Things Could Get Worse!

Yesterday…

…Chatting to my friend Jack… He’s not too well physically, but yesterday Jack was positive. Things could get worse… but they weren’t yesterday.

…My friend Andy’s upset because he’s unable to see his primary-school-aged child. The child’s mother is being particularly difficult… Things could get worse? She may move away without telling him where she’s going…

…Our mutual friend Jim’s in significant discomfort because he’s had a mole removed from his back… Things could get worse? He’s discovered that the mole was cancerous and he must have further surgery…

…On the news there was more on rising prices – petrol, food… Things could get worse? There’s imminent strike action and disruption as workers seek pay rises to match inflation… With more expensive gas and electricity – when the weather gets cold and we need heating…

…We watched the documentary about Britain’s Olympic gold-medal-winning diver: ‘Tom Daley: Illegal to be me’… I was appalled to hear of the homophobia, hatred and abuse that he’d suffered since he came out as gay…

He talked to LGBTQ+ athletes from other countries where it’s illegal to be gay, where insults and abuse are even more overt, where punishments such as whipping, life-imprisonment or even the death penalty are practiced…

Things could get worse? Daley’s determined to change things…

…Yesterday daughter-Jo wrote: After 2 different delivery vans hit our car outside our house within 5 days, it has been a very stressful 3 weeks, with many, many hours on the phone trying to negotiate with the 2 companies.

Things could get worse? ‘But God is good all the time and all the time God is good and today I collected our new to us car, so much more than we could have asked or imagined. God works in ways that we don’t understand.’

Musing… The Bible narrative repeatedly shows that when things can get worse they often do…as seen supremely in Jesus’ death… but through ‘things-getting-worse’ comes hope, transformation, resolution and a new and better life.