Holiday reflections

Sue and I have recently returned from a week’s holiday in Derbyshire.  It was a much-needed and enjoyable break, despite the somewhat inclement weather at times.   We were staying in a tiny hamlet called Blore.  Ilam Park and Hall are about a mile away, and one day I decided to make the journey on foot (the weather was rather wet, but I made sure I had my waterproofs with me).  Ilam Park and Hall are owned by the National Trust, so I decided that having braved the weather I deserved a cream tea in the National Trust café, and very enjoyable it was, too.

Situated within the grounds of Ilam Park is the ancient Church of the Holy Cross.  As I approached the church I walked through the churchyard and noticed in particular one of the gravestones which I found rather poignant.  It was the grave of someone who had died in January 1956 at the tender age of just 3 weeks.  The fact that he had died at such a young age just a few months after I was born, was a reminder to me of how fragile human life is.  None of us know how long we have to live our earthly lives.  That young life lasted just 3 weeks, whereas mine has lasted (so far) 64+ years.  What a precious gift life is, something we should never take for granted.  I was challenged by the question, “How have I used the years of life which I have been given?”

As I walked around the church, I came across a rack of various booklets etc., one of which took my attention.  It was a little booklet titled, “Words for the journey”, which consisted of 31 days of short Bible passages.  The introduction to the booklet states, “We hope that they will inspire you on your daily journey through life”, and the first Bible quote given is from Psalm 27 verse 11, ‘Teach me how to live, O LORD; Lead me along the right path.’  A reminder that in our journey of life, if we open ourselves to God he will lead us and show us the right ways.

Although God always wants the best for us, and has given us the Bible to show us his ways for our life, he also gives us freewill.  We can either choose God’s way or we can choose our own way.  When we arrived at our holiday destination, much of the landscape was covered in snow.  I noticed a sign on some grass near our accommodation which asked, “Please keep to the path to save the grass.”  Notwithstanding that request, alongside the sign were footprints in the snow.  Clearly some people either couldn’t read or decided that they knew better!

Choosing to go our own way rather than God’s way will inevitably bring consequences.  To make the most of the time we are given on planet earth, God’s way is always best!