Carol Purves

I knew when I visited Cyril in hospital it would be a joyful and blessed occasion. When fit, he’d lived in a small flat at the top of a high-rise flat, with little money and limited mobility. Now he was ill, unlikely to recover and according to the nurses in pain.

When he saw me his face lilt up, he was genuinely pleased to see me. He then proceeded to tell me all the good things about the hospital – a wonderful choice of food, comfortable bed, great company. the list went on and on. There was no mention of his pain, the fact that he couldn’t keep his food down or move out of his bed.

Cyril is no longer with us but he had left behind the legacy of his strong Christian faith which sustained him in all adversity.

Carol

I sometimes forget how wonderful it is to live on the edge of the Lake District. The area is full of walks both high and low, short and long. Maps are usually needed but for the low  walks, maps are now inaccurate. Because of the floods last December a number of bridges have been swept away. Their non-use does not appear on any map and sometimes the fact that they are temporarily defunct is not signposted.

We found this to our cost when we were walking half a dozen miles in the Newlands Valley. I suppose it didn’t really matter as all the scenery was beautiful, added to by a day of sun.

Carol, the walker.

On the pavement outside my house were three broken paving slabs. One day the council came along and replaced one of them while the others remained broken. The next day the council sent the lorry along again and replaced to other two broken slabs. What a waste of time, sending the lorry twice and mixing up two lots of concrete

How like our Christian life! Some bad habits are corrected, some wrongs set right, but the fundamental problem of sin remains. The power of sin has not been broken. On our own we repair just part of our lives, while the trouble remains.

Praise God that He make a complete job on us. There are no half measures when God sends His Son to completely and once for all, die for our sins.

I had the occasion to visit a small village in West Cumbria and was stunned by the views of the area. As I drove south I could see the sparkling sea to my right, twinkling in the June sunshine. To my left were the majestic mountains experienced from an angle which tourists seldom see. Central Cumbria has the many visitors, the west is quieter and just as stunning.

As I travelled down small country lanes hoping I wouldn’t meet a tractor and taking note of each passing place, I wondered at the beauty of the area. I could see God’s hand everywhere. How sad to call it ‘mother nature’ and not realise it was created by ‘Father God.’

The hymn writer was able to put the thought into verse –

Heaven above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green,

Something lives in every hue, Christless eyes have never seen.

Carol

Yes, that seems a lot, though that was the figure the papers published.

Most of the churches in Carlisle together planned a party to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. The object was to lift the spirits of our City which had suffered so drastically during the floods of the previous December.

People came, the sun shone, bands played, faces were painted, nails were painted, coffee, tea and cakes were freely dispensed, children’s stories told and candy floss licked. The miniature football and picnic areas were well used. Every visitor was handed a booklet about the Queen.

Everything was free and the atmosphere uplifting. Whether people sat, rested, talked, strolled, ate or drank, the spirits of the City were definitely lifted.

Carol, the party-goer.

It was so peaceful in my little garden. The birds were singing in the blossoming trees with a clear blue sky above. Flowers of many colours peeped out between the blooming shrubs. As I sat relaxing in my garden chair, I thought this must be ‘heaven on earth.’

Then my peace was shattered. My neighbour chose this time to cut his lawn, which upset the other neighbour’s dog and then roused all the other canine pets in the area. Their barking rivalled the lawn mower’s whine. Further down the road a pneumatic drill started up. My ‘peace on earth’ had become ‘bedlam in the garden.’ I fled indoors.

It is so good that true peace does not depend on outside influences. True and lasting peace only comes from God.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. John 14:27

Carol

Liam was playing on the floor with his building blocks. Each block was dived into two with two cut out shapes of squares , triangles, circles or hexagons. There were pegs of similar shapes. Liam needed to fit the right shaped peg into the correct shaped building block. Once he’d assembled these, he was able to use it as a train or whatever his imagination wanted.

This reminded me of God. He doesn’t try to fit us as square pegs into round holes. He has made us and knows where our talents lie. He doesn’t ask us to do things of which we are not capable. It is our job to listen to Him and follow His leading; then we will be part of His successful ‘train’ working for Him.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Not being very good at any sport at school, I was delighted one year to win the skipping race. I finished metres ahead of anyone else. I was further excited when I knew there would be a picture in the local paper.

My excitement turned to grief when I realised I was so far ahead that the photographer had missed me out and taken a picture of everyone else in the race.

How like my Christian life this can be. I tend to run ahead of God. I have so many good ideas, which I do not run past Him first. I’m then disappointed when they fail.

The psalmist said ‘My times are in Your hands. Ps 31.

Carol

There had been no rain for weeks; small plants were dying, the larger ones wilting. Farmers were becoming desperate.  Even the birds seemed lethargic.

Then it happened. At first isolated spots of rain fell, then more which joined up the splashes on the ground. This became a steady downpour as dry soil soaked up the moisture. Plants drank up the rain and vibrant colours returned. The rivulets of water became waterfalls. Even the birds began to sing their hearts out in gratitude.

I thought of our Christian lives. We live in a spiritually dry and thirsty world and God sends mercy drops, which turn into showers of blessings. We are refreshed, revived and replenished.

Carol

When I unexpectedly moved many miles away from my friends, family and church, I was ready for the future that God was opening up for me. But I hadn’t given much thought about the door that was closing behind me.

Although I had moved physically, I couldn’t move on emotionally. I looked forward to the future, but my mind was continually going back to the ‘good old days.’

Then I heard a sermon explaining that God shuts doors behind us as well as opening them in front of us. I needed to shut those doors before I could fully appreciate what the future held.

I think Paul summed it up pretty well in Philippians 3 ‘Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’

Carol