A Stitch in Time

Most of us spend a good part of our lives watching TV or listening to the radio.  Often the programmes that we enjoy are interrupted by advertising.  At the end of June, the time is coming when we will see advertisements for department stores, which may well begin, “School’s out!”.  Such an announcement will be followed up by the invitation to “do your ‘back to school’ shopping now, so you can holiday with peace of mind.”

Last time I saw such an advert, my mind went back to my days as a parent of young children and, with some cynicism, I told the screen, “not if the little perishers grow in the meantime!”  To buy clothes in June, only to find by late August that they’re too small, would be folly indeed, and far from giving peace of mind.

How typical this is of our whole lifestyle in the 21st century.  We try to pull things out of season, whether shopping for certain goods before we really need them, treating children as ‘little adults’, or simply wanting fresh fruit and vegetables on our shelves all the year round.  The success of these strategies is only ever partial; at best it’s only short-term, and it can often be completely transitory or illusory.

Many centuries ago, a philosopher wrote, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV).  There is a right time for every aspect of life, and the writer tells us that this was part of God’s plan.  All the topics covered by the succeeding verses are appropriate at certain times.  The secret to finding peace – and with it, satisfaction – is to discover, accept and conform to God’s timing for them.  If we follow this, all well and good; if not, we shouldn’t be surprised when things go wrong,

Whether it is buying too soon for a new school year, seeking produce that has ripened on the other side of the world, or making a major purchase on credit before we can properly afford it, we do these things at our own peril.  Often the repercussions of our actions impinge upon the lives of others as well as, or instead of ourselves, and it’s only after suffering the consequences, directly or indirectly, large or small, that we can look back and see the error of our ways.

In due time, says the philosopher, God will judge everything: good or bad (v.17).  It’s a warning we would do well to heed – even though it was made so long ago – because (to paraphrase his words) “what goes around, comes around” (v.15).

Cluttered

I think my beard must be over thirty years old, maybe a little more.  I’ll never forget my astonishment when the lady in the works canteen told me that it made me look younger!  I didn’t believe her then and, however many times I’ve thought of it since, I still don’t understand what she meant.

One thing I do recognise, though, is the need to keep it trimmed and tidy ... and that’s not just for appearance’s sake.  I remember a time when I acceded to a request to stop shaving and let it grow down my throat, and a time when I just didn’t bother to trim it at all, wondering just how long it would grow.  There have also been times when I’ve gone for ages without having a haircut.

In each case, there was a sense of being uncomfortable, feeling scruffy ... almost unwelcome in 'polite' company, like a tramp.  Eventually, what some would call common sense prevailed, and, instead of the untidyness, I knew the refreshment of being neatly trimmed again, a positive feeling of being crisp.  It was as if my cutting edge had been restored and I could once more command the world around me; I was ready again to tackle whatever life would throw at me.

I think there’s a strong parallel between these experiences and losing contact with God.  I’ve been fortunate that that’s something I’ve never known.  There were times when I rebelled – who hasn’t? – but it was a rebellion against a church, or a way of worship, or some aspect of discipline with which I disagreed; never against God Himself.

Rebellion isn’t the only cause of loss of contact with God, though.  Two particular parables that Jesus told come to mind.  These can both be found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 13.  First, there was the story of seed sown in four types of soil, representing four different responses to the Good News of salvation that Jesus brought and taught.  One of these was the seed that was sown among thorns.  He explained that “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (v.22).

In the second parable, good seed was sown and started to grow; then weeds appeared around it, their tendrils becoming so entangled with the wheat that to pull them out would endanger the wheat as well (vv.22-29).  It is good for Christians to be involved with the world around us.  But there is always the risk that our involvement with those interests apart from our faith can eat into our lives to the extent that our attendance at church (where we can receive teaching, enjoy fellowship and where our spiritual store can be replenished) becomes intermittent.  Life gets to a stage where our daily pattern of personal prayer and Bible reading is threatened ... or perhaps never happens at all. 

Unless we take matters into our own hands, responding to God’s never-failing call,  or asking for a friend to pray for us, the result can simply be that God is squeezed out completely.  Remember that He doesn’t force Himself upon us: “I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door ...” (Rev. 3:20).  It’s for us to respond to His call.  If we choose not to do so, the loss – and the responsibility for it – is our own.

Next time you see a man with a beard, be it a ‘full set’ or just designer stubble, remember the story of my scruffiness; remember what it stood for in this posting, and ask yourself, “Is there some clutter in my life that needs to be tidied up or cleared away?”

Corners

GPS navigation systems don’t know everything, whatever we might think.  There’s a roundabout near my home that has four exits, albeit not evenly spaced; one goes into the town, one out, and the other two around it in opposite directions.  There is also the entrance to a private house which opens onto the roundabout at one of the larger spaces between the conventional exits.  SatNav shows this as a conventional five-exit roundabout.  And I’ve lost count of the presumably regular crossroads that I’ve driven up to, thinking as I approach that it’s only a T-junction.  Only when I’m right up to it can I see that it’s actually a staggered crossroads, and the ‘forward’ road is some distance either to the right or left.

