Nevertheless, God Loves You...

Following on from my train of thought from my two earlier posts...

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
  ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39 (New International Version)

Eagerness For Doing Good

"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?"

1 Peter 3:13, NIV

Is it enough just to want to do good? How eager do you have to be to hit the mark?

Because I know of a considerable number of people who have suffered quite a bit in their eagerness to help others, to do good. It's so common, there's a phrase that I use fairly often; a phrase that over the years I have proved to be true:

"No good deed goes unpunished..."

This modern-day proverb, although rather cynical in nature, contradicts firmly the idea that good people are rewarded for their good deeds. In fact, it's often quite the opposite. It's not known who first came up with this modern proverb ... however they certainly got it right.

Because there are lots of occasions when things don't end as you think they should. We don't all live "happily ever after".... this is real life, not a fable or a fairy tale. Sometimes there might not be a happy ending. Or even a proper conclusion to what we are trying to do. And that's awful. That's not the way it should be...

All of the encouragement that I received as a child, as a young man - to work tirelessly to make this world a better place; to use my talents for the common good; to be altuistic; to strive to do make our society better. That encouragement is not there now.

Now, we suffer because we are doing good. We are ridiculed, mocked, dismissed as cranks.  Who is going to harm you? There's a whole bunch of 'em. They line up to take turns at us.

We are rejected as do-gooders. What we do is dismissed as second-rate, despite the fact we do it without reward, and many times without support (either physical or financial).

They haven't a clue why we do it. They say we must have an ulterior motive. When we stumble and fall, they say we are used up and we are cast aside.

Sometimes we suffer because we do it in the name of Jesus. We may be hurt. We run the risk of being killed for the sake of Jesus.

However, I still believe in the idea of doing good. There are so many that are in need, and they need to be loved, to hear the good news... And I am eager to carry on... Who is with me?

Are all the others that used to help gone now?

Am I all alone here? Hello?

Who Is Going To Harm You ...

Perception - Some Thoughts From This Weekend

A little bit of scene setting. Because of the pandemic, myself and my family are trying to stay safe as much as possible. The current advice is to work from home, so instead of travelling to the office, weekday life is centred at home (with the occasional trip out in the car to run family members around). Apart from a shopping trip on Saturday, we're at home. We're not meeting together at the Corps on Sundays at the moment, so even on Sunday I am usually at home. And that, of course, means that I have lots of extra time on my hands. How best to use that?

I'm catching up on my podcasts; listening to music and to the radio; reading books; binge watching TV and DVD box sets. Pretty much an ideal lifestyle for an introvert.

And of course I am thinking... and blogging!

I run the risk of dwelling on things a little too much ('overthinking') so I'm very cautious when I let my mind wander in this way. I'm also well aware of the influence of the media (TV, radio, social media) who are dedicated to the propagation of one particular way of thinking, or another. Telling us all how to think.

That's why I have been taking another look at my own particular perception of what is happening in the world at the moment. Because I strive to understand, and to make up my own mind on the top news stories.

We are bombarded with opinions from the media. Other people’s experiences about something or other. Sharing our own perception is never easy. 'That's your point of view', they say. 'I have a different one'. Freedom of speech is a valid legal principle. See here. 

During the pandemic, each day blurs into the next, and it seems to me that the news agenda doesn't change - the topics are predictable, and seem always to be the same. No wonder so many switch off - ignore the stories being shared. 'Turn it off; let's see what's on the other channel...'

The top three news stories in the news this very day (apart from the pandemic!) is an ongoing battle concerning questionable integrity in the UK Government; decisions made by an overseas Government about whether to exclude a tennis player from an international tennis tournament; a legal battle in the US involving a member of the Royal Family. They've been the top news stories for about a week now (familiarity breeds contempt)...

Opinions on both sides are shared, and shared again. The media try to explore as many different aspects of each story so that they can share a balanced argument with the general public. Each are other people's perception of the truth. However, they can't all be right. They are often contradictory.

Over the last ten years I have described myself in this blog as a 'seeker after truth'. However, and the $64,000 question is, who decides what is true?

I suppose, I do. 

Finally, a question: what did Jesus mean by the following?

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6 (NIV)

Perception - a definition

perception (noun): a belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem:

• We have to change the public's perception that money is being wasted.
• These photographs will affect people's perceptions of war.

More examples

• There is a general perception that exams are becoming easier to pass.
• It is my perception that his argument was fundamentally flawed.
• We need to change people's perception of the military.
• These perceptions reflect those of the general public.
• Popular perception of him is gradually changing.

(Definition of perception from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press. Shared with you as I try and establish whether what I am feeling at the moment is truly how things are or just someone else's perception of what is reported. Keep an open mind.)

Nothing New Under The Sun

I don't know about you, but everything seems a bit Groundhog Day at the moment. 

You know the film? The 1993 comedy starring Bill Murray. He plays Phil Connors, a TV weatherman who becomes trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive the same day over and over. Sound familiar? So what's the solution?

Perception is the key. We need to get into the right frame of mind. 

It's not easy. Every day is increasingly the same, day in, day out. Even the news seems to be repeating itself. Same headlines, same conclusions, same problems. Few solutions.

We are all stuck in a rut of routine.

And yet - today I was reminded of King Solomon, the wisest man in the Old Testament books - and even he said: 

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV

This reminds us that there is nothing we face that God isn’t aware of, and can't help us through. We might not have lived through times like this, however God is well aware of what we are going through, and how we feel. We need to keep close to God, and keep a sense of perception.

It's all a matter of perception.

Show me ...

The Logical Thing To Do

Advertising campaign in Los Angeles, 2022

 

Nothing to fear...

see Romans 8:31-39

Blackbird

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
(song by The Beatles - Writers John Lennon/Paul McCartney)

We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped...
Psalm 124:7 (New International Version)

...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (New International Version)

(The answer to prayer that I received this morning. This post had been in draft on my blog for a couple of years - today, it would appear, is the day to post it. Not sure why. Thank you, Lord. ) 

Still praying, hands open...

Don't worry, pray!

A New Thing...

‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.’

Isaiah 43:19 NIV

Doing Good or Doing Well ... 2022 edition

 Happy New Year. I hope.

This is kind of a follow-up to a post I did nearly five years ago now. Here's the link to my earlier post - right here .

You see, at the moment I am sitting back in my chair, on the first day of a brand new year, assessing whether I can say I feel that I am achieving either of these at the moment.

Doing good or doing well. 

I often feel that I'm not doing either. And I doubt if I am alone feeling that way. I'm unable to carry out many of the things I used to do five years ago - in many cases this is due to Covid-19, however there are other factors in play. Like many, I feel fatigued with the current world situation. Frustrated with being unable to do so much that I used to do. However, I have faith that the opportunities will be there, there will be new things to replace the old - if I keep faithful, keep believing - and keep myself in the best mindset.

Thus, I know that I need to step into 2022 with a new mindset. How I can do that is what I need to work on at the moment.

Here's the scripture verse I used last time, my first step:

"So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith."
Galatians 6:9-10 - The Message

My next step is to hold my hands open for God. I have let go of so much, and some of it isn't missed - it is part of my history of service. Much of it is missed ... however, I mustn't grieve for it, it was part of my life and now is in the past. 

I need to leave my hands open for God - also, my heart, mind, and soul. He wants my hands empty, open for better things. Blessed things. Eternal things.

Keep believing. Don't quit.