WORD OF THE WEEK
HOW are you coping with the present situation? I expect you’ve been asked that many times.
Perhaps it’s a silly question. Many of us are or have been ill or have family or friends who are or have been ill, or sadly even died.
Many of us have serious financial problems. Many of us are separated from those we love.
Some of us are worked off our feet and at risk of catching the virus, while others are bored with nothing to do.
Our mental health is causing great concern. I want to ask what may seem impossible – that you learn to be content.
It’s so easy to be negative about life these days. “I can’t go out for a coffee, a pint or a meal.”
“I can’t go and see my grandma.” “I hate working from home.”
“I’m lonely.”
“I can’t get a job.”
“I’m exhausted and I’m frightened every day I go to work.”
“I’ve lost my business.”
These can all be extremely difficult, and having a good moan about them can really help, but don’t let it end there.
Make an effort to put the negativity
on one side and be positive. Learn to be content in all circumstances. (I said it might seem impossible!)
St Paul, despite having been beaten, arrested, imprisoned, thrown out of towns, wrote, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
There are always things we can be thankful for, and I know that if you are depressed you may not agree with this, but we can be thankful that we are alive, that we have enough to eat
and somewhere to live, that we have a good – and free – health service, and can live our lives in safety; most of us have family or friends to talk to, even if only on the phone. Let us spare a thought, and maybe time and money, for those who are not so fortunate.
We can all have the same help that St Paul had, as we struggle to cope with our situation. He wrote, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Jesus. Being content is so much better a way of living than being discontent.
Why not give it a try? And if you need to talk to someone about your situation or about how to deal with it, why not contact one of the churches.
A PRISONER has absconded from HMP Sudbury.
Neil Bright, 34, went on the run a week ago. He had been sentenced to life in prison at Stafford Crown Court in December 2018 for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Bright, who has links to Rugeley, is around 6ft 1in, of medium build and has blue eyes and short, blond hair.
He was wearing a hi-vis jacket at the time he absconded. Police say people should not approach Bright, and anyone who knows of his whereabouts is urged to call 101.