Category: Thought for the week

Last year, I decided to sand and re-varnish the floorboards in our living room, hallway and dining room. This major refurbishment task was well overdue – delayed repeatedly due to the demands of parenthood and a pathological fear of a DIY disaster.

The floorboards had been coated in layer upon layer of thick, dark mahogany varnish. As I ran the floor sander over the boards, amongst the noise and the dust, the layers of varnish were stripped off. I was worried about what had been buried underneath – our house is nearly 200 years old and full of unwanted surprises. What horrors would be revealed?

Once I’d stripped off the last layer of varnish, once the dust had settled, what was left was an old but beautiful pine floor. Some of the boards had split or frayed; some were heavily knotted; some had old sultanas and stickers and bits of Lego stuck in the cracks. But what we were left with was clear and full of character.

As I looked at this new, bare, slightly damaged floor, I considered how my life had been in the past – how I’d carried on with a veneer of “togetherness”; how easily I’d masked my flaws and failures. In Psalm 139, one of many poems in the Bible, King David writes “Oh Lord, you have examined my heart and You know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up; You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.”

God could see what I looked like beneath my veneer; God could see the beauty and the flaws; God could see the parts of my life that needed ripping out, mending and replacing. And because God is the perfect architect and the perfect restorer, God knew that the only way I could live my life to my full potential was through Him.

It’s easier now than it’s ever been to live a life where mistakes and flaws are glossed over. As a regular user of Facebook, I know how easy it is to paint an idyllic picture of family life, to present the highlights and mask the mistakes. But God wants you just as you are. There’s no veneer that He doesn’t see through; His plan for your life is perfect.

If you are tired of life under layers of thick, dark mahogany varnish, if you want God to properly restore you, seek Him today and find others (in a local church) who are being restored by Him.

Andy King
The Gateway Church, Kings Lynn

If we can help each person to reach their full potential that surely must be what God wants. According to Niall Ferguson’s book Civilisation, the historical difference in levels of poverty between North and South America shows how people given their own land and freedom of opportunity in the North leads to less poverty compared to the holding of land and opportunity by an elite few in the South.
Beyond contradiction and conflict; beyond choices between my dreams of the future or yours; beyond my ego and yours; beyond judgement and sentencing; beyond knowledge and precision; beyond work and service; beyond crisis, sickness and death; in togetherness is the mercy of God. It is our journey’s end, our goal, our meaning and our home.
There is a force or common good in reality which is bringing us together to achieve great things. Psalm 126 says ‘If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labour’.
The monks at Ampleforth Abbey use the following five statements, with their five linked consolations, to help them to transfer their motivation to the common good:
1. Life is hard but when we work together Jesus tells us that ‘my yoke is easy, my burden light’.
2. I am not important but each person is important to God.
3. My life is not about me but I am crucial in the bigger picture.
4. I am not in control but God is in control.
5. I am going to die but in dying I live.
Once I have transferred my motivation away from my selfish desires and back to God I have undergone repentance like the Prodigal Son who said: ‘Father I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son’. His Father did not scold him but celebrated because ‘this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found’ Luke 15:24.
It’s difficult to accept suffering when life is hard. Southwick and Charney’s book on resilience explores 10 features which improve people’s ability to recover from trauma. They are: 1. Realistic optimism; 2. Facing fear; 3. A moral compass; 4. Religion and spirituality; 5. Social support; 6. Resilient role models; 7. Physical fitness; 8. Brain fitness; 9. Cognitive and emotional flexibility and 10. Meaning and purpose in life.

Peter Coates, secretary of Churches Together in King’s Lynn.

Why volunteer? A better question to ask yourself is why not volunteer? Participating in volunteer work provides great benefits for everyone involved, and is likely to improve your future prospects as well as your current circumstances. Think about that cause you are passionate about – rescuing abused animals, preserving the environment, creating a safe place for the homeless. Whatever it may be; this is your chance to make a difference. Volunteering isn’t about finding a dull bit of unpaid work to help you get that job you actually want, it’s about using your time to do something you love. Your perspective is key: if you see it as this, any other doors it opens up will simply be an added bonus.

Volunteer work isn’t guaranteed to find you a job, but it will definitely make a difference to your CV and ultimately it will enable you to spend your time doing something you believe in. Doing something you love will undoubtedly improve your current circumstances. We all know being unemployed can be emotionally draining, often leaving you doubting your skills or simply feeling restless and rearing to get out of the house.Purpose, passion and perseverance are three vital ingredients that make the difference between living and surviving. Why not invest your time into volunteering and boost your confidence and motivation?

