Thought for the Day - Monday 1 June

Thought for the Day – Monday 1^st June

Amazingly, we have yet another very appropriate text for us at this time when we are beginning to see ‘Lockdown’ eased. It seems to me that following the scenes of crowded beaches and tourist spots over the weekend with people not physically distancing that perhaps our cry for the common good at this time should be – Oh! That people would heed these words from Proverbs 8: 1-4 entitled the ‘Gifts of Wisdom’.

‘Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
“To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live.”’

I don’t know if you have ever seen the film ‘Groundhog Day’ starring Bill Murray. It is about a television reporter who relives the same day over and over and over again. He comes to the realisation that he can make use of this process by learning all sorts of new skills and learns so much more about himself and his nature and his personality and the way he treats others with each relived day until eventually the time comes when he wakes up one morning and the day has moved on because he is a reformed character.

I don’t know about you, but for us in the manse at the moment each day seems to us like a bit of a ‘Groundhog Day’. We have established our routine as we were encouraged to do but somehow that routine makes each day feel the same and so we try and devise different things each day to try and make them feel different and when the weekend comes we attempt to do a totally different routine to make it feel more like a weekend! How about you? Do you have that ‘Groundhog Day’ feeling yet?

The news of changes to our ‘Lockdown’ were I am sure very much welcomed by so many but seeing the scenes of crowds everywhere over the weekend and actually seeing loads of folk hugging each other as they met, somehow it appears that having been given that little bit of leeway in being able to meet up with one other household that people have just gone over the top in their behaviour. I don’t know about you but I know that such scenes have certainly affected my confidence in how this coming out of ‘Lockdown’ is going to work safely.

‘Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice?’

Let us together hope and pray that wisdom prevails and that people begin to understand the severity of our situation and heed the wise words of wisdom we are hearing in our day. Wise words for the good of all, wise words which if heeded can keep us all safe and allow us to meet together once more as we would wish.

Prayer

Loving Lord,

Created at the beginning of all time, speak into the hearts of your people at this time bringing wisdom and understanding into lives and may that wisdom guide us as we navigate this difficult moment and not ony enlighten us and our way but also transform us and help us discern our way through life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen