Dear Friends,
It’s that time of year when, after a long dreary winter and a cold protracted spring, we look forward to our holidays. ” A change is as good as a rest.” Our parents were fond of saying, so this year we decided to have a change to celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary. It had to be somewhere to satisfy the various needs of our little family. Not an easy task but we did find it on the island of Sveti Nichola in Croatia.
Only three minutes boat ride from the ancient town of Porec^ on the Adriatic coast. Everything was different for us. The climate, the breathtaking views , the Italienate architecture. The language was very different but, as usual English was spoken everywhere’ Just another advantage of being British.
We were free to enjoy the slow pace of life and the friendly helpful locals who loved to chat. It was all wonderful and an experience that I will always treasure.
Our world is also changing but in different ways. Many of us worry about the changes we see over which we have little or no control. Over the last few decades we have been bombarded at every turn by change.
In this digital age we have had almost every aspect of our lives changed. No sooner do we cope with a situation which worries us than we are presented with another.
We wonder where “Brexit” will leave us in a competitive world and what is happening to our High Streets. What kind of lives will our grandchildren have to struggle with.
We also worry about the future of our churches, how the spiritual needs of society will be met, the changes that we know we will have to make.
The pace of change can seem to be overwhelming.
What should we do to tackle these changes? If only we had the answer. I do know however that God has the bigger picture and that we are only tiny parts of the jigsaw.
I do believe that God knows exactly how we feel but that He wants us to pray about our worries and anxieties and to have Faith. He will answer us in His own time, not ours.
It is often in looking back we discover our prayers have been answered but in a different way than we had envisaged. He often works through others and He will work through us if we are willing to be used.
When we are in the midst of conflict we can either add to the stress or try to bring a solution. As Christians we should try to be peacemakers , look for common ground and try to get everyone onto it. One small step can start our journey of change.
god never changes. He is always there for us and ready to help us to cope with the changes we need to make.
All things are possible to those who believe so let us go forward in Faith.
Have a good summer however you choose to enjoy it’
Pat Jessop. (Norristhorpe)