Embarrassing Key Moment

I had been on the road for a few consecutive days and had managed to aquire some unwanted litter in the car. The odd empty rolling water bottle, some chocolate wrappers and a discarded pack of Walkers finest (to avoid the perception of me favouring one snack manufacturer over another it’s important that I point out that there are also other crisp producers) and so as I pulled into the petrol station to satisfy my thirsty vehicle, I decided to make use of the bin on the forecourt.

I stopped the car, removed the key and began to gather the offending items, clutching them in my hands as I continued to de-clutter. Hands full I proceeded to the bin and dropped everything in. On returning to the car I began to feel in my pockets for the key. It wasn’t there – I must have left it in the car. I searched the car – under the seats, in every gap and even lifted out the carpets but I couldn’t find anything. I checked my pockets again before looking around on the floor of the petrol station forecourt. Nothing!

I repeated all of these steps numerous times, convinced that each new search would be more thorough than the last. By now the staff in the shop were staring out of the window trying to work out what I was doing. I had been parked for some time, had put no fuel in the car and was causing the traffic to back up behind me. They looked perplexed.

I looked towards the bin that had so gratefully received my rubbish – surely I hadn’t dropped the key in also? I walked over to it and peered through the little gap –I thought I would be able to fit my hand in. As I reached in I was greeted by some unfamiliar textures – it was like a poor version of a bush tucker trial in a famous TV show. I felt the crisp packet, located one of the empty drink bottles but just couldn’t find the key. A wide range of onlookers were now giving me some very strange looks.

I needed to take the lid off the bin but it was locked – I decided it was time to explain my suspicious actions to the staff. Their eyes followed me all the way to the tills where I proceeded to share my plight. ‘Do you have a key for the bin please’? I asked.

A very friendly (if not slightly chuckling) lady followed me back towards the bin and turned the lock with her key. We pulled the lid off and lifted out the entire contents. I rummaged through, sure that it would be easy to spot – the lady put on her latex gloves and joined in. We now had quite an audience. I began to wonder if I had failed to search the car properly and had caused all this fuss in error – just then a big beaming smile came across the ladies face as she held up the key!!!!

This was indeed a moment of celebration – once lost, condemned to the rubbish bin but now found, able to engage in its true destiny once again. A little ‘jig’ would have surely been appropriate in front of the watching crowd but I resisted and simply whispered a prayer of thanks.

How often do we mistake useful things with things that should be thrown out? Have we lost some valuable traditions in the process of a church de-clutter? We need to get rid of that which is no longer of value but let’s not confuse them with things that still have current worth. Have we convinced ourselves that we have no value, have we looked at ourselves or others and written them off? Jesus wants to rescue those who have been thrown away. He sees our value and came to relentlessly seek and save our lost and discarded lives. Not only has He saved us but He’s passionately committed to restoring our lives to fulfil great purposes and plans once again. This may be a good moment to do a little ‘jig’ or whisper a new prayer of thanks!

Raising your game

It had been a terrific day in so many ways. The bride had turned up on time, the ‘I do’s’ and ‘I will’s’ all came out in the right order, the sun had radiated its’ beams on cue and the parents of the bride had come out of the day without administrators filing for their bankruptcy. To top off what had been a great wedding, a Ceilidh had been arranged into the wee hours of the morning. (for those who are not sure what a Ceilidh is, imagine lots of rhythm-less  people trying to follow a bearded man shouting out complex instructions, involving intricate footsteps and body movements – all accompanied by fiddling folk music!).

Our kids had lasted well - stuffed with more buffet food than is surely good for them and fizzing with E numbers from their steady stream of soft drinks. But now they were ready to drop and they required a little assistance from dad in order to make their way to the car before a long drive home.

We normally keep quite a strict routine in our home regarding bed times and this was certainly a significant exception - one that has often been referred to. In fact whenever a late night was proposed in the following years, they would ask the question ‘will it be later than the wedding?’ The exceptional late night experience had set a ‘benchmark’ – something they would use for years to come in order to measure true lateness.

Benchmarks can be such experiences that set a standard – a standard that ‘things’ either rise to and exceed, or fall short of and miss. They create definition of what we would either like to achieve or avoid – articulating our hopes and expectations. We all create them - benchmarks that set ‘our’ standard.

I enjoy playing the piano and I’ve played in various bands (although I lacked the foot tapping skills for a ceilidh band) over the years. In some of these bands I may have been perceived as one of the stronger musicians – possibly a benchmark? I would try and help others in developing their musical abilities in order to see their standard rise. But I was in danger – I had reached my own standard and was consistently satisfying my own expectations. Complacency, mediocrity and apathy often lurk around the corner in such circumstances and all of these become a real anaesthetic in our lives. I needed a new benchmark!

