When Things Go Wrong

Yesterday…

…enjoying the North Norfolk Railway. A steam train took us the five miles from Sheringham to Holt. We explored Holt and returned to the station… where the learnt that trains to Sheringham had been cancelled. We returned to Sheringham on a bus, along with other disappointed passengers, also missing their steam train ride.  

Later we received an email: ‘We are sorry that the train service had to be curtailed this afternoon. This was the result of rails expanding in the extremely hot weather causing a small buckle in the track which prevented trains running safely.’

…reading Roly Bain’s ‘Fools Rush In’. The Anglican vicar and clown writes: ‘The clown represents the triumph of hope over experience. He keeps picking himself up, dusting himself down and starting all over again. It doesn’t matter how many times he gets it wrong or puts his great big foot in it, because there’s always another chance…’

‘The clown reminds us that we’re allowed to fail, that we can learn from failure, laugh at failure and move on. And if the clown fails at the next trick too then we move on again until in the end he succeeds and everybody cheers.’

Also considering…

…Bob Dylan’s birthday …Blowing in the Wind ‘…How many times must the cannonballs fly, before they’re forever banned? …How many deaths will it take ’til he knows, that too many people have died?’

…The story of Job …Reading chapter 30 ‘Terrors overwhelm me; my dignity is driven away as by the wind, my safety vanishes like a cloud. …(God) throws me into the mud, and I am reduced to dust and ashes. …I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer.’

When things go wrong… the train operators explain and apologise; we accept their apology… Roly Bain laughs, learns and moves on… Bob Dylan protests loudly, publicly… Job believes in a God who controls but doesn’t relieve his suffering.

I’m praying for the wisdom to know when to make each response appropriately.