Finding Quiet Peace in a Loud World It is one thing to discover a quiet, personal relationship with God; it is another thing entirely to live it out under the gaze of a busy world. For the past year, I have been quietly walking a new path as a Christian, balancing the deep internal peace […]
How faith, kindness, and partnership can quietly transform a town What does it look like when faith is lived out beyond church walls and woven into the everyday life of a community? In this personal reflection, Mike shares how a lifetime of following Christ has shaped his commitment to social action, unity, and compassionate service. […]
It is unlikely that any of us remember our first steps as we learnt how to walk. No doubt it caused excitement for your parents until they realised that it would now be harder to keep track of you. As we develop this important life skill, there’s plenty of reverting to crawling or bottom shuffling […]
Even the kindest souls can do it and probably we’ve all done it at some time or another – used words carelessly. Rather than thinking first, we speak and then think later. It might be an on-the-spur-of-the-moment quip at someone else’s expense or an outburst of irritation that sends words like heat-seeking missiles and the damage is done. The result? A look of pain on the face of the person receiving it or bringing a sharp repost and a cooling in a relationship as trust feels damaged. Regret will follow but if words are tossed around like matches, eventually they will find something to ignite and a measure of destruction begins. Words are not to be used to harm others as a fencer gone berserk might use a sword lacerating all those around or as lighted matches thrown carelessly. Maybe you’ve been on the receiving end more recently than being the one discharging those sharp words. Either way, reflect a little on the way you’ve given and received words for their impact is considerable.
A true friend is always there for you and doesn’t abandon you in tough times – they are a stronghold in times of trouble. This is why they are rare precious gifts to nurture. We have many colleagues, acquaintances and people we like, but a real friend is in a different league. What is a real friend? How do we find them? How do we keep them? Do we have what it takes to be one? Do you have one?
Ever wondered what it’d be like to be living alone on a small inaccessible island? Lighthouse keepers are not the only ones who do – there are many who either choose to be alone or who find themselves alone through life circumstances. Unwanted singleness, bereavement, friendship breakdown, loss of sight, hearing or capacity and loneliness can descend like a dark dense brooding cloud. Joan Collins said that ‘loneliness is the universal problem of rich people’ yet surely it is the poor who are often short of friends.
