Unexpected complications

A recent extensive road trip around South Africa was plagued by things going wrong or not turning out as expected. Time after time, events were just not as planned or anticipated. This led to disappointment and a sense of uncertainty. It has also highlighted some interesting if rather uncomfortable ungodly beliefs.

We did a similar trip 4 years ago and everything went really well. It was a wonderful time with few hiccups. I expected the same this time but even when booking accommodation, nothing worked out as hoped. What we wanted was not available and we had to compromise and juggle all the arrangements. Finally we had a workable itinerary.

However as we travelled we faced all sorts of unexpected challenges often to do with food or weather or an unwelcome number of bugs trying to share our safari tent. Nothing was too bad but after three punctures, two of them out in the bush requiring a wheel change with dangerous animals around I really began to question what was going on.

My first thought was that maybe I had done something wrong or had I sinned? Maybe we shouldn’t have done this trip at all and God was showing his displeasure by not blessing our travels.  It was at this point that I pulled myself up short and realised my mind was on a journey of its own with a dangerous destination.

Does God really only bless us if we do as he wishes? Does God only bless good choices? Of course not! God is good and kind and blesses us all the time whether we deserve it or not. It is a lie to believe that when things are going well God is pleased with you and blesses you but when things are not going well God is displeased with you withholding his blessing. The truth is that you are pleasing to God all the time and God is blessing you in every way that is good for you and will bring forth fruit from your life.

There is no doubt that God uses the bad times, the difficulties, the unexpected, the pain to mould our character and help us trust him. If everything goes swimmingly all the time, we hardly need God but when difficulty upon difficulty piles up we have to lean into God and trust him. When we trust God is doing good even in the midst of problems, troubles, hitches and complications especially unexpected ones, faith and trust in God grows.

Every time something unexpected happens leading to disappointment, even over things as trivial as the weather we need God to set us on our feet again, assure us that nothing has gone wrong because of something we have done or not done. We haven’t sinned – this is just life.  By the way, the disciples had the same problem believing that difficulties came from someone’s sin (Luke 13: 1 -2 and John 9: 1 – 3).

I was reading that it is in the pressure of the cocoon that the caterpillar turns into a butterfly. It is a process that cannot and must not be bypassed or hurried. It is an essential process.

All our unexpected difficulties and experiences led me to realise some ungodly beliefs that I had hidden in my heart that would never have come out or been confronted if everything was going well.  I’ve had to let God soothe my disappointments and show me that things were not that bad. He was always with us in the good and bad days. I can trust him.

After all ‘all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose’ Romans 8:

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Follow my example

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11: 1

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4: 12

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2: 21

In a previous blog (Catch me if you can), I wrote about passing on a spiritual inheritance to the next generation so they can lay hold of what others may have taken much effort and paid a great price to obtain. 

If we are to pass on this spiritual inheritance which can spur those younger in the faith to take the baton and run with it, we need to be those living a life that provides an example to follow and be inspirational. This comes first from an authentic, passionate relationship with Jesus. This is based not on our love for Jesus but on his for us. If it is based on our love it will be a fragile affair but if based on Christ’s powerful, unconditional love it will hold us in the good and bad times.

Everyone’s example can be an inspiration if it mirrors a faith based on a genuine relationship with God. Our daughter-in-law said in her baptismal testimony that she was inspired by a couple: ‘Seeing two people who really gave their lives for their faith resonated with me. It wasn’t something you just say but something you live.’ Another inspirational lady was ‘strong and passionate in her friendship with the Lord.’

A passionate relationship with Jesus is not enough though. It has to flow into a lifestyle that is markedly different to others. It is not enough to be ‘nice’ or ‘kind’. The world is full of people who are not Christians but who are very nice and genuinely kind who do all sorts of amazing things for others.

What should mark out the Christian is a different attitude to every aspect of life – a life that does not take on the world’s values or lifestyles but Christians whose lives are based on a Godly set of values and morals, not spending everything on themselves or pleasure but investing in every way to see God’s Kingdom come. J John says ‘We have not been saved to live as we want to live; we have been saved to live like Christ’.

If we truly want the next generation to follow Jesus more passionately than ourselves, to become people who desire to see his Kingdom come then we must show that our lives are radically different in the way we spend our time, our money and our attitude to others especially when others don’t deal well with us.

Joseph and Daniel both had trouble with those who were their ‘bosses’. Joseph paid a heavy price for refusing Mrs Potiphar’s advances but maintained his moral integrity and ended up in prison. Daniel would not give up his daily prayer schedule and ended up in the lions’ den. Today many Christians face great persecution in their faith. Lions’ dens may have gone out of fashion but being ostracised from family, losing jobs, facing prison, torture and even death are an increasing reality for many Christians.

