Wearily upward

There are some things in life that need to be perfect in order to be effective. Things like balance sheets in the financial world (although my Accounting teacher jokingly said that, if your balance sheet in an Accounting exam balances out perfectly on your first go, you probably made a mistake somewhere...), rocket science (a microscopic error in calculation may mean astronauts missing their destination by miles), and grammar/punctuation (example: "Let's eat, grandma!" vs. "Let's eat grandma!" Punctuation saves lives...). Jesus also expects perfection from His family of followers. Read Matthew 5:48. "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (NIVUK) Does this mean the pressure is on to get everything right every time? Does this mean we'll be in trouble if we make mistakes? Not quite. Jesus is talking to His followers about loving their enemies. He says that everyone and anyone can love those who love them back. That...

I was on a train today. It was fairly full when I got on, but after a couple of stops a lot of people got off and I was able to get a seat. At the next stop a lady, probably in her 20's (I'm horrible at guessing age...), got on the train and, having no open seats in the carriage, grabbed a handrail in front of me. I immediately felt the urge to offer her my seat (which would have made my mum proud), and just at that moment I had a tinge of uncertainty. What if she was the type of feminist who might take offence at a man offering her a seat? What if she tells me off for being patronising (which I was not!) in front of a train carriage full of people? There was no way of knowing... Though this would probably have been the weakest type of suffering I would have faced all week, it still reminded me of something Peter wrote in his first epistle. "For it is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." ~1 Peter 3:17~ The rest of that...

I hate hearing people chewing loudly, or smooching sloppy, wet kisses in public spaces. It's a thing. So sitting on this train a couple of years ago, having to listen to a young couple expressing their infatuation with one another in a very loud, public manner was somewhat uncomfortable, to say the least. I very nearly got off the train at one of our stops to wait for a next train. "Get a room!" was my first thought. Or get another train, please... They didn't seem to care whether people feel uncomfortable with their public display of affection at all. And, luckily, neither does Jesus. In John 17 we get a beautiful insight into Christ's prayer life. We are almost invited into the conversation Jesus has with the Father. And it is beautiful. This got me thinking. Jesus' relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit wasn't something that He kept private. He tells us what He's praying about. He tells us what the Father is doing and saying. He shares...