Tag Archives: DailyBread

Addiction to sadness?

Was greatly helped by God through a simple word from His Word this morning. Yesterday was a glorious day, weather wise, as warm and bright as mid summer . I was thanking God for all His blessings as I walked on a beach, when a familiar shadow began to settle on me. I am not sure if it comes from being a pastor for many years and hearing so many stories of people’s struggles and pains or if it is just an awareness of the injustices that so many face throughout the world, but from time to time the thought of human pains seem to settle upon me in a way that makes it difficult to continue rejoicing: it would feel selfish, unfeeling, to continue with happiness, enjoying the beauty of the moment.

To cut a long story short, I asked God to help me. Today I picked up David Strutt’s book, “Sanctuary” and turned to the back pages to find the Scripture reading for the day. It was Acts Chapter 9. I read this word: “Meanwhile…” My prayer on the beach was answered. I was helped. Acts Chapter 8 tells us the story of a wonderful move of God in Samaria and a conversion on a desert road that opened up the possibility of the gospel spreading to another nation, namely Ethiopia. Glorious spiritual sunshine! Then the word, “Meanwhile…” At the same time as the glorious events in Samaria and a desert road, there were still murderous threats being breathed against the church.

“Meanwhile’ reminded me of the “Already here but not yet” of the Kingdom. Blessing and struggle, deliverance and waiting, well, they are like parallel tracks on the bigger scale and in the bigger scene of the worlds’s happenings: they seem to go hand in hand. There is always the “meanwhile” of conflicting experience to my own happening somewhere. Indeed, even in our own life, there can be an experience of “meanwhile” happening; great blessing in one aspect of life but great struggle in another area at one and the same moment. There is almost always a “meanwhile” going on. It is the way it is…

I resolved this morning, to live the moment with God and receive God’s good gifts with joy and enjoy them fully. Sunny days, both in the ordinary sense and in the spiritual sense, are good  and should be enjoyed fully and without guilt. If for some reason you are someone who feels for the struggles of others in an acute way, remind yourself you are still allowed to know joy and laughter. Don’t get addicted to sorrow and sadness. When happiness from God knocks at the door, don’t push it down. Allow it in. Let it run riot in every room and rush after it and play with it in the sun.

At times our “meanwhile” will be “Out of the depths I call to Thee…” at other times it will be, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” It is the same for others. Live your “meanwhile” well, and help others to live theirs too as you have the opportunity. Remember though, you are not their Saviour and they are not yours.

God bless

Kenny

A headstand in the morning and before bed is good for you!

I was never very athletic (Understatement!). I did like sports like tennis, squash and golf etc, in days of better health, but gym stuff was never my cup of tea at any age or  stage of life. Cartwheels, Kenny style, were less than graceful and smooth. Handstands were out. Headstands however, were ok. I could get into that pose, and stay there comfortably for a long time, actually.

Well, I guess I am inviting you to make a  headstand through this blog, if you need to! I came across a line out a poem in my readings from “Celtic Daily Prayer” today in the readings and comments  set for 18th.September in the St. Aidan Collection of readings. The line was in a mediation, poem by Laurel Bridges:

“pour down blessing
on the detail of our days.”

For me this was an encouragement to stand on my head faith wise and to bring me back into line with Jesus. I think I can have a tendency to think that it is up to God to take care of the really big things in my life, but details are either incidental or are to be taken care of by myself. Actually Jesus encourages us to do life differently. He says to us, “You take care of the big things by your decisions and leave the details to me, to your heavenly Father who loves to give good gifts to His children.” Is that not what He told us to do? “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things, the details of every day life will be given to you.”

I was thinking today for someone in whose life I see this happening. I have observed that they have taken responsibility for the big direction of their lives, namely to honour Christ. As they have set themselves to do that I occasionally see that they seem to give scant regard to details that I think should be attended to in what they are about in their day to day living, leisure etc., though they are by no means disorganised or lacking in thoughtfulness or organisational ability But here’s the thing: details that I would have spent a lot of time attending too seem to fall into place for them with unfailing regularity! In the process of that happening, they are much more free from angst than I would be if I were to be approaching the same issues or circumstances.

It is so possible to get absorbed in details that we get distracted by the one thing needful at any moment. Jesus made that clear too.

Perhaps like me, you need to be challenged to stand on your head. If you are a natural worrier, or an anxious person, or a person who needs to think through every detail of an issue etc,  why not put fresh faith in the God who wants to pour out blessing on the detail of life? Try and go for a day or two without thinking about the details. It is enough for you to think about the one thing needful at any moment. That does not mean being thoughtless or stupid about the way we go about things. It means that my faith believes that God is with me not only in the big things but in the details. “The good person’s steps are ordered by the Lord.” As I think of the person I mentioned above, I see that verse being fulfilled. May you see it fulfilled for you.

God Bless

Kenny