The art of Silliness 😂

“It is lovely to be silly at the right moment” (Horace).

Did you know that the word ‘silly’ didn’t originally refer to the absurd or ridiculous, in fact quite the opposite. It derives from the Greek word ‘selig’ meaning ‘blessed’ or happy. So if there was ever a justification to be silly, you have it right there.

The world is often a sad, scary and sobering place. We are currently witnessing unprovoked war and the threat of further war. Who would have thought it in 2022. A pandemic followed by war in Europe. It’s overwhelming and concerning to say the least.

Yet it’s during the toughest of times that the best of people can be seen. In the face of evil and destruction heroes emerge. Kindness is brought to the fore and all barriers within communities disregarded when the basics of life are at stake. A common goal for survival and freedom drives all to the need for community in its truest sense. Sharing lives, provisions and skills, all brought together during conflict. The innate driving force for survival rises above all fear despite destitution and devastation. 

Conflict does take its toll though. Those on the front lines experiencing the worst of humanity can struggle to keep the best of the human spirit soaring. That’s when the need for some joyful silliness can uplift and reinvigorate just enough to continue the fight in whatever form that may be. 

This may be in the form of a song … think about the entertainment valued and cherished by many during and at the end of the Second World War. Songs by Dame Vera Lynn and Doris Day made their way into hearts bringing with them the hope for better days ahead; comfort and reunion amidst sorrow.

Being lighthearted whilst remaining sensitive can provide warmth to heavy spirits when the need to stir up and continue 'fighting' is required. With belligerent forces at hand, bravery, solidarity and strength of mind can be supported not only through sympathy, anger, prayer, practical support and rescue but through the retention of hope, joy and laughter … this should not be taken away even if it is justifiably misplaced for a time. 

Spread joy; share a smile; retain hope.

I firmly believe this applies to us all but I particularly consider the children caught up in this current conflict. They desperately still need some silliness … the severity of current affairs should not dominate their day. They need play, laughter, lots of love and fun. They will be all too well aware of the solemnity around them. In the words of Winston Churchill:

“Make for the children an evening of happiness in a world of storm. Let the children have their night of fun and laughter... resolved that by our daring, these same children shall not be denied their right to live in a free and decent world”.

So if the right moment presents itself, be silly and share some laughter to brighten this world and keep the light for freedom burning strong. By this you will strengthen hearts and minds.

In the village where I have the privilege of living, we have just ended our pantomime. It was easy in some ways to feel guilty about the shameless comedy, banter and hilarity whilst so many are struggling to secure a safe haven having had to flee their homes and possessions, all they hold dear with a future unknown. However the distraction of pantomime did not deter from the care and love in our hearts for those suffering ... many comments were made saying that it was good to be made to laugh as it was much needed during this time. It's a balance ... it in no way diminishes hardship and worry but can elevate the spirit and revive energy to rise up and help even more.

So be it.

Ingrid x

“If people did not sometimes do silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done” (Ludwig Wittgenstein).

25th November

Today is Thanksgiving Day ... it may be an American tradition but a good reminder to us all that in everything, we should give thanks.

However, today is also the 'International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women'. This UN appointed day launches the initiative of 16 days of activism, concluding on the day that commemorates the International Human Rights Day (10th December). The campaign, led by the UN Secretary General and UN Women since 2008, aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world, calling for global action to increase awareness, promote advocacy and create opportunities for discussion on challenges and solutions.

I attended an on-line conference event today, hosted by 'Restored', calling for us to change the story, especially within churches ... for beacon churches to light the way for greater awareness and greater support for survivors.

The statistics are shocking and unfortunately seem to be on the rise rather than the reverse. John Sutherland referred to Domestic Abuse as "terrorism on an epic level" and the "single greatest cause of harm in society" ...

• At least 1 in 4 women will suffer abuse at some point in their lives.
• 2 women every week are killed by a partner or ex-partner.
• 3 women every week will take their own lives following on from an abusive relationship.
• More than 1 in 10 of all offences recorded by the Police are domestic abuse related.