Learning to follow Jesus example of grace and forgiveness whilst never condoning sin is a wonderful model. I have been inspired to follow the example of both those facing genuine persecution as well as Christians treated shamefully by others. These Christians have maintained their dignity and integrity and have never given up their faith or their determination to do the right thing despite strong provocation. That is authentic Christianity because it follows the example of Jesus.

We all need Godly examples to follow and we all need to be Godly examples. Both those younger in the faith and the world need to see a sincere Christianity that actually works in faith, in deeds and in words. Something that models love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and sacrifice.  Something in fact that looks a bit like Jesus.

God's sense of humour

As a grandparent, I love seeing and hearing stories of what our grandchildren have been up to, especially if they are funny. Two year old Samuel was watching his grandfather fill up the bird feeders in the garden and announced that ‘Grandpa was feeling the birds!’ It conjures up such an amusing picture.

I am convinced God loves watching his children and laughs over some of our exploits and things we say. I can imagine God’s pleasure as he sees families and friends at rest together enjoying one another’s company. I am sure he laughs along with us at some joke or amusing event. Our sense of humour comes from God. We are made in his image.

He doesn’t just enjoy church services or our ‘quiet times’ or even our good deeds and kind words but all of our life; a piece of work well done, the great golf or football shot, our joy at a bargain we find when shopping, the pleasure we get when taking a walk and marvelling at his creation. When we err or things go wrong God is there to comfort and guide. Every part of our life matters greatly to God.

However there can be a unfortunate tendency to view God as rather distant and even like the spiritual police, waiting to jump on misdemeanours so he can turn his displeasure on us.  This view is prevalent even in the Church. Nothing could be further from the truth. It doesn’t seem to matter how much the Bible speaks of God’s love. No matter how often we take communion and remember Jesus’ incredible sacrifice of love by dying on the cross. Somehow our own sense of shame and unworthiness overwhelms our fragile belief in God’s love.

We would rather believe If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God (Hebrews 10: 26 – 27) than See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3: 1. One is a warning to a few – the other a blessing to us all.

God loves us. God likes us. God enjoys us. God will never leave us but how much better it is to be a joyful child revelling in God’s love than a fearful child only concerned with confessing sin and grovelling in the hope of appeasing a vengeful God. As a parent and grandparent I want to enjoy my family. I don’t want them always talking about their sin and failings even though it’s right to confess them at the time. I want to share life with them, laugh with them, cry with them but be with them and love them. How much more does God want the same.

Appreciate the season

I am not a great one for looking backwards. I have many fond memories which I cherish but there is also the pain and disappointment of past failure and hurt. However I am far more inclined towards Paul’s words:

But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 13 – 14.

However I have had some conversations recently with long time friends that have reminded us that we have rarely appreciated the times and seasons we were in. For instance about 20 years ago we had precious times at our church when meeting in the filthiest college hall where God’s Spirit was poured out wondrously.  Now we remember God’s Spirit and what he was doing. Then we focused far too much on the terrible conditions.

About that time we also put on a series of conferences which were amazing. As a church we worked hard together and though we loved what we were doing, we didn’t really appreciate the significance of it.  Now we look back with incredible fondness on those days recalling the camaraderie, the sense of common purpose despite the hard work and most of all what God was doing. 

There were the days we ran the youth outreach programme Arrows of Fire taking young people to the nations. O my goodness, it was hard work even though we loved it. Now we see the fruit of that time but then we never really appreciated what we were doing or the investment we were placing in young people’s lives.

I have no desire to wallow in nostalgia but I do wish I had appreciated more the time I was in whilst I was in it.

But what about the bad times? No one likes them and for some the bad can be really awful.

I have never experienced any of the terrible horrors of life but one thing I do know is that God is with us in the darkest hellhole to shine his light and presence. I look back on some of my dark days with a shudder but I know God was working. I was never alone and it is in the dark times our faith grows and we are strengthened with a greater trust in God.

A wise person once said to me as I felt trapped in pain, hurt, disillusionment and despair, ‘Ask God to show you what he is doing.’ I took God’s hand and walked. There were no quick fixes but change and healing did come and I was the stronger for it. I hated it but I can appreciate those times.

However I think it is also just as important to ask God what he is doing in the good times. I know I can lie back and just enjoy it but I believe there will be something wonderful to realise and truth to recognise and be thankful for.

