Please Use Both Sides

A petrol station in Hunstanton announces: ‘Please use both sides’. I smiled. You can’t use both sides! You have to choose one side or the other…

Son-Andrew sent us pictures of blue skies and sunshine from his holiday in the Lake District… Yesterday Hunstanton certainly wasn’t ‘Sunny Hunny’. It was cold and grey. We had to decide –be grumpily jealous of Andrew, go home in disgust… or to stay and make the most of it. We couldn’t use both sides.

We chose to stay. In the chilly wind, drizzle and grey skies we enjoyed our picnic and a damp walk along the beach. We laughed at seagulls battling with the win and sampled Hunstanton’s best ice cream.

Friends Andy and Liz were thinking of moving. They looked at a house that needed significant repair. The roof was leaking, the electrics needed replacing, the place was a mess… They had to decide: Buy it and do whatever needed doing or look for another property. They could use both sides.

They decided to buy it. The roof’s been replaced; ceilings, floors and walls renewed; windows and doors fitted; plumbing and electrics have been replaced. They’ve worked tirelessly at evenings and weekends. Hopefully sometime soon they’ll move in.

Kerry Stillman tells of many lives changed through the work of Meskine hospital in North Cameroon… including Adda whose leg was crushed in a motor cycle accident…

The hospital provided surgeries, medication and physiotherapy… a Catholic priest and Christians from a local church provided care and support… Adda’s decided to leave her traditional Muslim faith to follow the Christian path…

At each part of the story decisions were made that changed Adda’s life. Both sides wasn’t an option.

Musing on the story of Jeremiah and the potter… Mr Potter (Harry?!) had decisions to make as he shaped the lump of clay, forming and reforming the pot.

Making my life-pot… enabling my God to shape my life-pot… today… Decisions must be made. I can’t use both sides.