Carol’s Blog

In Genesis we read of Adam and Eve being banished from the Garden of Eden and then in Genesis we read of Cain being banished by God for the killing of his brother. Abel. What a sad state of affairs; because sin made a swift and terrible entry into the world, strife, exiles and murder followed. As you turn over page after page in the Old Testaments you read of one atrocity after another. Even the terrible things that happen in the world today, probably also appeared somewhere in the Bible. It doesn’t make pleasant reading.

But the good news is that this is not the end of the story. The pages of the New Testament make happier reading, even though the stories of the early church in Acts tell us that the early Christians had their problems.. Death has now been conquered, sin has been banished.There is hope on every page. In the New Jerusalem the wrongs will be righted., justice will be done. In spite of our waywardness and the efforts of the devil, our story has a happy ending.

While on earth Jesus met His disciples and friends in various places. He met with them in the noise and bustle of the market place and on the mountain tops amid the quietness and solitude. He met with His disciples in the Upper Room for the Last Supper and in the agony of Gethsemane. On the road to Emmaus and at the empty tomb was He was also found.

We do not need a special place to meet and pray with God but many of us have marked out a special chair or room where we find communion with Him easier. Recently I have been using the comfortable chair in my living-room gazing out at the ever-changing sky and a group of trees framing the scene. In a few weeks time my place of pray will change as I move house. I don’t know yet where I will meditate and pray. One thing I do know is that God will be there, in fact He is already there before me. He will give me somewhere where I will be comfortable and relaxed. But like the disciples, I can equally meet with Him in the market place, mountain top, Emmaus or Gethsemane. He will remain with me.

I’m sure many of you have had one years ago, but I’ve just had my first one fitted. Because of an irregular heart beat I was fitted with a 24 hour heart monitor. What a wonderful thing and how medical science has progressed over the years. My father died of a heart attack at the age of 70; if that had been today, he might have survived. I’m long past that age but I’ve seen big progress in heart research.

A few days ago we celebrated 75 years of the NHS. I know my parents had to pay a lot of money because of my ill-health during the first few years of my life before those days. For all it’s failings the NHS is a wonderful thing, catering for everyone. I personally give thanks for it.

As the Bible says we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ but things do go wrong. Let us take care of the bodies God has given us and be thankful for the skill and dedication of all medical staff.

It started as an innocent-sounding phone call. I owed £7.09 to my telephone company provider. As I pleaded my ignorance of such a debt, it became more menacing. Unless i paid the debt immediately my landline would be cut off. Many of my contacts are only through the landline, including the doctor. No phone, no doctor, serious. In the event I didn’t give any information over the phone and surprise, surprise, my phone wasn’t cut off.

As I shared this incident with my friends, one quoted Proverbs to me (I don’t know how she found it so quickly.) ‘A foul finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom. What the wicked dread will overtake them, what the righteous desire will be granted. When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stands firm for ever.’ Proverbs 10: 23-25. The Bible has words for every occasion, what a comfort!

We all have periods in our lives when we worry. Some worries are real and big, others are small and passing. My small worry at the moment is that I’m moving home within the month and at the moment am not strong to do all that is necessary. I realise that this is probably a small worry compared to yours.

So I need to take my mind off myself and turn to God. Over the last eighty years God has never let me down, so why should He now? I read in the Bible that worry will not add an hour to my life (probably the opposite) There is the saying ‘Why worry then you can pray? God knows all about our worries and troubles and what is more, He knows the solutions. How arrogant I am to think I can sort out my own difficulties. I think I’d better get praying!

I serve at the local welcome table at my local hospital. Among the staff, visitors and patients we are popular for the sweets we give away. They give people a sugar boost after and long day on the wards or a stressful visit to relatives. Occasionally people ask for prayer. I know very little about the situation I am praying into . I don’t know whether people are Christian, atheist or of some other religion.

But God knows, He knows every single detail of those lives involved. Furthermore He knows exactly what prayers are needed. I am praying into the unknown, I pray that by the help of the Holy Spirit He will lead me to the right words and lead the prayers in the right direction. I never know the results of my prayers but that is not important. I am only the intermediary.

Why does God give me the task, and you, the task of visiting the sick or listening to the lonely? He could send better people to do these tasks or arrange for these things to be done with out any of our help. There could be people more capable and skilled to work for Him.

I now realise that it is for me and our benefit. Yes, there are others to visit and listen and do other things for Him. But by allowing us to participate there is great gain to us. It gives us the chance to learn compassion and empathy. By doing these things our love for Christ will grow. I am humbled that He should trust me. My love for Him and others will increase as I mature i my Christian journey.

I read psalm 23 again today with fresh eyes. I noticed the verbs that were used – ‘makes’, ‘leads,’ ‘restores’ and ‘leads.’ How interesting, ‘He makes me to lie down in green pastures.’ My God knows I’m always on the go and trying to achieve so many things, so He makes me and probably you, to lie down. It is an order, we have to do it or else we would burn out.

I have a mental picture of lying in a wild flower meadow, the sounds of myriads insects buzzing in my ears. I feel completely enveloped by the scene. The blue sky is above and the tall trees sway in the zephyrs. My mind is relaxed and at rest. I feel God’s restorative powers working in my body. I am so pleased that God ‘makes’ me lie down. It is not left to me to decide; He knows how much we all need it.

I wonder why God chose the colour green with which to clothe so much of nature. Although we have flowers clothed in beautiful colours, most plants are surrounded by green foliage. No green ever clashes. There are greens of every hue but no green ever jars against another; they all blend in together.

Not so in my life. I have a green jumper and green skirt but I can never wear them together, their greens completely clash. One is a bluey-green and the other a purpleish-green. The combined picture is not good. At the moment I’m thinking abut the colour even more as the carpet in the living room of my new bungalow is a pale green. How will I cope with new furnishings? Will the greens clash with my carpet? It’s not as if I can take the carpet to the shops to compare them. Maybe I should have the furnishings a complimentary colour. At present I have a green bedroom with floral curtains and bed linen. It works but I’m not sure if it would work in a living room.

We might emulate nature but we can never equal it. There is nothing more relaxing than walking in the woods or sitting in a meadow quietly absorbing every shade of green imaginable. God certainly got it right.