Nicole Jacobs who is the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, spoke about the role she is currently undertaking ... government are aware and the laws are changing with the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 being a great acknowledgement of the need. However every day that passes, victims and survivors are often isolated and living in fear with little awareness or support as to how they should move forward. The more sad reality is that places and people who should be trusted can add to the perpetration and fear.

• 1 in 4 churchgoers have experienced abuse in a current relationship ... this is based on research and is a shocking fact.

It is time for church leaders and all christians to become more aware rather than assume it doesn't happen in 'our church', or prefer to brush it under the carpet because of a vulnerability around how to 'handle' it or know how to support a victim. We need men, good men, to take a stand against this trend of violence and control which is predominantly male against female. We are all accountable for our attitudes and actions, or lack of them. Be aware, be wise and be kind ... it goes a long way. Listen and believe what someone may be telling you or indicating by their behaviour or lack of appearance; excuses or change in conduct. Be brave.

'Restored' have updated their guide for churches pack which you can find on their website (go to 'shop') and further information on their calling for churches to become beacons can be found at: 

https://www.restored-uk.org/what-we-do/restored-beacons/

Can I also recommend again the book by Helen Paynter called 'The Bible Doesn't Tell Me So'.

God calls us all to love and fight for the oppressed just as He does. He has no part in harm. "Do good, seek justice, help the oppressed" (Isaiah 1v17).

Ingrid x

Midweek Thought ~ Time

I’ve been acutely aware recently how time can so easily pass quite legitimately in a flurry of activities and in response to daily demands. Not so much the bigger picture of ‘wow where did that year go’, but more the day to day hours and how hard it is to protect quiet time ... time to ponder and deepen our appreciation of God’s majesty ... to truly get to know Him.

I am often helped and have real fleeting moments of appreciation for God, with a glimpse of something I wish I could really grasp, understand and protect, as though I could hold onto it within me and never let it go. Once again, David Gooding’s book ‘Bringing us to Glory’ provided one of these moments. In part 6 ‘Prayer’ (the disciple’s journey), he reminds me that I am justified and no longer need to ‘stand at a distance’ ... I can come right into the presence of God because I am completely accepted by him ... I am a redeemed personality and by abiding in him, my mind will begin to renew and I will begin to bear fruit. Yet what is amazing to me, is not just that I can approach God, but that he in the highest, elevated position of power and undisturbed glory, infinitely above earths affairs, “regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer” (Psalm 102v17). He looks down from his sanctuary, he views earth from heaven and listens to us ... the transcendent God has not only looked down, but has come down ... his care is beyond our comprehension. He always hears the prayers and cries from earth.

We have lost appreciation for God’s name ... it is not honoured and hallowed as it should be, it is devalued and defamed even by us as Christians. We have most definitely lost the sense of holiness and what it means day to day.

I believe that if I were to protect time each day to learn more about my God ... his holiness, his glory, his majesty ... then my very being would become more aligned with his will for my life ... my choices, my prayer requests, my attitude and perspective would become more like that of Christ’s ... how marvelous! I know that I have a sense of who he is in a basic way, but it’s growth is thwarted by the lack of dedicated time to develop it into anything deeper, plus the fact that my mind is so puny and can only cope with a certain amount of thoughts each day, most of which are absorbed with mundane day to day ‘stuff’. I get so frustrated when I try really hard to stretch my mind to attempt at comprehending eternal and heavenly things only to hit what is the wall of human limitation and ignorance with a lot of tired thrown in! 

I long for more glimpses of glory.

I long to live in the light of them.

In amongst the daily existence of being a mother and many others things, if I am to grow and deepen my appreciation for the God whom I will one day meet and spend eternity with, I must be resolute in my time management ... I must stand my ground so that I can grow healthy roots, to flourish and enlarge my capacity to understand and live for his glory. Not an easy task ... more of a committed grind, but one with consequences of significant magnitude eternally. Of course our enemy with his machiavellian plans to prevent this very desire, will be upping his attacks ... thank goodness God is greater and is available to strengthen us daily to cope with and defeat his undermining tactics and lies.