Sometimes life itself seems to be a sequence of staggered junctions.  I well remember a friend and former colleague who, on the brink of moving to another part of the country, had to cancel all her plans because of a last minute glitch in the purchase of her new home.  Instead of bidding her a fond farewell, I found myself helping her to move from her now sold home to a short-term rent in another nearby town.  

Often, as life unfolds, one thing or another isn’t quite right.  When the right opening is there, we have other commitments; by the time we have released the necessary funds, the deadline for an investment opportunity has passed; or we may see the ideal vacancy ... but just don’t have the aptitude the advertiser is looking for.  I call it the polythene bag syndrome.  As you flatten one corner, a pocket of air bulges up at another corner; it seems it will never be completely flat. 

Somehow in life our skills and resources and the demands and openings for them never seem to match up perfectly.  We can only take heart from Paul’s words in the letter to the Romans, “All that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into His plans.” (Rom. 8:28, Living Bible).

One advantage of the staggered junction is that we are able to see, at a more leisurely pace, two sides of that charming cottage on the corner, and its delightful garden, instead of just the front gate had we passed it by at speed on a straight road.

And talking of corner sites:

Do you know what's around the next corner for you?

Bellropes for Breakfast?

The butter was on the toast, but there was no marmalade; the jar had been emptied yesterday.  As I reached for a new one, I thought about what was on my plate.  On its own, toast is uninviting; buttered toast is far more appetising.  But toast with butter and a spread – be it jam, marmalade or something else – is complete.  With no spread, or no butter, it only partially satisfies.

The new jar popped open, and I wondered where this thought might lead me.  The obvious first analogy was the Trinity, the triune God at the very heart of our faith; but I quickly saw that this parallel is false.  This doctrine is an explanation of three facets of one Being, whereas the trinity on the breakfast plate is three totally separate items brought together to make a greater whole.

Some days later, with this problem still floating around my head, I found myself ‘on the end of a rope’, as I often put it.  As a bell-ringer, I’m familiar with ropes, their purpose, structure and strength, but rarely when ringing do I think of these things.  To use a comparison often used when teaching people to ring, I’m more concerned with steering the car than the construction of the engine!  But on this occasion, I was aware of the rope in my hands, and the fact that its strength is partly due to being made of three strands.

I recalled a sermon I’d heard at the wedding of a bell-ringer many years ago.  The priest had taken as his text “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).  He quoted this verse to make his talk personal to the couple before him and then broadened his theme using the three preceding verses.  It’s a fast-moving passage, embracing the financial benefits of working together, the helping and caring aspects of having a partner to look after you and the heating properties of sharing a bed, before moving on to introduce a third party.  In the context of the wedding, the trio were identified as husband, wife and God and, thereafter, the conclusion of the sermon was self-evident.

As ever in these pieces, I try to relate the everyday to the spiritual; today there are two links for you to latch on to.  Many in the western world begin the day with breakfast and, whether you have three or more cooked items on a plate, or buttered toast with some spread, I’m sure you can see the parallel with adding a divine Third Party to your normal consideration of teamwork.  And although there may be few bell-ringers reading this, many of you will have heard bells and have perhaps realised that many bells are sounded by means of pulling a rope ... often a rope of three strands!

Who’s the third party in your life?

For or Against?

Occasionally you can remember a dream quite clearly because it conveys to you an important message.  This one of mine goes back many years, but its message is so relevant today.

I was questioning a selection of local dignitaries as part of the preparation for a ‘Brains Trust’ performance where one of the panellists would be {Mr. ‘X’}, a local politician.  Two of the questions were these: “Would you like to meet {Mr. ‘X’}?” and “Would you be prepared to talk to him about the deputy-master relationship?”  I hadn’t heard the expression ‘deputy-master relationship’ prior to this dream but I think its meaning is obvious.

Most people I’d asked had readily answered ‘yes’ to both questions.  One man responded aggressively to the first question: “No, I don’t want to meet him, I don’t particularly like the man.”  Then to the second came a blunt and very forceful “No.”  I pointed out that everyone else had said ‘yes’ quite willingly.  He realised that his manner belied some foreknowledge of the celebrity and explained - off the record - why he had refused.

“A few years ago,” he began, “I was standing in for my boss at an important meeting.  One of the matters being discussed was a new scheme put forward by your celebrity.  I was in favour of it and, knowing this, he was confident that, with my support, it would be approved.  However, I was aware that my boss disagreed with the proposal so, since I was deputising for him and not attending the meeting in my own right, I spoke in opposition to the motion and voted against it.  The matter was dropped and, as a result, the man lost popularity and quite a bit of money.  He’s never forgiven me.”

It could happen anywhere.  Life is full of situations where there are conflicting pressures, what are popularly called ‘difficult decisions’.  Some, like public spending cuts or remaining in the EU, are resolved at a single stroke affecting the whole nation.  Others, like choosing between going to church and relaxing in the garden, or between paying our tithe and buying those smart new shoes, are matters for the individual.  I make a personal decision which, although perhaps swayed by what my neighbour might say or do, will affect only me.  I can do what is easy, what fits in with my personal interests or desires, or I can opt for what, in my heart of hearts, I know to be the right thing to do.  In one case my life might be easier, or more enjoyable; in the other, I might be uncomfortable, ridiculed or even persecuted, but I should have an easy conscience to rest on.

