With all the current confusions, arguments and sheer volume of news from around the world, I wonder, how are we to deal with the pressure, the demands, and the challenges that life can bring our way? Can I suggest the Psalms are very good place to start and with my question in mind try Psalm 100 verse 2 and read these lines; ‘know that the Lord is God, it is he that made us and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture’.
Some years ago Clare and I lived in Alnwick in North Northumberland where Holy Island was a favourite place to visit and the vicar at that time was David Adam, a wonderful priest immersed in the spirituality of the Celtic church. One of his books is titled “Occasions for Alleluia”, and the theme is David wanting us to understand the joy of experiencing the love and generosity of God in all that we do, for too often we allow the ‘things’ of this world to get in the way;
It is so easy to be immersed or even overwhelmed by the ‘things’ of this world, with Brexit, the health service, and increasingly fractious relationships with other countries to name but a few. In the introduction to his book David Adam writes that one of the important things in life is “the ability to stop the busyness of our lives, get off our “bikes” (so to speak), and have time to stand and stare, as it is important to our well-being to make space in our lives for the people and things around us at any moment” David Adam goes on to say that if we fail to see the extra-ordinariness of the ordinary things we deal with every day, and if a sense of wonder goes out of our lives we will find few “Occasions for Alleluia”, or being aware of the presence of God.
We are not called to isolate ourselves from life. But in everything we need to be aware of the love of God. The simplest experience gives so much insight into the love of God. On a holiday Clare and I had some years ago, I took a walk along the coastal path from our hotel which followed the cliff edge across the border into Scotland. I had the beauty and peace of the North Sea on one side and the high tech, high speed of the East Coast main railway line on the other. In between, along the path, was an abundance of wildflowers, many Scottish thistles which were colonised by butterflies, bees and other insects. It was possible just to walk along the path and not investigate the environment, but, as we heard from David Adam, you need to stop, get off your ‘bike’, and enjoy the wonders of all God’s creation. If you stopped, as I did frequently, you found so much life, colour and beauty in the flowers and insects, all an intricate part of God’s creation.
I wonder how often we forget to stop our ‘bike, our busyness, so engrossed in ourselves that we fail to stop and see God at work around us. It is easy to fail, but if we are to make a difference through our faith, then we always need to see God at work. This holds both for the good times and the challenging times. Because, if we do not see God over and above everything we experience, then we will find that the things of the world on which we rely will be a poor substitute. We kid ourselves that we are independent and self-sufficient. We put our trust in insurance policies, health plans, money and yet these are not the full picture. Think of the things we need that are not in our ability to control: fresh air to breathe; the seasons of the year to control our environment; and the people us around to help us develop into the individuals we were created to be. And all of this is surrounded by the presence of God. So maybe try some time to remember the lines from Psalm 100 “know that the Lord is God, it is he that made us and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture”, and then look for the love and beauty of God in what is around you.
Richard Firth
Assistant Minister at Seamer