A remarkable lady..

A couple of weeks ago I was privilege to attend a concert by Marilyn Baker.  Marilyn is a remarkable lady.  She became blind as a child, but soon demonstrated a gift for music, which took her to the Royal College of Music and on into the teaching profession. Her deep desire to help others discover the love that has so changed her life led her into Christian ministry through music. During the past 20 years or more Marilyn has travelled around the world, becoming a very popular and well-loved singer-songwriter.

Notwithstanding the hurdles which have had to be overcome as a blind person, Marilyn’s Christian faith radiates from her.  As well as her undoubted gifts as a singer/songwriter, she also has the ability to relate her deep personal Christian faith through stories, anecdotes, and sharing personal experiences.  Clearly, her life has not been without its tough times, but her testimony is that through all the ups and downs of life she has known the constant presence, love and guidance of God.  Her personal relationship with Jesus is evident in her songs.

Marilyn’s guide dog Saffie was with her at the concert.  During the concert, Marilyn came down from the stage in order to demonstrate a point she was trying to make.  She put Saffie in her harness, took hold of the lead, and commanded Saffie to find the nearest door.  Though Saffie is a relatively young and inexperienced guide dog, she safely guided Marilyn to the door.  The point Marilyn made was that she was able to reach the door only because she was connected to Saffie through the lead; she also had to put her whole trust in Saffie to get her to the right place.

She then went on to relate that example to the journey through life.  Just as Marilyn took hold of the lead and trusted Saffie, so we need to take hold of God’s hand and trust him to be our guide.  When Jesus called the first disciples he said, ‘follow me’.  It’s a decision we all have to make.  Will we accept the invitation, take hold of his hand, and put our lives into his hands?  In my experience, to do so will probably lead us to some unexpected places, but there’s no better place to be than walking with Jesus!

The best free gift of all

I was glancing through the BBC News website recently and came across a report of a rather unusual incident which had taken place in the Scottish Town of Rutherglen.  Alongside the report was an image showing a long queue at a ‘hole in the wall’ cash machine outside the Rutherglen branch of The Bank of Scotland.  

It appears that the cash machine had developed a glitch, and had begun dispensing extra cash.  As news of this development spread, people began to queue at the machine, each hoping to withdraw their own windfall!   Eventually the police were alerted; they in turn contacted bank officials, who responded by switching off the machine remotely.

The report did not give precise details of how much extra cash had been dispensed, but it did quote a Bank of Scotland official who stated that the branch would "contact any customers who have been affected."  I would have thought that with the current state of Bank of Scotland finances, they could ill afford to be giving away free cash!

As I reflected on the report, I thought about how I would have reacted in those circumstances.  Though the temptation was clear, I am fairly certain that I would have come to the conclusion that it was not right for me to take money which wasn’t mine.  But I realise only too well that I can’t stand in judgement on others who made a different choice.  I am reminded of the gospel story about people who brought a sinful woman before Jesus; they wanted her to be stoned to death in accordance with the law.  But Jesus’ response shocked them into silence: “Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her.”

The stark reality is that there is not one of us who ‘has committed no sin.’  We have no right to stand in judgment over others; God himself is our judge.  We have all at times given in to temptation, that means, of course, that we are ALL guilty and deserving of punishment.  The good news is that in his love for us, Jesus paid the price for our sin, so that we might be forgiven; he offers us the free gift of eternal life through faith in him, and that’s worth more than all the cash in the world (Romans 6:23)!

Which way will you choose?

Not long after we had arrived in Leicester, I bought book entitled, "Drive and Stroll in Leicestershire & Rutland."  The book contains 20 different walking routes spread throughout the two counties.  They are mainly fairly easy (the longest is only 6 miles).  For various reasons we had not had opportunity to try out any of the walks, until last week, that is.

My sister, Mary, and her husband, Keith, were staying with us for 24 hours; knowing that they are fairly keen walkers, Sue and I decided that this might be the ideal opportunity to venture forth on a walk!  After some discussion, we decided to try out a trail which begins in the village of Cossington, then follows the Grand Union Canal for some distance.  The sun was shining brightly as we set off, though there was definitely a nip in the air.

