Hi all, here we are with Week 36! Martin has written a reflection on the balance between being interruptible for God's purposes and procrastination. It is something I can definitely relate to, especially as I am poised between two very important deadline dates at the moment. I am very grateful that Martin let me interrupt him this week, even if I aided any potential procrastination.
In Martin's words...
I’m not sure that I’m as receptive to God as he and I would wish…but perhaps I receive his call without realising that it’s coming from Him – or Her. I would love to be in the position of the Good Samaritan who saw a very real need to stop what he was doing to help the man who fell among thieves. In Jesus’s parable there were two people, eminently more qualified to help but they were too busy or self-absorbed to do anything other than walk on by. Nothing like that has happened to me recently. There was one occasion, several World Cup Football Tournaments ago when I drove into work very early so I could watch in the staff canteen England playing Brazil before starting work. I came across a collision on a country road where no one was hurt but the female driver who had been shunted into the hedge was waiting at the side of the road with the male culprit. I stopped to see if there was anything I could do. Police had been called but I decided to stay with them as reassurance. I was conscious of the minutes ticking by as my best laid plans were draining away. I’m not a football fanatic so it wasn’t that much of a sacrifice, and I did reach the canteen in time to see the England goalkeeper (David - you know who you are - Seaman) chipped by a Ronaldinho free kick!
Our curate gave a sermon recently on Hebrews 13:16-21 where she talked about her To-Do lists. I’m not very good at writing lists like that, but this summer I have had TWO important things which I wanted to do in the quiet of the summer break. I have managed neither of them! The thing is there is no deadline for either task. There’s no one banging on the door or sending anguished emails demanding a progress report, but I do feel guilty and personally frustrated about the delay. What has got in the way? Well, I have seen various calls for action that have been time limited. My family visited from Australia this summer, and as well as having to pile my papers to make space for two beds in my study in preparation for their visit, I had to give them my time and attention as a loving father and grandfather – which, of course, I thoroughly enjoyed. There were trips to Bristol, London theatres and a Welsh castle. Volunteering tasks arose. A document which I had designed some years ago using software that our Church doesn’t possess needed to be updated with two small changes which I could do in a minute; but then it turned out that there were more changes required which came dribbling in. Amersham Museum asked whether I would coordinate Tudor activities for Heritage Day on 8 September and this involved lots of email toing and froing. Not to mention tasks in the house and garden that my wife has been waiting patiently for me to perform.
And now I get an email from Laura asking me to write a piece about the way the Lord has connected with me. People tell me I must learn to say ‘no’, and I’m sure you will be able to think of ways that I could organise things differently so that my response allows the task to be done without requiring my time. I’m working on it! Our curate’s sermon last week was based around Hebrews 13 verse 16: ‘And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.’ Well, that’s a great way to justify what some of you may regard as my procrastination. A procrastinator puts off jobs that are difficult or unpleasant. Both of my important tasks give me pleasure and personal satisfaction. The delay in completion is a result of my wish to help others. You can judge whether I am heeding the call from God……tomorrow!
Martin loves history. He volunteers at Amersham Museum and is hoping to finish writing up his research on Tudor Amersham…..tomorrow !
Thank you all so much for reading this story about God connecting with his people. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Until next time,
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