Thought for the week
Rev David Jones
A Christmas present from one of our children of a show in Cardiff and overnight stay in a plush hotel in July seemed a long way ahead at the time. We were grateful when the time came last weekend and off went to see ‘Buddy’ at the New Theatre which had the audience enthralled by the rock and roll music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
It was an even more exhilarating experience last Saturday morning to join with a crowd around a large screen in our hotel and to share the excitement, frustrations as well as the moments of elation of the last Lions test. The nail biting finish left us nearly exhausted! Lion’s captain Sam Warburton did express disappointment with a draw game but his team’s achievements must not be undermined by this result. The Lions return home with their heads held high and deserving of our respect for having held the world champions at bay!
Then again life is like that. The unexpected can and often does happen. The recent general election was the opposite of what was expected. Who would have thought that Mr Trump would have been elected the president to the USA? The EU referendum result in June last year is still causing all sorts of uncertainties and I’m not even going to mention the possibilities of any shocks at Wimbledon this week!
How then do we deal with the unpredictable and unexpected? The Bible encourages us to live each day to the full and to live by faith in God. Faith does not guarantee us an easy path but gives the assurance that whatever happens we are never alone.
Faith also helps us to be content with what we have and to remember the old saying that the grass is not always greener the other side of the fence. It is good, of course, to have aspirations and there’s always the need to give of our best to whatever work or task we are given; but to be equally sure that when things do not work out as we had hoped or even expected that we would have done our best and that in the end is all we can do.
The Apostle Peter gives wise advice when our lives feel like a draw game and feel an emerging sense of frustration and disappointment.’ ‘Cast all your anxieties upon God’ he said ‘because He cares for you’. God will never stop loving you – Tomorrow is another day and hope springs eternal in the human breast! Well done Lions!