Time is one of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone. Think about the moments that you value the most, if you took a photo of each of those moments, they will most likely to consist of a collection of your family and friends. Time is precious and it says a lot about character. Employers and recruiters, like us, are ordinary people and they know the importance of time. That’s why volunteer work is valued so highly when it comes to getting a job. It’s a chance to show managers you’re willing to spend time and effort investing into their company or cause.If you don’t think you have what it takes, use your period of unemployment as a chance to gain further abilities. Ask to be given responsibilities and tasks that will help you learn new skills or sharpen the ones you already have.Be confident and develop as many contacts as you can – ask them to direct you to any future jobs or internships that might be arising.

Volunteering might seem quite a daunting process. Maybe you’re not sure where to begin looking for placements or you’re struggling to build up the confidence to do it? If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry, there are hundreds of others who feel exactly the same. CAP Job Clubs are here to help. We will teach you vital skills whether it’s building confidence or communicating with employers. Meeting in small groups, CAP Job Clubs will support and encourage you as your search for employment begins.

For more information check out capjobclubs.org or to book your place call 0800 328 0006 or 01553 774881.

Mike Ikwuagwu

The Gateway Church

My son hates anything sad or scary, even on television. Through movie afternoons, we keep asking him, “Who wins in the end?” eliciting the much-rehearsed reply, “baddies always lose, goodies always win.” Watching ‘Cinderella,’ one Sunday afternoon, his usual panic set in. The initial beauty of the film faded into the darker scenes and he announced that he wanted to watch something else!
Knowing he would cope better with the scary bits if he knew what lay beyond them, I pressed pause. After five minutes explaining about ugly sisters, wicked step mothers, magic pumpkins, glass slippers, a handsome prince and a happily ever after, he was all smiles again, eager to press on.
As we watched more, it struck me that we, as adults, are not dissimilar in our approach to life and faith. We meander happily through sunnier parts of life but when troubles and trials hit, we want to pause the story, hide away from the sheer discomfort of it. If, we reason, we could just know that next week, month, year, things will look up, we could keep going. The uncertainty makes us doubt and fear. We long to know the end from the beginning but we don’t – we can’t.
There is, however, reassurance in knowing the One who does! Sometimes we yearn for God to unfold our narrative in advance, as I did for my son; we reason that it would help us to anticipate the peaks and troughs, navigate them more gracefully. Instead God calls us to a place of surrender and trust, where all we can do is place our hand in His and trust Him to lead us safely through, giving us all the grace we need for each moment.
We do not know what twists and turns will lead us through life to our story’s end, but we can count on two things. Firstly, God will work out all things, joy-filled and excruciatingly painful, for our good. Secondly, the final end to all of our stories will be one of rejoicing, wholeness and peace for all eternity, if we’ve put our trust in Him. With my hand in the hand of an author who writes like that, I can confidently walk through my story, even without knowing the full script. I can walk, trust and surrender – even stumble and trip – knowing that the One who wrote my story from the very beginning, will give me all I need to live it, right until the very end.
Georgina Tennant
King’s Lynn Christian Fellowship

Embrace the Mud!
Earlier this spring, I took my two boys for a spontaneous trip to the park. Once there, I realised I had forgotten my wellies; it was the kind of day where you more than needed them! The boys were not to be deterred, so I squelched on, letting my leather boots get damp and muddy. I swung my oldest son too high on the swing you dangle from by your arms, and landed him on his rear in the mud – in his new coat! This was a good point to discover that I had forgotten the wet wipes, so we laughed, let the mud dry on his jeans and coat and our hands, and quite simply stayed muddy.
Faced with no other option, instead of becoming annoyed and upset, I embraced the mud. The best by-product of this approach was the freedom the mud-wrestling mishap gave my son to henceforth abandon all care. He was muddy. It was Mummy’s fault! Further cautioning about mud was entirely irrelevant. We swung, spun, climbed and ran, and discovered that life was more than worth living, despite – and because of – the mud.
It felt like a spiritual lesson lurked somewhere, about abandon and surrender of control –one God was orchestrating with a chuckle! Something to do with landing on one’s bottom and being caked in mud being liberating because the mud brings a freedom not to expect things to be perfect; a freedom to laugh and plough on despite the mud (and the strange discovery that this is possible); and the freedom to trust that the mud will eventually brush off more easily later on, than if we’d stopped, cried, sat in it and tried to wipe it off, still wet and slimy, as soon as it stuck.
So, spiritually, it made me realise I sometimes need to drop my attempts to always be fully prepared, always have my “wet wipes” about my person – the things I think I can do in my own strength to control and minimise the mud. Sometimes – much, more often in fact – I need to leave it to God. I need to trust His timing and learn that it’s okay, even liberating, to walk caked in mud for a while, knowing that life continues despite the mud and that His gentle hand will brush it off when the time is right, restoring me to all I should be, with some richer experiences to relate, about the time I walked, caked in mud, but sparkling with His life and joy.
Georgina Tennant
King’s Lynn Christian Fellowship

