“Remember to stay alert and hold firmly to all that you believe.
Be mighty and full of courage.”
1 Corinthians 16:13
Have you ever been on the receiving end of a practical joke?
I was going to say, some years ago we ran the 18-30’s group at HT but then I realised that the people in it are older now than we were then! The reality is that it was about 20 years ago.
We had organised a social event, a treasure hunt, that was to start in WsM at HT and finish back at our house in Cross with a barbecue. Each clue was carefully woven into a well-crafted story poem with about 15 different items of treasure in total. We had about 10 teams, split into 4’s, with a driver in each team. We only had one letter of apology to write at the end of it where we had asked for the price of a house that was for sale in Devonshire Road! Unfortunately, we underestimated the group in thinking they would make a guess, when one by one they knocked at the door to ask the vendor (can't fault their initiative) – by the 4th group, he was not a happy man! Another clue was that they had to provide the name of a cider farm out at Burnham. One clever group decided to ask the owners for a free sample of the cider as proof that they had been there but, to their credit, they did turn up with the container still full when they arrived at the barbecue. Well, everyone had a great time and eventually, they all went home.
It had been a really busy day as you can imagine. We cleared everything away, had a bit of a tidy up and Graham and I were asleep pretty much as soon as our heads hit the pillows…Zzzzz. Suddenly, we were abruptly woken by the sound of an alarm. Normally, the alarm clock would have been next to the bed but, on this occasion, it was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, we traced the noise to a black bin bag in the corner of the room. The bag was full of old wallpaper where we had been in the process of decorating and there was the clock hidden right at the bottom. On finding the source of the alarm, we discovered it was in fact only 3am! We have been forever grateful to the Peacock boys for their practical joke and unexpected awakening!
For most of us, we are reluctant or slow to respond when we hear the sound of an alarm – especially when it goes off unexpectedly! When we are unprepared, we can be taken by surprise or caught off guard.
In our spiritual lives, it is important that we are prepared for any eventuality so that when we are caught off guard, we are ready. We are living in unprecedented times where we are having to cope with the unexpected, the uncertainty. If we look around. we will find many different solutions available to us, and many will distract us from being able to live our best life. If we look to God and read His Word, we’ll find His many promises. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we can seek His wisdom and find words of hope, comfort and encouragement. In God we can find security and peace. We can find the courage and strength to face whatever faces us.
"I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."
Psalm 34:4
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