I want to encourage us to appreciate our season, to be thankful and to ask God to show us how he is working in the good and help us through the bad. God will use it and build something eternal into us that will bear fruit for years to come.

Get ready! It's harvest time.

When my arthritic joints complained loud and long about jogging, I took up swimming. After several months of enjoying the space of a large open-air pool, with a change of season to chillier weather, I have now started swimming at our indoor pool.

Recently I went down early to swim my lengths and found the whole pool fairly full with people intent on swimming their own lengths. There were no lane markers, just a free-for-all.  Everyone had their own space which they were relentlessly occupying and I struggled to fit in. I only really got a space to swim, instead of dodging round everyone else, when some people finished their swim. It reminded me of how church can be.

There is much talk of our being on the edge of breakthrough, that there is a sound of harvest in the air and my concern is how we are going to make room for a harvest or a significant influx of new people into our midst.

Unfortunately too many churches are like the swimming pool. Everyone is busy in their own space and no one is prepared to move over to make room for anyone else especially newcomers. It is a well-known fact that in all churches, traditional and new, everyone has their favourite place to sit. It may no longer be my pew but it is my row or my seat. How will we react if someone else sits there? How will we feel if instead of having a spare seat next to us, someone new and dare I say it, maybe not smelling so good, sits next to us?

However it is a lot more than just where people sit.

Harvest and great moves of God mean new Christians, lots of them, people who have no idea how things are done in church. Will we be the people who welcome them, not just with a superficial greeting but with a genuine invitation to join us? Will we talk to people and help them feel at home?  I loved going to a church in New York who not only welcomed visitors but also explained what was happening and why. It was very refreshing.

Harvest may also mean we are going to have to dust off our discipling skills both individually and as churches. Jesus said “go into the world and make disciples …’ He didn’t ask us to just make converts.  Discipling is a messy, time consuming process. New Christians need a lot of attention and I have always been very grateful to the people who discipled us in our early days.

In previous years, most people in Britain had a basic understanding of Christianity and the church. Our British culture was based on it. Most people would go to church once or twice a year – it wasn’t a complete unknown. Nowadays though many people, even those brought up in UK, have no idea at all about Christianity and the Church. Many may become believers from other cultures and even from other faiths.  Churches, no matter their worship or service style, have a very definite culture.  An awful lot of people in Britain today will have no idea about that culture and will need help feeling at home.

Newcomers to church need to feel they have friends, people who like them. If we are too busy in our own friendship circle with our own ministry to speak and live lives with others, people will slide out the back door as quickly as they came in the front.

At our prayer meeting this week, we were challenged about how harvest will impact us as a church and as individuals. My feeling is that now is the time to start thinking about this topic and change our own mind-sets and heart attitudes. How are we as individuals and churches going to build a welcoming attitude of openness and help people feel at home? We can also, as churches, start considering how we are going to disciple people and with what resources. This will need to be across the ages not just for adults.

This is not the first time this topic has come up in my Christian lifetime and I suspect the Church missed something previously. We just did not get ready. I really do not want to have to walk this circuit again so my prayer is that I, my church and the Church will prepare both our hearts and our programmes for the breakthrough and harvest we have been praying for for years.

Just keep jogging

The final blog based on the topic of jogging.

As you will know from these blogs, I have not only taken up jogging, aged over 65 but can now jog for 30 minutes without stopping. The main thing I have learned is that to succeed you need to master your breathing and pace. Speed is not important – finishing is the goal.

How similar this is to the Christian life. We are exhorted to run our race to win the prize which is the crown of life given to us when Jesus rewards his faithful servants. We are not in a race against one another – we are in a race with ourselves – to persevere and finish. My prayer has always been that I want to finish strong, not fast - strong. I don’t want to crawl over the line but jog over with my head held high knowing that like Paul, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

So many give up. I can think of all those whom I knew, who were there with me in church and who have now turned away. I also remember all those who were running well and whilst they are still there they are no longer running with passion. They’ve given up their calling and ministry through hurt, disillusionment and discouragement.

There is so much that can hurt or disappoint us but our goal is to keep going and do the best we can. Like Jesus, Paul endured terrible hardships for the Gospel yet he finished because he had his prize in mind.

So as the writer to the Hebrews says ‘… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us’. He goes on to say Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before his, endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus endured the cross for us – because of the joy of seeing millions redeemed and coming into relationship with our heavenly Father. There are Christians around the world facing terrible circumstances for their faith. So next time that no one turns up or we are let down – again - let’s not give up or give in but fix our eyes on the prize and keep jogging to the finish.