Life on the tough side
One very well-known book, designed to encourage and help people through difficulties, opens with the memorable short sentence
Life is Tough!
The same might well be said of living life as a Christian.
So this week we are reading the stories of some of our Church members at The Hub who have experienced difficulties of one kind or another, and how their faith has impacted on their response to these circumstances. For some, it has not been easy to write about things that have touched them deeply, but they are writing about real events – and circumstances similar to those which might affect any one of us.
REFLECTIONS ON LIVING ALONE From Ro Porter.
Years ago, my church pastor would often, after the benediction, add something like “If you live alone, may Jesus be with you in your little home”. His prayer was valid, but to be honest, I found it a trifle patronising, and I wondered if he had any idea what living alone is really like!
Living alone isn’t always easy (but whose situation is?) – no one to talk things over with after a hard day, no one to put the kettle on when you’re tired, no one to help put that shelf up and get it level. There can be a sense of “aloneness” (not the same thing as loneliness which can be experienced as much in a crowd as when alone). And the temptation to worry about the possibilities of illness, accident, old age and so on is very real.
But there are positives that I try to embrace: I can be available to serve God in church and community, I can offer flexibility with my time, I have more freedom to offer my resources to others, and I can choose when and for how long to spend time with God. I learn to be independent and self-reliant, though I must guard against becoming “set in my ways” and selfish, or allowing self-reliance to diminish my trust in God.
My prayer is that I will offer the positives of solo living to God – and will rest in the knowledge that the negatives are addressed by Him. v 3-5 “You see me….when I rest at home…. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.”