I was an avid fan of pop music in the 70’s and early 80’s. I am not sure if anyone of a certain age group remembers the song ,’ The Waiting ‘ by an American rock band Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers in 1981.

The lyrics go like this:

‘ The waiting is the hardest part
Everyday you see one more card
You take on faith, you take it to heart,
The waiting is the hardest part.’

Yes indeed, ‘ the waiting is the hardest part’! Who enjoys waiting? I don’t.

Waiting is an inevitable part of our lives. We have no control over it. There is uncertainty in waiting . It requires patience and the ability to cope doesn’t it ? At times the stress and anxiety levels creep up and make us weary.

Of course waiting can be quite exciting too, especially if you are waiting for something nice to happen, a special event in your life like your wedding day , birthdays etc. You may be an expectant mother ( parents ) waiting for the arrival of your baby.

Students wait with mixed feelings of dread and anticipation for their exam results, or for a job application.

At this time of the year , many holidaymakers look forward to the long awaited summer holiday getaway, with traffic jams and long waits at the airports thrown in for good measure.

‘ Waiting can be hardest part ‘ too ,when some of us wait for medical tests , the results , followed by treatment or surgery if needed.

There is another aspect of waiting ,that is waiting on God , which is praying and waiting expectantly for God to answer our prayers. The answer may not be immediate, and it can certainly test our patience, but we wait in hope trusting God because He is faithful. He gives us wisdom to think through and not rush , before we take action or make any decision.

The prophet Isaiah says . ” But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint” ( Isaiah chapter 40 v. 31. NKJV )

Sundari Nagamuthu
King’s Lynn Christian Fellowship

Everyone knows the story of the good Samaritan: a man was beaten up, robbed and left for dead on the roadside. A priest and then an official saw but just walked passed, but a Samaritan stopped to help. He took care of the victim and paid for his care until he recovered. It’s often taken as a story about how we should go out of our way to help people, which is, of course, important, but that’s not why Jesus told the story. A lawyer was trying to catch Jesus out. They both agreed that the most important commandments are to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, but that begged the question: who is my neighbour? That was the trick question to which Jesus responded with the story of the man from Samaria who helped.
Jesus invited the lawyer to answer his own question, “Who showed himself to be a neighbour to the man who was mugged on the road?” The lawyer couldn’t bring himself to say, “The Samaritan,” but he got the point, “The one who helped him,” he replied. So, whom must he love as he loves himself? The despised and distrusted foreigner, that’s the point of the story. Jews saw Samaritans as enemies and heretics. They had collaborated with Israel’s enemies. They claimed the same religious heritage as the Jews, but they had perverted it – that’s how Jesus’ own people saw it. So of all people, Jews couldn’t be expected to love Samaritans, God couldn’t possibly expect that!
But Jesus leaves no doubt: it is the foreigner who lives among you; people you think you shouldn’t put up with; people who speak differently, who weren’t born here, who perhaps don’t follow your religion, whose nation might have been your nation’s enemy in the past; these are the people we are commanded to love as we love ourselves.
The human instinct is to find safety among people like ourselves. Racial tension in the United States, tribal conflicts in some parts of Africa, the struggle between different traditions in Islam, all show how that instinct can tear humanity apart. The same instincts sometimes emerge in our own society and a few people have taken the vote to leave the European Union as an excuse to abuse European citizens who have made their home among us. The point of religion is to point us away from those primitive instincts towards a greater transcendent truth. Our civilisation is founded on Christian wisdom, but whether or not we are Christians, being civilised cannot be based on fear or hate – loving our neighbour is essential.