Opportunity

Opportunity 

I am growing some new potatoes in a pink plastic bucket. It lessens the back - breaking digging you see. Also, I keep it in the potting shed; frost free, and bring it out in full view of the sun on bright sunny days. I reckon with the chlorophyll in the leaves, manufacturing plant food from sunlight, it will make those spuds taste even better. On one such day, I noticed that a plump little garden spider had dropped onto the compost, and was running wildly, around and around. This dark, moist, hidey hole that he had found for himself, this dark and secret place had suddenly become a place of threat and vulnerability. Call me daft if you must, but I thought about the futility of its plight: running round without end, the sides too smooth and slippery for him to climb out. I didn't want to pick him up in case I hurt him and with the speed he was going he could have risked losing limbs. I had a brainwave. I put a flimsy strip of paper, one end touching the surface of the soil, and the other end touching the ground. It was not very stiff, and the paper, torsioned and twisted in the middle. Oh well I might just see if anything were to happen to resolve his predicament. Do you know within twenty seconds, I looked back and he had gone! He saw an opportunity and took it. He had climbing skills but, like Superman under the influence of Kryptonite, had lost his powers, in the plastic bucket. No one had taught him how to climb and twist around on top of the twisted part; did he hang upside down?

It made me think about emotions that we do not let to the surface. They stay hidden in a dark place. Would we really want to be free of them? Can we use opportunities to be free? Or maybe some pet problems are stumbling blocks that are so familiar to us like a physical impediment; they could become part of who we are. We may regard them as immovable and unchangeable. It reminds me of the paralysed man who used an opportunity to be healed.

Luke 5: 18 - 20

Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on to the roof  and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith he said 'Friend your sins are forgiven.'

The ill man was immobile. He needed his friends. Jesus saw the faith of the friends; they knew what to do. They were persistent. They loved their friend greatly, and each man had a vibrant, 'take action' faith. Jesus in this instance said ' Friend your sins are forgiven.' He knew the dark secrets, which had disempowered the bed-ridden man. Nevertheless, the man had allowed himself to be vulnerable; and had gone along with what his friends thought was good, he trusted their judgment. Jesus would have been moved by the paralysed man's willingness to be brought forward.

We may have pockets of unforgiveness in our hearts, that remain buried deeper, underneath our day to day concerns. These stumbling blocks can be the most difficult to overcome. Some may be so hidden we have forgotten how they got there. We need friends in good spiritual health: persons who will travel with us, in our faith journey; who can lead us to Jesus in prayer. They will help us to see opportunities and encourage us to take them.

James 1: 19 - 22

My dear brothers, take note of this, everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for a man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

God calls us to action: to use the opportunities that He gives us.

James 1: 25

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law, that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does.

Lord Jesus search my heart, my past sins, even those that  I have covered over, and tried to forget; cleanse me from holding on to sins of the past, sins of omission, the things I should have done, sins that have paralysed me from moving forward spiritually. Help me to be aware of  the opportunity to change; to choose freedom in Christ; if I only can trust in Him, and have the desire to move forward, then Lord, I pray that you would meet me in my difficulty, so that I could stand before you upright, honest and free and ready to serve you.  Amen.

If a friend asks you, can I pray with you? What would your answer be? If the Lord asks you to go forward and meet a new challenge, to change where you live, or where you work, or even to give more time listening to Him: How would any of us answer? 

The garden spider ran to freedom from an instinct to survive, borne out of fear. We who know a loving God, we should be moved to change out of love. Opportunities, bring risks, and people of faith run to take them. 

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Charlock                                                 oilseed rape

I live near fields of oilseed rape. You can't miss the vibrant yellow swathes of flowers, robust, starting to pod. I noticed when I was driving along the main road, tall yellow plants, apparently escapees from the crop. I thought how persistent that seed must be that it can flourish on stony outcrops in the road: as though the buildings and roads could not diminish it's  survival under any conditions: not so, however. These plants growing singly and away from the field are impostors. They look hard to distinguish from the main crop, but they are in fact, called Charlock. Even the seeds are similar in both plants.  Often only scrutiny of the plants side by side, the Charlock and the oilseed rape, can reveal the true identity of each. The Charlock is a very invasive weed, also known as field mustard, and can damage the value of the crop by undermining the quality of the true seed. This weed also produces two kinds of seed, a darker brown seed and a lighter brown; the lighter brown tends to take root straight away, but the darker seed it produces, can lie dormant, bursting into life at a later date, and so avoid detection in the initial weeding out. The plant needs to be removed by decapitation, or burning, before the seeds have time to drop. The Charlock's ability to reseed itself, and swarm through the crop, cheapening the seed it produces, is like a metaphor for sin, ruining lives.

Hebrews 6:7,8

Land that drinks in rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful for those for whom it is farmed receives a blessing from God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

 I remember once making a promise to God that I would start the day with quiet time, reading the bible and spending time in prayer. However, whilst making breakfast, I would start reading the newspaper and I would get so drawn in to the gossip, and headlines, that my original plan never happened. I even said I would only look at the cover, that too was so distracting, that the quiet time never happened. I really had to steel myself to only read the paper when I got in from work. 

