Cures and Remedies

What’s your reaction when something breaks, or no longer works properly?  It might be big or small, but nothing lasts for ever, they say, and at times like that decisions have to be made.  Inevitably these will be broadly either a) ‘find the remedy/repair/spare part and fix it: it could be as good as new in a few minutes/days/months,’ or b) ‘throw it away and get another one/start again.’

Some years ago, when my first wife told me she was seeing someone else – and why – a friend made us a very generous offer: he and his wife would look after our children while we went off for a week to his holiday home on the Suffolk coast, to spend some quality time getting to know each other properly again, hopefully enabling us to sort out our problems.  At the time we both felt things had gone too far for that: we turned down the offer, and rejected the possibility of saving our marriage.  Our decision was firmly in the ‘throw away and get a new one’ category.  Sadly her new relationship lasted only a few months, and each of us then passed through several lonely years.

I was reminded of this a few months ago when I confronted the fact that my new mobile phone appeared not to be working properly.  I won’t bore you with the symptoms, but the upshot was that it had become unreliable.  I rang the phone company, and spoke to a technician who guided me through the necessary steps to return the phone to its original settings.  Despite many misgivings, and my certainty that what I really needed was a replacement phone, I persevered and tried to use it normally over the next week or so, to see whether the reset had done the trick.

As the days passed, and the phone did indeed seem to be working properly, I found my misgivings diminished.  It was a slow process, however; only gradually did I learn to accept that the remedy had worked.  This experience was the opposite of the marital situation to which I have compared it.  As I reflected on these ‘reject or repair’ decisions my thoughts touched on the Old Testament story of Jonah.  You will recall how, after first rejecting God’s instructions, the prophet eventually went to Nineveh and was so successful in his mission that the people turned to God in shame and repentance.  Jonah couldn’t really believe this, and found it difficult to accept the result.

So, what can I – indeed all of us, now I’ve shared the matter – take from this?  Well, we can resolve to turn to God in the first instance when trouble strikes, and not to leave it until other avenues have been exhausted; having done that, we ought to feel secure in the knowledge that He CAN change things – even people!

Eavesdropping

The other week, I witnessed an odd exchange on the supermarket car park.  The wife was overtaken by her husband at a gentle trot.  As he passed her she must have asked why he was running.  I caught just part of his response: that he was going to tell …. “I’ve already told her,” she protested, walking briskly to keep up with him.  Her husband didn’t ease his pace, “But I need to explain,” he announced, and jogged off to the far side of the car park.  The defeated wife turned back, presumably towards their own vehicle.

Now, what was going on here?  Several questions came to mind.  The wife was clearly puzzled.   She had already imparted the necessary information to the third party; what additional explanation ought she to have provided?   What had prompted the husband’s hasty mission?  Didn’t he trust his wife to inform whoever of the complete situation, or was he concerned that she might have misrepresented his part in whatever had made this message necessary?  Was some subterfuge involved?  Did he need to impart to this unknown and unseen female some detail of which his wife was unaware?  (Can you see the mind of the wannabe novelist at work here?)

Another completely different interpretation might apply, of course.  These two were of an age that they might have had a teenage daughter.  Maybe she had travelled with them to the town centre, and was meeting friends there.  Mother had told her that they would expect her home at teatime; father, however, wanted to dot i’s and cross t’s.  Maybe he wanted to issue strict instructions as to her behaviour, or tell her where they would be during the afternoon, should she need to call them.

When it comes to the variety of stories that have grown up around a definite set of facts, little can be more prolific than religion.  The number of so-called ‘Christian’ sects is scarcely measurable.  When we are faced with unfamiliar rituals or cults, or with another mainstream religion such as Islam or Judaism, it is all too easy for traditional Christians to reject them out of hand, and have nothing to do with them.  While this might be the right response, I feel we ought always to examine these differing beliefs, and discover on what they are based.  What are the basic facts behind them?  Do they coincide with those of true Christianity: Jesus the only Son of God, incarnate, sacrificed for the sins of mankind, resurrected, and returned to Heaven where He intercedes on behalf of believers?  Are some of these elements twisted or missing, or subject to inappropriate additions, further conditions and so on?  We are warned (Rev. 22:18-19) about adding to or subtracting from God’s Word, and surely the same applies to the teaching of His Church.

