Thought for the Week

As September slips away and summer dips into autumn, we have rejoiced in several wonderfully summer days to boost our spirits.

But the news is not good: Covid is not going away; constraints are still upon us; we cannot meet freely with friends and relatives; further restrictions will be placed upon us; they say that Christmas will virtually be cancelled.

The future is not looking bright. Is there any hope?

Racism is on the increase, natural disasters destroy people’s homes and lives, the incidence of suicide has risen, animal cruelty continues to horrify us, the UK government continues to sell arms to oppressive regimes with horrific consequences and as Brexit talks stall and stutter, it has lost credibility in the international arena.

The natural world is threatened with the extinction of so many wonderful creatures because of human greed and indifference. Is there any hope?

‘Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.’ Desmond Tutu said this and he is certainly someone who knows about clinging to hope.

The Bible says that ‘faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen’.

Maybe in this time of what might seem like hopelessness, we need to refocus our lives and set our thoughts on that which is good, that which is honourable and that which is worth preserving.

Maybe we need to see past the destruction and the sadness, past the devastation and the cruelty to the beauty, the promise, the hope and the future.

Maybe we need to pray for that future – a future filled with hope and care, with vision and promise; a hope that is God shaped and Kingdom focussed.