Yesterday we travelled to the East Coast of Yorkshire where we’re staying for a few days. This is the view we have from our bungalow – a beautiful relaxing spot.
We went out for a meal. On the other side of the pub a group of about fifteen women were sitting round a big table… Half way through the evening an enthusiastic version of ‘Happy Birthday’ was sung – to my surprise with some tunefulness.
A little later the singing started again. Two ladies were playing ukeleles accompanying the country song ‘That don’t bother me’:
‘Well the sun don’t shine in the wintertime
But that don’t bother me
And the car won’t go if you drive too slow
But that don’t bother me…’
‘That don’t bother me’ could describe my feelings away from home, on holiday…
Three things reminded me that isn’t the whole story…
Watching the news… Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay had both his hands and feet amputated after a severe septic shock. He now uses prosthetics and plans to return to Westminster and continue his duties as a ‘bionic MP.’ We saw the courage of his wife, his beautiful young daughter…
Sickness, life changing surgery, courage in adversity… That don’t bother me?
Reading ‘Unfollow’… Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church – featured on the BBC documentary, ‘The Most Hated Family in America’. Aggressively homophobic and anti-Semitic, rejoicing in AIDS and natural disasters, picketing the funerals of American soldiers… Megan tells her story from her first public protest, aged five,
‘Biblical Christians’, preaching ‘God’s truth’ in such hateful and destructive ways… That don’t bother me?
Seeing these two benches in a park… ‘Lest we forget’ One image of military personnel, medical staff in war, another of poppies and doves… reflecting on current world conflicts… remembering Jesus words ‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’
Ordinary people caught up in wars, sacrificial love, selfless service… That don’t bother me?
malcolmsmusings.org 
Great perspective. And, I think that’s kinda what it all comes down to…
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Thanks David. I’m usually pretty laid back about life, but hearing ‘That don’t bother me’ made me wonder…
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Going with the flow and making the best of our many blessings we do have is a wonderfully positive message. Thanks, Malcolm. 🙂
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I find that the challenge, Nancy, Is to get a balance between appreciating our blessings, but also appreciating where things aren’t easy or straightforward.
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*Biblical Christians’, preaching ‘God’s truth’ in such hateful and destructive ways… That don’t bother me?”
This seems very true in the political context in which ‘Biblical Christians ‘ are inserted today. To share the love of Jesus in an unloving way, seems contradictory. ‘Political Christians’ without focusing on loving God and neighbours, seems contradictory. This seems to be bothering me a bit lately.
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I think, Allan, that it’s as Megan found,, that the problem comes when we focus on truth at the expense of love.
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