Yes it’s still windy, and I really do need a haircut, though that’s just not going to happen any time soon. We had a great time climbing up to the British Camp this afternoon and the views are wonderful. Though technically they are 15ft over the threshold of being called a mountain I can’t quite see it… they just seem like hills to me. Driving most of the climb helps I suppose, but then again that makes them very accessible for those not quite as athletic as we used to be. Apart from that somewhat energetic excursion though, it’s been a very relaxing day. I’m enjoying having company for this short break, though it’s back home tomorrow. Part of the idea is to distract my friend from his oncology appointment on Thursday when he expects to start his treatment. Life is a real challenge sometimes, probably for just about everyone. And when facing the more serious problems it can feel like everything’s slightly out of control. Certainly out of our control, though we have to trust that any involved doctor’s confidence is not misplaced. I sometimes wonder about serious ill health, I guess most do when so afflicted, why me? Or why my loved one? Usually there’s no answer to that one, unless we’ve spent years as a smoker or some other known cause of serious illness. But understanding cause and effect can never make the journey any easier. It’s always a challenge.
It’s so tempting as a Christian to ‘expect’ a privileged life with no major hassle. Maybe that is the experience of some, but I suspect they are few and far between. So how come, the creator of the universe, the one who forms each one of us in the womb allows sickness, along with many other troubles, amongst his children? Especially when the Bible quite clearly reveals the authority of God over such disorder. Indeed God, in the person of Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to go ‘heal the sick’! And those who follow on continue to not just be his disciples, but to do even greater things. There is always a sense of mystery when it comes to perfect understanding. We just aren’t there yet. Some claim that personal ‘sin’ can always be pin-pointed when affected. I find that claim to not just be simplistic but actually offensive and at odds with scripture. For me there’s a higher principle at work. We live in a corrupt world, where almost all face disorder, and at some point in our three score years and ten we’ll find ourselves connecting with the unexplainable and seemingly insurmountable; at those times we have a simple choice… do we ‘curse God and die’ or do we continue in faith with gratitude in our hearts for what God has done, simply putting on one side the questions about that which he has not yet done. Do we distance ourselves from the Lord and his goodness or do we draw close crying out for mercy and grace to persevere. One thing is for sure, I cannot heal anyone of anything that demands much more than a Band-Aid. But the Lord can. And only the Lord can fill a troubled life with his perfect peace and joy crowned with the hope of an eternity in paradise. I’ve seen that at work at very close hand.
John 16:33 ‘I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.’ (NLT)
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