fidzbit

We seem to be moving on, at last. The lockdown restrictions have been relaxed which allows us to do more of what we wish to and points towards the coming return of other longed-for freedoms. A social-distanced visit in the garden with friends is exciting and tells us that it won’t be too long before we can once again greet each other with a hug or a handshake. Some restaurants have started selling take-away food and it won’t be too long before we can sit down for a meal out. We are enjoying privileges which are ours already but still longing for something more. It is a kind of ‘already-and-not-yet’ tension. The Bible presents the whole Christian life as a spiritual ‘already-and-not-yet’ tension. We live in the era between Jesus’ death and resurrection and the time when He will return to judge the world. Whilst we already enjoy many, many spiritual privileges, we do not know the half of what God will give us in heaven. We know Jesus in His Word and by His Spirit but one day w...

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you...” ( 1 Peter 5:6 ) This blog post is proving difficult to write. That is not because there is nothing to say. It is because the middle finger on my right hand is currently out of use. A few weeks ago I decided to pick up an old hobby and whittle swords and whistles out of sticks for the children to play with. Of course when you are learning mistakes happen and mistakes with a knife can be painful and disabling. Choosing the wrong tool for the job is a novice error and it was a painful lesson. The cut is not too bad but it will probably take a while to heal and there is no way to short-cut the process. All I can do is accept my limitation until function is restored and determine not to err in this way again. To suggest that suffering is sometimes a necessary part of learning is not a popular idea. However, it is something that resonates with many people who have expe...