We found our way safely to the designated parking spot in Cossington.  Walking boots on, we set off.  Following our route, we had walked for only about 10 minutes or so when we spied Goscote Nurseries.  What was of much more interest was a sign for "The Tea Garden", advertising home made cakes etc!  Having done so much exercise by then(!), we all decided that we had earned some refreshment.  We sat down and enjoyed a cuppa, together with a delicious cherry and almond scone, still warm from the oven.  Duly replenished, we set off once more (with an invitation from the lady running the shop to stop by for lunch after we had finished our walk!)

We soon found the canal, and enjoyed walking along the towpath.  It was such a beautiful, peaceful spot.  After some time we came to a road.  The walk book instructed us to cross the road, then descend to the towpath on the other side of the road to continue our walk.  It was at this point that we hit a problem!  Our route down to the towpath was barred by some metal fencing; and the remains of an old sign suggested that the towpath had been closed for some time.

Now of course any sensible person would have taken that as a clear indication that either an alternative route should be found, or we should retrace our journey.  We, however, decided that we knew better!  We eventually managed to make our way onto the "closed" footpath (by a rather tortuous route, it has to be said).  For some way, although the towpath was far from easy, it was manageable.  Until, that is, we came to a mass of tall and tangled plants which blocked our way.  Sadly, we had to admit defeat and go back the way we had come.  Defeated but unbowed, we made our way back to the village.  Despite our sadness at not being able to complete the full route, we had enjoyed our walk, and were much comforted by a delicious bowl of hot vegetable soup at the Royal Oak in Cossington!

Clearly the "towpath closed" sign had been put there for a reason.  We thought we knew better, but discovered that we didn't.  Yesterday I took a church service for Remembrance Sunday, when we remembered and prayed for all those who had suffered through war.  One of the points which came across from our Bible readings was the truth that in life we have a choice: we can live in God's way, or we can chose to ignore what God says and go our own way.  So much of what we see on society and in the world today reminds us of the consequences of ignoring what God says and thinking that we known better!

It's a question of attitude

I was born in a post office.  Well, not exactly (though if I had, it would have given lots of material for jokes about a good delivery etc!)  I was actually born in a hospital, but at the time of my birth my family lived at a post office.  First my mum, then my dad ran the post office in the East Yorkshire village of Keyingham, and as a family we lived 'above the shop'.  They were good days, and I well remember being delighted at being able to earn a few pennies delivering telegrams around the village (long before the days of mobile phones and modern communications!)  

Perhaps that's showing my age.  Actually, I received a letter in the post this morning from the Department of Work and Pensions confirming that my retirement age has gone up to 66.  I have to say that receiving a letter about one's retirement age is a reminder that the years are passing, though I am nowhere near feeling ready for retirement yet!

Here in Leicester we have a lovely post lady.  She is small in stature, but always wears a big smile.  Even when the weather is grotty she is ready with a cheery greeting, and we really appreciate her.  Meeting someone with such a positive outlook can make such a difference; a positive attitude can be infectious.

I find it strange how people can be so different in their outlook and attitude to life.  For example, I know two elderly people who are similar in terms of age, health and other life factors, yet their attitudes to life are poles apart.  Whenever I speak to one, they tell me how happy and content they are.  Whenever I speak to the other, just about all they can do is complain about their lot!

Some years ago I came across a phrase, "attitude of gratitude", and have come to believe that it's a great outlook to have on life.  The truth is, even in the most difficult times of life there is always so much to give thanks for if we only take time to "count your blessings", as the old song encouraged us to do.  Over the years I have been privileged to meet some amazing people who, in times of great personal suffering, were still full of thanksgiving to God for what they saw as the blessings of life.  Sadly, I have also come across some who, despite having so much in terms of what life can offer, could only complain about what they lacked.

It's not about putting on a false smile all the time (like a synchronised swimmer!), it's about cultivating a positive attitude to life; it boils down to a personal choice.  I constantly ask God to help me to have a positive outlook, and to maintain an attitude of gratitude.  I don't always succeed (ask my wife!), but it's my goal.  I know what a difference our post lady makes, so why can't I do the same for others!