I remember feeling my jaw dropping as I looked on in amazement at the piano keys being played at super speed at a Jools Holland concert – it was so inspiring. I had never seen the piano played in that way before. I also remember feeling astounded when I began to play with some professional musicians who were light years beyond me in their ability. They pushed me and made me feel like a learner again but it was good - So often feeling like a ‘comfortable pro’ can be more dangerous than feeling like a ‘developing learner’. I valued the ‘L’ plates that I had reapplied and knew that the impending sedative of complacency was gone – a new benchmark had indeed been set.

Maybe there are others who consider ‘us’ to be their benchmark of Christian spirituality. They look on desirous to learn from our example, hoping to rise to the heights they may have perceived in us. Maybe we’re aware of the way they look to us and so do all we can to assist them on their journey. It’s good to realise they are there and look in their direction. The apostle Paul in 1 Corinth 11:1 faced all those looking up to him and said ‘Follow my example’. For many this missionary journeying, faith filled church planter had become their benchmark.

But Paul wasn’t complacent. He goes on to say ‘Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ’. Despite all his achievements, all his acts of adventure, all the crowds who hung onto his words, Paul had another benchmark – the person of Christ Jesus.

Does your benchmark needs raising? Do you need to be in the presence of a higher standard? Can you see a pacesetter ahead of you? Ask Jesus to renew your vision of him and reveal a new level through others who are ahead of you in their Christ following journey. Don’t let complacency create a premature finishing line in your life – there is more of the journey to travel.

Heaven and Earth - tensions for headspace

The space in my head has limitations. It’s like a soft sponge cake (no insults please) that can only be cut up into so many portions before it runs out. Lots of issues and people are vying for their own slice and I sometimes I feel like I need a ‘feeding of the five thousand’ miracle – I would be delighted if I could have 12 baskets of leftovers! I know I have limitations and restrictions and like us all I can simply run out.

As well as the demands of others, I have my own wants and desires that place demands on me – managing these can be even more challenging. One of my simple pleasures in life is a compulsion to know as much about what is going on in the world as possible. This drives me to instinctively reach for my smart phone as soon as my alarm clock announces the dawn of a new day to catch up with the breaking day’s headlines. I scan through subjects of world affairs, UK politics, technological announcements, entertainment news, sporting headlines and the local news – all on my tiny hand held device before a single grain of caffeine has even participated in my morning.

Sure that I am now familiarised with the main things taking place in this world I make my way to the kitchen to rectify the caffeine situation. I promptly put on the radio where the issues I had just read are being discussed. After making the family breakfast, fulfilling other morning duties and delving into my daily bible reading I may even get chance to switch on the TV to see videos playing of these same headlines.

Throughout the day I have ‘twitter’ to help inform me of any further developments of the day’s news. On arriving home I will try and catch up with the evening news – most days there has been little change but I still find it fascinating hearing the headlines and seeing interviews with experts and reporters about latest perspectives. Later that night I may get an opportunity to watch the late news, observe the ‘Question Time’ mob and even watch ‘Paxman’ maul his interviewees.

Informed I may be. Aware of world developments, trends and perspectives may make me feel connected and of course this is not all together a bad thing. But I have a limited ‘cake’ of thinking space, energy and perspective and God has challenged me about how much of that I’m dedicating his way.

Colossians 3: 2 hit me between the eyes saying ‘Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth’. Now we all know the saying that says of someone that they’re ‘too heavenly minded for any earthly use’ but honestly that is usually meant for people who are just being a bit ‘wierd’ – you know the ones who insist their breakfast choice of ‘Weetabix’ was the result of a direct revelation from God or the odd socks they are wearing was the result of a prophetic instruction from the Holy Spirit. God wasn’t challenging me to join their ranks and become a ‘spiritual funny-bunny’ but he was challenging me whether I knew as much of what was taking place in His kingdom as I knew about this world. I may be up to date with likely trends across a multitude of areas but was I as aware of what God was planning on doing? Was my insight prophetic and insightful? Was the predominance of my thinking committed to setting my mind on ‘things above’?

I thought about just how much ‘cake’ I was giving to follow ‘earthly things’ and decided it was way too much – most of it was repetition of the same story anyway. For me it was limiting how often I would engage with the news but that may not be your issue. For you it may be something else – your work, your hobby, your sports team, your social media, your gadgets, your craft making – none of these things are wrong and I’m really not suggesting that they are – but maybe like me you feel challenged about whether you’re giving the best bit of your ‘cake’ to the ‘things that are above’. Look up and enjoy the start of a new day!