As he followed in the footsteps of ‘Moses, the servant of the Lord’ (Joshua 1:1), Joshua had to make many difficult decisions and was sometimes uncertain whether the people would respect and be led by him as they had Moses.  Perhaps one of the greatest decision he made is recorded in Joshua 24:14-15, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

May God guide the decisions you have to make today.

Fruity

Once you’ve enjoyed that hearty meal, you might reckon a pudding too much and feel some relief at being offered the fruit bowl instead.  Whether that’s you or not, I think you’ll agree there’s something very attractive about a well-laden bowl with the bright colours of bananas, grapes, oranges and those lovely rosy apples. Whatever fruit we choose, though, to be enjoyed most it must be grown in ideal conditions, picked at just the right time, packed properly, and transported carefully. 

In our delight at the juice and fine flavours, it’s easy to forget that these examples are only part of a far greater process ... that of life itself ... a process that mirrors our spiritual lives as well.  The Bible is quick to expand the meaning of fruit: as early as the first chapter of Genesis, in fact, where verses 28-29 draw out the contrast admirably.  The big picture comes first, “Be fruitful and increase in number”, and then God’s provision for our bodies, “I give you every seed-bearing plant ... and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.” 

In one of his most famous verses, St Paul listed what he called ‘the fruits of the spirit’ (Gal. 5:22-23).  Jesus talked to his disciples about good fruit coming from good trees and bad fruit coming from bad trees; he warned them about false prophets, and told them that these could be recognised by their ‘fruit’, i.e. by their behaviour and what they said (Matt. 7:15-20).

Paul concluded his list of spiritual fruits with the exhortation, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (Gal. 5: 25-26).  Transporting this into the vision of the fruit bowl, we can draw the conclusion that, if we are to successfully offer good fruit, then we have to look after those we possess and also to exercise regularly the act of sharing them.

Before my recent retirement, it was often necessary to have lunch while on the way somewhere and bananas offered the best combination of nourishment and convenience.  However, having done my shopping at the weekend, by Thursday or Friday they were noticeably much older; the lovely firm flesh of Monday had given way to an almost liquid and easily bruised mush that wasn't nearly so tasty.  I wouldn’t have felt comfortable offering fruit like that to anyone!

If we choose to neglect our fruit – whether material or spiritual – there are serious consequences.  The book of Deuteronomy explains over and over the laws God gave to the Israelites in the desert before they entered the Promised Land.  It lists the many disasters that would befall those who ignore His commands, including “You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.” (Deut. 28:40). The Hebrew nashal refers to the olives dropping off before they ripen; Jesus told a parable about making use of what we are given (Matt. 25:14-30), which illustrates these consequences perfectly.

Think  deeply, dear reader: what do you have in your fruit bowl?

Beyond Your Wildest Dreams!

We hear it often, but how wild are your dreams?

If they’re anything like mine, they can be quite scary ... more of a nightmare. Several times I’ve dreamed that I was with someone who figured prominently in my past.  I’ve been quite sure who she was even though, considered independently, neither her face nor the style and colour of her hair match those of historic fact.  Whatever it was that made me so positive about her identity is lost in the depths of sleep but I have no doubt that, when that dream returns, I shall be just as certain that it’s the same person.

Some say that dreams are heavenly messages, like those we read of in the Bible that often feature the appearance of angels.  While I wouldn’t discount this possibility, it’s my understanding that most of our dreams are simply a random accumulation of snippets from a variety of episodes in our lives - both recent and long ago - that the resting brain somehow allows to drift to the surface.  If there is any coherence or apparent story to these, as likely as not it's woven by our wakeful minds around those particular aspects of the dream that we remember at the moment of waking.

An endless store of human experience is to be found in the Psalms.  I’m drawing on two particular extracts here.  “How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” (Ps. 104:24).  Succeeding verses tell of God’s creation of animals, the sun and moon, and living things swimming in the seas; I like playing with words and this verse reminds me that the earth, and all that fills it, is God’s creation.

Another psalm asks, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Ps. 139:7-8).  God is all-embracing; He is everywhere.  Even if sometimes we don’t acknowledge it, we can’t avoid being in His presence.

It’s usually at the times when we don’t give a thought to God, and His desire to be involved in our lives, that things go wrong.  We make wrong decisions, follow bad advice, and so on.  The hymn What a friend we have in Jesus, which includes the line ‘take it to the Lord in prayer’, is usually sung to the tune ‘Converse’.  So, conversely, if we bring our needs to Him in prayer, He will provide for them in whatever way is for our greatest good.

Back to dreams, then: the whole of life’s experience, stored away in our memory, is available to our sleeping minds.  From this rich store come the components that make up our dreams.  Similarly, the whole of our life is God’s creation and subject to His influence if only we will allow it.

Next time you wake up with a dream still in your mind, try to think beyond its content, however wild, and remember the greatness of God’s place in your life.