Scaffolding, Health & Safety, and Red Cards

Earlier this week I saw some old pictures of the Seagull Theatre. Built as a school in the 1890s there’s builders on the scaffolding, up the roof… Health and safety regulations in weren’t quite so strict then!

Football fans are familiar with a yellow card for a caution, a red card for a serious foul and the player is sent off. Two yellow cards lead to a red card, and dismissal…

The behaviour policy of some schools has included a coloured card system with appropriate consequences for children who behave badly and rewards for good behaviour….

Yesterday I heard about a local scaffolding company who’ve adopted a coloured card system linked to their health and safety policy. A card could be issued for not wearing a hard hat or safety harness.

For a minor offense employees get a warning and a yellow card. For something worse it’s an orange card and a £30 fine. For most serious offenses they’re shown a red card, sent home, and fined £300.

…And if they do something really good they get shown a green card and given an extra day’s holiday.

This morning I read Jesus’ words:…’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as. yourself.’

Musing… Loving God and my neighbour is the scaffolding within which my Christian teaching and Christian living is built.

Working on the building site of my life is dangerous. Sometimes it feels like I’m working at height. I need a spiritual hard hat or a moral safety harness.

Perhaps God is a divine health and safety officer. To ensure that I enjoy a healthy and safe life he issues cards… consequences for my unsafe behaviour… perhaps putting the health and safety of others at risk…

I like the idea of a green card of the ‘Well done good and faithful servant’.