On the last Bank Holiday in May it was time to give a much needed stain/re-paint of my potting shed in the garden. It had become very much weathered from the elements, dusty, dirty, and in need of some much needed tender loving care.
Are we not all just like my potting shed. As the weather and rapidly changing climate throughout the year faces into my garden, my shed feels the heat of the piercing sunshine, the strong winds, rain and hail, frosts and snow. We too in our lives have many things thrown at us, often unexpected and untimely; upset, worries, accidents, illness, financial burdens, relationship issues, bad news which we feel difficult to understand or cope with both personal to us, or those faced by brothers and sisters across our world.
What do we often do in these situations...we put on a stiff upper lip, try to demonstrate we are taking it all in our stride, often people asking us how we are, and our reply usually comes out- "I'm ok thanks", despite our struggles. We put on a front, we demonstrate in our words and actions that we don't need any support, we believe we can cope and carry on under our own steam when actually we are in need of tender loving care in order that we can both look and feel our best again.
Life can often be challenging, we might even feel so bad at times that we have felt that God is not listening to us or even abandoned us, or we again try to deal with things on our own when actually our friends are there to offer their gifts of love from God, kindness, compassion, support and encouragement in all times if we open up and share.
I am reminded today of Psalm 139, that God is ever present, he has an intimate understanding of our every thoughts and feelings, and offers us an abundance of hope and comfort whatever situation we face. Sometimes this can mean being honest with ourselves, taking stock, stop focussing on ourselves, reconnect with God, to recognise and accept his all encompassing love, putting our trust in him.
I thank God that he listens to prayer, acts through those we know around us, family and friends, whom demonstrate love, whether gently letting us know they are there when you need them, or putting words into action to help us cope, see through the mist of our situations, offering us the tender loving care we need to be able to move forward and be there to offer love in all we do too.
Unlike the new stain on my potting shed, which took a low priority and hadn't been applied for a few years...we should all be open to both give and receive daily in our lives and support each other through life's challenges and our faith journeys with God.
© Stephen Allen June 2023
Yorumlar