In A Bit Of A Pickle

David was a Christian gent who helped, supported and got involved in the lives of many. He often described those whose lives were messed up as ‘in a bit of a pickle’…

Sky News:‘Boris Johnson is battling to survive as prime minister, despite throwing himself on the mercy of MPs and apologising for the “bring your own booze” Downing Street party. With top Tories joining opposition leaders in calling for him to resign…’

Boris Johnson’s in a bit of a pickle.

The Independent: ‘Buckingham Palace have refused to comment on a judge’s ruling to allow Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed. Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Andrew’s bid to have Ms Giuffre’s civil case thrown out…’

Prince Andrew’s in a bit of a pickle.

Yesterday I was chatting to Derek. Derek drinks coffee in Wetherspoons.

One day Derek left his paper at a table, and went to get his coffee. He returned to find a man twice his size sitting in his place, reading his paper. ‘Excuse me. I think you’re sitting in my place.’

‘And…?’ Large Gent wasn’t moving. ‘I think that’s my paper.’ ‘And…?’ Large Gent wasn’t returning the paper either.

A bit of a pickle… Derek took his coffee to another table and bought another paper.

On another occasion Derek left his paper and went to get his coffee… Again he returned… someone was reading his paper. He challenged the gent…

…He realised… he’d returned to the wrong place… his paper was on an adjoining table.

Another pickle… embarrassed apologies.

I read the story of Joseph this morning. Hated by his brothers, sold as a slave, his Dad thinks he’s dead, wrongly accused of rape, in prison… a bit of a pickle.

‘But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love.’

Life’s rarely pickle-free. My experience is that Christian faith doesn’t enable pickle-avoidance. Joseph experienced his God with him in the pickle. That was David’s experience too.