By the amazing grace of God, our landlord installed a log
burner in the lounge just a month before “The Beast from the East” hit the UK.
The Big Freeze , on top of Storm Emma has given the UK a winter not be forgotten.
With severe weather warnings and the country covered in ice, we took the advice and stayed in doors for a few days, enjoyed the fruits of labours watching the pinecones slowly burn away in the new fire. I can’t tell you how grateful I was to be sat warm and cosy, knowing that we had enough food and wood to keep us comfortably.
With severe weather warnings and the country covered in ice, we took the advice and stayed in doors for a few days, enjoyed the fruits of labours watching the pinecones slowly burn away in the new fire. I can’t tell you how grateful I was to be sat warm and cosy, knowing that we had enough food and wood to keep us comfortably.
Why Me?
As we kept up to date with things by watching the news, we
saw our little country in seeming chaos! Passengers stuck on trains for hours (even overnight),
water pipes freezing, then bursting, services struggling to keep going.
There must have been hundreds of people in some predicament
asking the question, “Why me?” Maybe you’ve thought it yourself. You just want
relief, things to be “normal again.”
But have you ever asked “Why me?” when you’re sat by a cosy
fire while watching the masses waiting to get home from their freezing motorway
pile up ordeal? I did. I almost felt too guilty to enjoy watching the dancing flames, (I said almost.)
A statement of Pauls came to mind from his letter to the
Philippian church,
I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound.
Chapter 4:12
Looking out of the window at the icy landscape thinking on
this verse, I was reminded of another winter, just a few years ago that was
equally as severe where we were not quite so cosy. We had reached Bulgaria
after cycling right across Europe (I know, I can hardly believe it myself….)
ready to spend the winter there with amazing accommodation all sorted. We were
to spend 4-5 months there, ministering as the Lord led.
In many ways, it was great!! We had an awesome time
preaching in different churches and spending time with the believers in the
Gypsy villages. We saw God move wonderfully and miraculously in people’s lives,
including our own.
Trusting that God engineers our circumstances, it was tough
to find out that we were to rely on a couple of calor gas heaters to keep us
warm through the tough Baltic winter climate. Being unable to keep our
temporary home warm became a real trial in every sense.
Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t show you ahead of time the
testings that you’re about to face? I would have been tempted to re-route and
head for some winter sun if I’d have known the challenges that lay ahead.
It’s no fun cycling a 16 mile round trip in a wild snow
blizzard to the nearest gas refill station, dreaming of a hot cuppa all the way
home only to when you get back that the electric in the village has been cut
again, (sigh).
The days were cold, the nights were colder.
Did we learn how to be abased? Not sure.
Jesus never actually promised fun you know, instead He said
He would give us His peace, peace that passes understanding. It’s this peace
that brings contentment in all things.
Did I learn to live in His peace? Sort of. It’s an ongoing
process. I can’t say with Paul that I have learned how to be abased, but I am
learning. How about you?
The same can be said for the other part of Paul’s statement,
that I’m also learning to abound. I have never been so abounding in pinecones and cosyness!!
The lesson in all this?.......
The lesson in all this?.......
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