Struggling together

What do husbands do when the wife has her colours done and they have three hours to spare?

Pay 50p for the King’s Lynn Maritime Trail and have a fab time walking back into history. It struck me as I went back into maritime stories here how the community would have been important. There was clearly a lot of wealth here in Nelson’s day, and I imagine the poor were very poor. I imagine the rich merchants kicking the poor hard or ignoring them. The poor would have needed each other to survive. 

For some reason, I’m led to put together a service of worship for next Sunday on encouragement. When times are hard we need to encourage each other; when community celebrates it celebrates together, when we are feeling rough, we need someone to stand by us to remind us we matter. 

I love this which someone posted earlier today: 

Today was a Difficult Day," said Pooh.

There was a pause.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Piglet.

"No," said Pooh after a bit. "No, I don't think I do."

"That's okay," said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.

"What are you doing?" asked Pooh.

"Nothing, really," said Piglet. "Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don't feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either.

"But goodness," continued Piglet, "Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you've got someone there for you. And I'll always be here for you, Pooh."

And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs...he thought that his best friend had never been more right.

I offer four pictures that led me to reflect on our need to encourage each other and struggle together and laugh together...

The first, above, is from last Sunday at the community centre in Tydd St Giles. The little community we’ve attached ourselves to for this time in The Fens Circuit, found out the other week their chapel cannot be used anymore. They met on Sunday in the community centre but they’ve been encouraged as the Parish Church have told them they can have the lady chapel as their new home. They’ve been encouraged as people have been so kind in an hour of need. We spoke to the vicar on Saturday. She is very happy for this arrangement to flourish. I was struck as we shared Harvest by the verse in a frame brought from the chapel: “Wherever two or three are gathered...” An example of building each other up.

I felt included in this little community as I shared in a Last of the Summer Wine sketch as our wives wouldn’t hurry up:

Man 1 (me): “Do you find you wait for ages to your wife to come?”

Man 2: “Yes, and I find when it isn’t my fault,it is my fault.”

Man 1: “I’ve learnt that!”

Man 3: “My wife can talk for England and for Wales!” 

At which point this male banter ended as one of the wives approached! 

How does our faith encourage us? On Sunday night we took the opportunity to see the Gaia  earth before it was taken down. Canon Sarah led us in a powerful reflection on the cross and the world. The crucifix at the heart of the cathedral reminds us that while the earth turns, the cross stands, through inhumanity, through Brexit, through things I don’t get. The Christ who suffers, encourages me to keep going. I am never alone! 

We need to be encouraged rather than put down in life. We need to know it will be okay to go forward. We have three new rescue cats living with us. Velvet needs to know it is safe to come out of the study; Bella, dumped and deprived of love, needs to know security.

We need to encourage more before we put down. After reading this, who will you say one word of encouragement to today? It could make a huge difference. So I’ll end these random early morning thoughts with Marianne Williamson: 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”