That supermarket incident is now some weeks ago; the couple were totally unknown.  And, even if they could be located, would they recall a minor exchange that, to them, was part the cut and thrust of normal life?  One thing is virtually certain, however.  They had no idea that their words would become a subject of Christian teaching!

Kicking the Habit

I’m fairly certain that you’ve never thought of Paul’s letter to the Galatians in the context of a mis-delivered pint of beer! 

A couple of years ago I thought I’d overcome my anxiety about the regular flow of work (being self-employed, time without work is time without income), and learned to trust in God to provide. Then I realised the other day that, such good resolutions notwithstanding, I’m still measuring whether or not I’ve had a good week by the likely income at the end of it, rather than whether it has been one of worthy service to others, or has brought me closer to God.  This idea of clinging to old habits led to the strange juxtaposition noted above.

Some of the most bizarre stories are also the funniest, and the ones that seem to stick in my mind.  I remembered this one concerning a man who suffered with a deformed neck, the consequence of which was that his head was off-centre compared to his body.  One day in his local, he met a physiotherapist who was holidaying in the area.  The man observed his condition, and with one swift manipulation cured his deformity.  Drinks were ordered to celebrate; our hero said “Cheers!” ... and promptly tossed his pint over his shoulder!

When we invite Jesus to be Lord of our life, we may take some time – perhaps a number of years! – to appreciate fully the extent to which He has changed us.  St Paul wrote to the Galatians, “... don’t let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ... You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ. ... You were running a good race.  Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? ... You ... were called to be free.” (Galatians 5:1,4,7,13)

Like the readers of Paul’s letter, we may have drifted back to, or have never left, habits in our life that are really only relics of the past: aspects of behaviour, or reactions to other people that are totally out of kilter with our new life in Christ.  They were so much part of our old life, and so normal for us then, that we don’t realise that the arrival of God’s Holy Spirit has made them redundant or defeated.  Or maybe we do realise this, but somehow seem powerless to overcome them.

Do you – like me – have something like that in your life that needs overturning, rejecting and clearing out? Maybe you have a close friend who would pray with you about it.  After all, ‘a problem shared is a problem halved,’ they say.  And if it’s a problem shared with Jesus, that proportion has to be infinitely smaller!

Bronze Beauty

(with apologies to Anna Sewell)

I am first used – After I was minted I was taken, along with hundreds of my friends, to a big bank.  All of us were packed into bags, and although we were all in the dark, inside a big canvas sack, none of us was frightened, because we were all together.  Then one day two sacksful of us were taken to a supermarket where, after a short while laying on a shelf, we were emptied into a noisy cash drawer.  Here we were forced to make friends with other, older pennies that had been all over the world, it seemed – oh the stories they told!

Given in change – One day, I was snatched up, along with one of those older pennies, and handed over to a little old woman.  She grumbled as she took us, “Not a lot of good giving me these – you can’t get anything with twopence these days!”  Still muttering as she walked along, she stuffed us into a tiny pocket in her jacket.  Later we felt quite air-sick, as we were swung in the air and jerked to and fro. There was a metallic ‘chink’ and the movement stopped; a click, and all was even darker than before.

Life in a pocket – Apart from the darkness, the two things I chiefly remember about the next month or so were the strong smell of mothballs, and the stony silence.  Everywhere I’d been up to then there had been background noise, chattering voices, things being moved around, and so on.  Here there was nothing – it was as if life itself was suspended.