As Christians repentance before the cross is a key part of our faith; but it is the innocuous activities that can lead to greater problems. For years I did not want to be too different to anyone else, in case they thought I was a stuffy, lack lustre, God squad member. This wanting to fit in is a tricky path to follow: but God knows, and waits patiently for our eyes to be fully fixed on Him. We need to be careful of the company we keep so as not to expose our thinking to sinful attitudes. We know that Jesus was a friend of all sinners, but he kept company with them, fully assured of who he was. Now I pray before I go out, that the Lord will give me the key to open doors for Him; in random meetings, casual conversations; I try to be alert to how He might use me. 

Galatians 3:22

But the scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

I had two people come to my house, with a leaflet, with a picture of Jesus with open arms, preaching; there were a few quotes from the Bible on it too. They started to talk about having faith in Jesus. I explained that I was already a Christian believer. Strangely though, they went on trying to convince me. I asked them if they were Jehovah's Witnesses. They did not give a yes or no answer, but said, well yes, we do believe in Jesus. Then one of them blurted out, but we do not believe that he is the Son of God. There was a hiatus of silence, a pregnant pause, and then they turned and left. No other words were necessary, as he had explained the fundamental difference between what we both believed. Why, I wondered did they promote Jesus and the Bible in their literature, when they knew that what they believed was so different about his work and teaching. It reminded me of the Charlock plant; it looked almost the same until you examined it closely.

Revelation 22:19

If anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Are there any innocent looking 'weeds' creeping into your life? At work, our colleagues will make coarse jokes, swear or pass on e-mails that you would rather not read. Our walk with God is not to have a 'holier than thou attitude', or be in any way judgmental, we will leave that to God; we need to be in the world, but not part of it, assured of who we are in Christ.  

1John 3:9,10

No-one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

... Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

God's Word, the scriptures have been planted into each one of us, like seeds, those seeds need light and water to grow. Our reading of biblical truths is the food for our spiritual growth, and will allow our outlook on life, to be Christ-like as we find our identity, the person Christ intended us to be, before we knew what it was to sin. 

Luke 6:44,45

Each tree is recognised by its fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored  in his heart, the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. 

As our attitudes and thoughts are aligned with His will, so we may produce an abundant crop of good works:  enabled to show His love to the lost and broken-hearted. Our motivation will not be sprinkled with the seeds of doubt or insecurity; but we will be empowered by the Holy Spirit's leading, in loving the unloved people, those cast aside by society, for they are our true neighbours and whom Jesus also weeps over.

Blue Sky Thinking

Blue Sky Thinking

Ephesians 4:31 - 

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.

When out walking I often lie flat, on a grassy spot and look up at the sky. We take what's directly above for granted; it is not in our eyeline. It takes effort to look up. You know what? It means that you really have to lie back, and let go physically, relaxing everything that is tense. Letting go mentally takes a little longer; but gradually you can release yourself from stress, oppressive ideas, and worries about the future. Is it something to do with our culture in the west? The idea, that sitting or lying on bare earth, is a risk too high to take: too unclean and spontaneous, for a modern adult. Are we mere human magnets for germs, earwigs and small things that cling? Such unplanned events have no business in our stringently clean lives, with houses scoured with cleaning products. Make no mistake though; I do check where I am sitting first, to avoid the rabbit droppings and such like. It does however, take courage, to have time out, and stop being busy. Living in a modern society, we lose our connection to what is obvious and natural. Do we lose the simplicity of who we are? : lost in a maze of man made confusion. Lying down is risky; like the showing of a soft white underbelly, in the animal world. It can leave you vulnerable to an approaching stranger, who could dial 999, perform CPR or take you for idiot, it's just unBritish. 

Ephesians 5:2

and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to god.

But ... on a sunny day with the sound of a skylark nearby, the peace absorbs into you, like litmus paper, when dipped into an alkaline solution: it changes your perceptions from acidic red to alkaline blue. The thrill of looking into a blue sky is like refocusing yourself through a new perspective. How small are we in the scheme of things? How vast the breadth and beauty of nature? It caresses all the senses - the warmth of the sun on your skin, the smell of grassiness, the buzz of a bee, all experienced whilst gazing into the ocean in reverse. Now, when laid bare emotionally before God: What does He see? He sees a person that He is in love with. He says let me take those burdens from you. Just be. Stay in my presence for a little while. 

Ephesians 3:16-18

I pray that out of the glorious riches he may strengthen you with power, through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

As you give up your struggle, you see all the ways in which your life has been blessed and a wellspring of praise rises up in you, like the poles of two magnets aligned together; a powerful force, then interaction and a mutual attraction. What a gift to enjoy!

Kaleidoscope

A Kaleidoscope

A kaleidoscope generates a series of symmetrical patterns, by using reflection, and when the tube is turned the objects appear to align themselves into a different pattern. As the tube is rotated, the tumbling of coloured objects, present the viewer with colourful patterns.

