In Transit

​Our pilot made an alarming announcement.  There was to be an unscheduled landing as fuel was running low due to the head wind! How much longer until we reached our final Chinese destination we wondered? Our time in transit was fast approaching 24 hours.  We were tired of being on the journey and eager to reach our destination where our friends were awaiting us.
In the context of eternity, our whole lives can be viewed as being in transit. If our life span is memorialised by years lived e.g. 1965 -2045, the ‘–‘ represents our fleeting years. How quickly they go! Even if life feels somewhat like our arduous plane trip at present, we need to utilise our ‘dash’ the best we can.
Rev. Graham Long, CEO of the Wayside Chapel, in his recent ‘Loneliness is killing us’ talk, postulated that to be at our best we are ‘necessary, significant and not central’. Being ‘the expert’ (central) tends to be a lonely experience he said. Engaging with others, in contrast, is often a win/win experience. Despite our own problems and priorities, participating with others can be helpful, particularly when all are equally valued and seeking to give to the relationship.
We have begun Coffee with Friends for anyone to join in and have a meaningful time with others on Thursday afternoons. On Sunday afternoons we have Walk and Wonder to help us be ‘captured by the awesome’ (another Graham Long axiom) and some barbecues planned. Contact me for details if you are interested, or if you’d like to discuss life with me in person.
I also derive hope for my life from various promises found in the Bible:
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NRSV)