Carol Purves

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

It was a day when everything seemed to be going wrong. I was rushing from one thing to another, with the clock running away from me. As I hurried to yet another commitment, the traffic was extra heavy and I was catching every red light.

As I stopped at yet another red light, a wonderful thing happened. The traffic seemed it quieten and over the clear air I could hear a lone bird singing for all he was worth. He wasn’t fazed by the traffic, the dirt or the need to rush along.

As the lights turned to green I thanked my Maker for this glimpse of sanity. A lone bird singing praises to his maker, which I could join in.

Ps 46:10 of the Message says ‘Step out of the traffic. Take a long loving look at Me, your High God.’

Carol

My visit to the dentist was only painful to my wallet. Without proper care and attention decay would set in. The job of my dentist is to make my teeth as perfect as they can be.

As I sat in the chair I realised how like Christians teeth are.

Without care and attention sin will take hold and we are no longer beautiful and useful to God. He can take away our sin but it is at a cost to Him. Jesus died for our decay.

To eat with one tooth on its own is not very effective, but a mouthful of good teeth makes eating a pleasure. One Christian alone is not very useful, but a group working together is an effective way of telling Good’s good news.

Carol

I love working in my garden with the blue sky overhead, the perfume of the flowers and the song of the birds. One day I found I wasn’t alone. I was being followed by not one but two robins.

As I moved to another part of the garden, they followed me. Of course, they weren’t interested in me; I was providing their next meal.

They reminded me of our God. We might move away from Him, or even try to hide, but He is always there, right by our side helping and directing us.

‘Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin, and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. Do not fear there, you are of more value that many sparrows. Matt 10:29 & 31.

Carol

My cousin had moved to a different part of the country and I proposed driving over to see her. I thought I knew the way and relied on my own instincts as I went. It wasn’t long before I was completely lost.

Then I remembered I had a  map of the area in the car boot. I soon realised where I’d gone wrong and worked out my correct route. Before long I was drinking a very welcome cup of tea with my cousin.

That really is the story of my life. I try to manage on my own and fail. I need to remember God has given me a map to help through life. All I need to do is read his Bible.

Carol

As the pressure of life increases, prayer can be one the first things we cut down. In our busy lives we rush from one thing to another and often complain that life is getting faster. Even in our prayer life we can flit from one topic to another in a rush to get everything covered. Wait on the Lord, we are told in the Bible.

The saints of old spent hours and even days in prayer and quiet contemplation. They focused entirely on God, banishing all distracting thoughts. We would feel that we can’t spend that amount of time but we need to practice the presence of God, seeing him in everything we do. The menial, boring tasks can be sanctified when we dedicate them to Him.

Carol