As I look out onto the farm where I live, I am struck by the symbiotic relationship between the natural world and the weather, and also the process whereby, those patterns and relationships change.

A farmer growing crops can defy nature these days, with the use of agro-chemicals, such as fertilisers, growth enhancers, weed killers and pest control: he can grow crops in optimum conditions. This effectively, extends the growing seasons, time wise, so that the effects of wet and dry climate changes can be minimised, as can the pests and moulds, which could normally threaten such a crop.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, 4-6

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away.

Here's the mystery ... How then do migratory birds change their feeding patterns and locations to fit into the falsely engineered pattern of growth that Man has created? For several consecutive autumns, hundreds of lapwings, normally coastal birds, have descended onto the fields, foraging for insects and worms, on land that had been ploughed; land that is 70 miles inland from any sea shore. After three years, they disappeared and were not seen again.



This recent, hot, spring weather, has brought on the crops much earlier. The rapeseed, already in pod in April, a month early, has also brought in the pollen beetles, and numerous other flying insects, attracted by the fluorescent yellow colour of the flower  heads; these in turn, much earlier than usual. Then I noticed house martins, who feed on flying insects, had arrived extremely early, in effect, in Spring rather than Summer. This is more remarkable, when you consider that the house martins fly to Britain from Africa. They not only use the earth's magnetic fields to navigate, but apparently, may also have some sensitivity, to the high pressure that causes hot weather; this may then stir the birds to fly much sooner. 

It reminds me of a kaleidoscope, where with just a turn of the barrel, the whole configuration of shapes, line up into a new pattern. In nature, it's as though, when Man creates artificial conditions, ie turns the barrel slightly, then plants, insects and animals realign themselves into a new pattern as long as is necessary.

Mark 4:37

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him "Teacher, don't you care if we drown." he got up and rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 

In the grand scheme of things, it makes our day to day concerns smaller. If God sees the whole earth from a higher perspective, and how all the patterns interrelate, surely He can show us the way to live. Time spent with Him will resonate in the realms of heaven. Facing a situation where you see no way out, give it to Jesus in prayer. We know that when he lived on earth, even the wind and the waves obeyed him.

Refreshing rain

I was walking down an urban street; the weather had been quite dry, which is quite usual in Essex. It had however rained a short shower overnight. The pavements were dry and it was a fresh and breezy morning. I noticed a small Robin, he was slender bodied with a bright rosy-feathered chest. There was a large hole in a driveway, in front of a group of houses; probably the gravel had been dug out by cars manoeuvring in and out. The hole was filled with rainwater, and the little bird was dipping his beak, and then snapping his little beak together, with the joy of swallowing the purest of water. It was early. Nothing had stirred up any mud; it was pure, just as it had fallen from the sky. I imagined that the bird had roosted in the hedge close by. It would have had no idea that such a wonderfully clean and pure drink of water would be provided for him the next day.

Revelation 22:1-2
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit every month. And the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations.

He was enjoying it so much; I was even able to pass close by, with a little dog leading me past him. So intent was the Robin on enjoying his sweet tasting water.
I thought about the gifts God gives to us. But in those darkest times, through grief, our own illness, or the illness of our loved ones; in the times that we feel alone, or that the future once lived in hope is gone; masked by inexplicable events that we have no control over: in our darkest times, we dare to wonder, 'Why has God allowed this to happen?' Hard as it is to understand, God does not punish us in this way. Without enduring testing times, we could live our lives without any reference to God. It is Man's own ego and self reliance that is the counterbalance, between enjoying a loving and trusting relationship with God or living a life without hope. If we did not have material resources we would not have the same decision- making power, over our own destiny, quite often. I have worked with a community of people in Africa, in an orphanage, where the worship and praise for Jesus, would make the hairs on your neck stand on end. There would be a sweep of emotion, as a wave of the Holy Spirit brushed past as we sang, sometimes in different languages; A collection of people from the four corners of the earth united in heart-felt praise. The westerners were humbled by the faith of those who materially, were very poor. Their faith was strong because even their smallest needs were offered in prayer. They knew how to share in everything. In fact I felt that though we brought them material gifts, these were mere frivolities that could not distract them from the love that they shared for one another, both staff and the young people whom they cared for. The most precious thing they had was an unspoken, mutual respect for each other; a closeness that transcended the circumstances they had suffered previously. Before becoming part of that community, many had suffered unspeakable hardship. Their reliance on a loving Jesus for their future was almost tangible.

Isaiah 12:2-3
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

So you see without the metaphorical rain in your life, you could not begin to appreciate the sun; the times when you enjoy prosperity and contentment. God knows our every need, even the ones we may not realise ourselves. Can a time of misfortune bring us closer to God? Sometimes it can, but only when, by an act of will, when we turn to Him in prayer. It is always a partnership you see.
Just as God provided a drink of pure, sweet-tasting water for that little robin, on that particular morning so He will also provide pools of refreshment in your life, even in those situations that are burdening you.