Well, it seems I took my own advice in my last post to ‘put your feet up and have a rest’ rather too literally. I have taken a year off! In my defence it was marked by study, taking on a new allotment and ill health which didn’t leave much energy for anything else. Sometimes we set off with good intent but can get derailed on the way by circumstances beyond our control. Learning to accept those moments with grace is not something I’m very good at. Since retirement I have discovered just how purpose driven I can be and it is one of the challenges of retirement; finding your purpose in a new context.
It is not long until Easter and my devotional reading today was about the cruelty that Jesus experienced at the hands of the Roman soldiers. It was terrible and as a Christian I can feel both horror and gratitude that my Saviour went through such an ordeal willingly. However, his suffering is not unique; I wish it was. All over the world there are people suffering the consequences of man’s inhumanity to man. Whether it is an unkind word, domestic violence, the callousness of people smugglers, or the torture of prisoners under the rule of dictators; it is ever present. The gospel tells me that God, through Jesus, will show as much mercy to the traffickers, to the boat people and the Home Secretary who wants rid of them, as he has to me. None of us would deserve it yet it is there if we will avail ourselves of his love and forgiveness. I believe the gospel is the only way we can find enough grace and lovingkindness for one another. We must find it for ourselves first so that we can live it out for others, challenge our inhumanity and create a better society .
May this Lent and Easter time bring a fresh revelation of God’s unconditional grace towards each one of us.