I am found – There were occasions when there was a click, and light burst briefly into our isolation; there was a rustling, and then all was darkness again.  Then one day in one of these bright intervals, came that same swinging in the air that we had experienced before.  There was gentle, regular movement; the jacket was being worn again.

Tossed away – It was clear we had entered a large building, for every sound we heard was echoing around us; there was talking, music and singing.  All at once we were flying through the air, and with a crash we landed on a big metal plate, amongst lots more money.  Then we were left in peace and were, for the first time it seemed, in bright daylight.  It was quite dazzling.

The voice – From somewhere I thought I heard a voice, but the bright light had made me a bit light-headed; maybe it was just in my mind.  It said, “This poor widow has put in more than all of them.” (St. Luke 21:3.)

You may think yourself unimportant, or of little value to anyone, but just remember how appreciated you are by God!

Close Season

In an earlier article, I revealed my interest in football, particularly that section of the game known as ‘Non-League’.   I’m pleased this year to note that two teams from my native Norfolk have earned promotion to Step 4.  Although this is a significant achievement, it’s still four leagues below N-Power League Two, and even further away from Norwich City in the Barclays Premiership!  There is a complete pyramidal structure of these lower leagues, and I’m fascinated at the end of the season to follow the many play-off sequences, and see which teams will move up through the various levels.  Some teams, however, don’t move the way that their final positions would indicate.  Maybe their ground isn’t up to the required standard, or perhaps their economic situation won’t stand the financial pressures in a higher league.

St Paul knew about sport; in his first letter to the infant church in Corinth he wrote about runners competing in a race, and encouraged his readers to “Run in such a way as to get the prize.”  He also described his own practice, “I don’t run like a man running aimlessly,” he wrote, “I don’t fight like a man beating the air.” (I Cor. 9:24,26.)  Paul emphasised the need to do things positively; with gusto, we might say.  He was anxious that these new believers should not succumb to the many temptations that could overwhelm their fragile faith.  He compared their situation to that of the Israelites wandering in the desert in the time of Moses.  He used the example of those who died there to warn the Corinthians to be strong in their faith, to recognise the dangers and turn aside from tempting distractions before it was too late.

Jesus, too, was tempted.  The story is in St Luke’s Gospel, and at the end of it we can return to the football analogy for, in the King James’ version we read, “... and when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” (Luke 4:13.)  This wasn’t a football season, of course; nor was it summer, autumn or winter.  The NIV translation explains it: “until an opportune time.”  Such an opportune time might have been the occasion in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus asked, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me” (Luke 22:42.)   The words that follow reveal His strength, “Yet not my will but yours be done.”

Ecclesiastes, the Preacher of the Old Testament, wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1.) The succeeding verses have been made into a popular song, and indicate a variety of activities for which there is an appropriate time or season.  A season is thus an identifiable unit in the great pattern of life.  

One of my favourite hymns is ‘Just as I am, without one plea’;  a phrase from that hymn always brings a catch to my throat as I sing it, and it comes to my mind in this context, too: “Here for a season, then above, O Lamb of God, I come.”  While it puts into perspective how important it is to keep an eye on the opposition, and always play hard to win, it reminds us too that we are playing for the greatest and most forgiving Manager of all time!

So, on the strength of your current form, where will you be playing next season?

A Different View

Last summer I enjoyed a holiday based at my cousin's home at Eastwood in Nottinghamshire. One evening, I decided to travel to Buxton to watch Eastwood Town play their first pre-season friendly match against the club there.  Unfortunately the result was a home win, but I’m sure the game was beneficial to both teams.  As I overheard someone near to me saying at the other match I watched that week at Alfreton, “all goals are helpful, even the ones scored against you!” – the home team lost that match 4-1, playing against the Football League side, Chesterfield.

Now, when I watch a match I usually position myself, if possible, somewhere near the halfway line.  This has much to do with my eyesight, for I find it difficult to determine just what is happening at one goalmouth if viewed from the other end of the ground.  Present at that Buxton-Eastwood match was one spectator who, being dressed in a business suit, stood out from the crowd.  I believe him to be a director of Eastwood Town, and I noticed that, for much of the second half, he was positioned behind the goal that Eastwood were attacking.

