We so easily think that at 83 you have had your time and its a good time to die, but that 48 is way too early.    I wonder why we think like that?

Its a funny thing  ( and I apologise for just thinking out loud here - I dont promise you Im going to reach any meaningful conclusion)  because death is most definitely difficult.   God never intended for us to die.  He created us to be eternal beings and its only because of the fall that death was allowed to have sway.  If we had lived eternally in our sinful state..... well can you imagine what the world would look like now.  Its bad enough when we all only get 70 or 80 years!     So death is necessary , but that doesnt mean it is what God intended in the beginning.   Satan has devised all manner of painful, horrible, brutal and violent ways to die.    My stepmother died of a stroke.  I remember watching her die in the hospital and being aware that life was being stolen from her in some ways. A stroke is an evil thing without a doubt.  It is theft and robbery.    And yet when she  took her final breaths I was also aware that she was being released from her body into eternity - which was a wonderful thing.   And there's the dilemma.

Ive been very cross today about the coverage of the helicopter crash in Argentina.  Ten people lost their lives but only three have been named in the news - and those are the three Olympians.   As if  having been good at their jobs made them better than the others who died - more valuable.   More worthy of comment and national grief.    Which is of course rubbish.  Olympians are just people like everyone else.   Im sure the other people who died were also good at what they did.  Excellent maybe.  But we havent been hearing about them.    Somehow the 'early' death of an athlete is more 'tragic' than the early death of a somebody else.

God says no.   We are ALL of inestimable value.  He was prepared to pay that terrible, ultimate price for each and every human being.  In order to defeat death and purchase us back from the fall.   The only tragedy in death is when someone dies who does not know this truth.  It's not a matter of how much time we get to spend here, but of how we prepare for where we are going next.