Ministers May 2019 Message
Dear Friends,
I can’t believe that we have reached May already. It feels like we have gone from Christmas to Easter at an alarming rate this year. Whilst the months seem to be speeding ahead, some plans that I had at the beginning of the year seem to be moving very slowly, much slower than I had anticipated. Perhaps that’s because nowadays I am so used to immediate results, like taking photographs at events and celebrations that I can share with friends and family straight away, or sending text messages expecting an immediate reply. However, making and achieving plans doesn’t always work out like that and there will always be times when they don’t happen fast enough, or in the way that I want them to.
Over the years that I have been a Minister, there have been times when I have thrown up my hands in frustration and confusion and added my voice to that of Moses, Jeremiah and other workers in God’s church over the centuries, who have questioned why circumstances haven’t turned out as they planned or imagined. I know that I am not alone in these thoughts, for everyone has times in life when the circumstances they plan for don’t become the reality they hoped for. In the end, I believe that God will always come to my rescue, sometimes through the words of a bible passage or through the words of another person, to remind me that He has a plan and that those moments of frustration and confusion are part of the process of discovering His plan for me and for His church.
This has made me wonder if we might try, in this month of May, to recognise the things going on in one another’s lives; the unfulfilled plans or changes of direction that we cannot possibly identify without digging a little deeper. The normal response to the question, “How are you?” is often “Oh, I’m fine!” and once these words have been exchanged we usually get on with whatever we are doing. It’s a sad state of affairs if we are among others who could benefit from our care and concern and to whom we do not respond properly. Perhaps, we might take the time to ask the people we meet a different question, like, “How is life with you right now?” Of course they might just reply “nothing much happening”, which really won’t change the conversation. However, it could lead to a different kind of conversation that lifts someone’s spirit and reminds them, and us, of the God who comes close, to assure us of His loving presence in all circumstances, the God who asks us to trust in His plan for our lives:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” [Jeremiah 29:11 NIV]
So may trust and blessings abound in this month of May and our conversations help make God’s promises a reality in our lives and in the lives of others.
Yours,
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