Presumably this was to focus on his team’s performance in that particular aspect of their game.  His purpose was different from that of a neutral spectator like me, so he deliberately secured a viewpoint that was most beneficial for him.  It’s not every day that one encounters a football director, so I hope I may be forgiven for placing undue emphasis on the experience.  But it did set me thinking about his interest in the game, and the responsibilities he holds regarding football in the town and to the club in particular.

My Bible readings that week had been from the book of Job, and I related this experience to the end of that book.  After Job’s friends have each had their say about his situation, Job turns to God to justify himself, demanding to know whatever evidence there might be against him to result in all his suffering (ch.31.)   The young man Elihu then puts in his twopence worth, delaying the account of God’s response to Job (and thus reminding us that He answers us in His own good time … not ours!)  Finally comes the reply, and it’s not a point-for-point rebuttal of Job’s protestations of innocence.  For the detail, I invite you to read chapters 38 & 39 – but take a deep breath first!  In summary, The Lord makes Job aware that there is another dimension to all of this that is beyond his understanding. 

When we are baffled by something that just doesn’t make sense, we would do well to realise that there is probably a completely different way to look at the situation.  Then we may find ourselves echoing Job’s words at 42:3, “Surely I spoke of things I didn’t understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

Granddad

Can you imagine it?  “What are you thinking about, granddad?”  “Things before you were born, my dear ... things before your mother was born!”  Grandfather is looking back down the years, to a time perhaps fifty years ago, when he was at school, or perhaps in his teens or twenties.  Maybe he even remembers in his own childhood asking his grandfather the same thing, and getting a similar response. 

This whole subject fascinates me, and I sometimes wonder about how far back just a few generations can take us.  If my grandparents in their childhood had asked about their grandparents’ early memories, the answers would have brought to mind days of great change: the days of the 1820’s and -30’s, when a number of famous Acts of Parliament introduced Catholic emancipation, electoral reform and a broadening of the way that the poor were relieved.  In fact, two of my great-great-grandfathers would have remembered, at the age of 16, news of the battle of Waterloo!

How different life would have been in those days, just three life-times away!  It’s thoughts like this that call to mind the fact that life itself is composed of changes, be they big or small.  Look for instance at the dramatic advances in communication media over just the last five years – or the fashions of a few years ago and how out of place they’d seem today.  This month many will be watching the FA Cup Final; you probably know that a regular part of the preliminaries to this annual event is the singing of that famous hymn, Abide with me.  Do you remember the words of the second verse?  “Change and decay in all around I see: O Thou who changest not, abide with me.”

Are there people whose mood seems to change like the weather; people on whom you can’t depend, with whom you have to spend a while in silence, waiting to know just how to address them today?  Such people carry uncertainty with them, like a cloud, and if your circumstances mean that you are frequently in their company, life itself can become quite unbearable.  How refreshing it is that our God is just the opposite.  As Francis Lyte reminded us in that hymn, God never changes.  And we don’t just have to take his word for it.  Our Bibles tell us of “the Father of the heavenly lights, who doesn’t change like shifting shadows” (Jas. 1:17), and this echoes other verses, like “I say my purpose will stand; I will do all that I please” (Is. 46:10), “I, the Lord, do not change.” (Mal. 3:6) and “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Rom. 11:29).

We have just celebrated Easter, and the gift of salvation marked by Jesus’ death on the Cross and His Resurrection.  Isn’t this evidence enough of God standing by his promises, doing what he pleases, never changing?  Next time you see grandparents and grandchildren together, imagine their conversation.  Consider the vast range of their experiences: the changes that they have seen, and that will take place over their collective lifetimes, and reflect on the eternal, unchanging nature of our Lord.