I feel small and insignificant, a speck ... yet God in all his magnificence chooses to notice each of us specks on this earth and he hopes to hear from us. Quite astonishing!

Ingrid x

Midweek Thought ~ Weariness

It’s probably been rather evident lately that I’ve been preoccupied and lazy at my blog posts. So here’s the deal ... we’ve had a bad cold / cough, my 5 year old is now having to self isolate due to a case of covid in his year, so home schooling once again and I’m trying to pack up this home and move to our new one but slowly as there are jobs to be done there ... so project managing and trying to find trades people to do the jobs as well as keeping the basics going has just eaten up my time and energy some days. I still like to support others and get involved in other charitable causes, so come the evening, I’m somewhat dazed ... add to that that for some reason I can’t seem to sleep much ... I’m having a mini season of weariness.

Now I know full well that it’s so easy to compare in order to either make oneself feel better or worse as the case may be ... let’s face it, I’m not being abused or persecuted; I’m not struggling with physical pain, a new diagnosis or unwelcome prognosis; I’ve not been made unemployed or being evicted and I’m not grieving a loss .... in fact, I am supported and cared for by so many ... I am grateful for so much.

Our own lives affect us greatly because they are our immediate and present reality. It’s ok to feel weary even if there’s nothing too ‘major’ going on. Christ compels us to “come to (him) all you who are weary and burdened, and (he) will give you rest” (Matt 11v28). What a great promise to claim!

When we get run down or are just too busy and tired, we’re often encouraged to reevaluate what our priorities should be and to potentially give up some of the things we currently do. That may well be helpful and necessary, but it’s not always the case. I know I would struggle to give up some of the folk I help or causes I’m trying to get involved in ... they help me in so many ways even if they do use up some of my time and energy. As long as I get time to spend with God and then to prioritise my children and their needs, including their need for my time without being rushed or impatient, then to be involved in the causes of others is the best form of encouragement and is uplifting both emotionally and spiritually. 

Christ doesn’t tell us to take stock and stop doing as much, or to give up helping others and to focus on ourselves more ... he simply says to come to him and he’ll give us the rest we need ... he’ll recharge our batteries and provide the vigour required to keep being his hands and feet to those around us. How can we expect to keep going in our endeavours unless we first find our energy from the source of strength, solace and rest ... Jesus Christ. To rely on our own abilities will result in short lived bursts of activity followed by a regular malaise ... not much help to those we can impact and support! Let us use the unfathomable depths of God’s love, grace, mercy, peace, strength, courage, hope and joy as we live our daily lives to influence those around us.

I love these words from Brandon Heath’s song:

“Give me your eyes for just one second

Give me your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken-hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me your heart for the once forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see”.

So despite weariness, I hope that I can continue to reach out and be available to those around me who need help, hope and a hug. Let’s never be too weary to represent the love of God. Don’t walk with your head down or eyes closed to the needs around you, but rather, look for opportunity to serve and be a blessing every day.

Ingrid x

Midweek Thought ~ Freedom to live in the light ☀️

Dear friends, you will know by now, that I frequent the subject of liberty and the beauty of being broken but restored ... that we are set free to continue on our path of pursuing holiness because God sees Christ in us and has forgiven us through him.

Well here I go once again and it’s partly down to some daily readings by David Gooding, so a lot of these thoughts are originally his from his book ‘Bringing us to Glory’.

The starting point is salvation ... the amazing forgiveness found through grace in Christ’s death for us. He said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8v12). Therefore we follow the light and he lights our path as we take the next step. If only we kept our eyes constantly on that light and followed closely to the lit path, but we don’t ... we’re innately human and have a natural tendency to fail. I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone and we are all as equally likely to fail as the next person ... the tricky part however, is to deal with our failure and return into close proximity to that light. 

I have always felt so guilty about any wrong doing, that to turn back and ask forgiveness and to allow the past to be the past, is really hard. I want to be forgiven but I don’t feel deserving, therefore I can put off doing what is best for me by keeping short accounts with God, and linger too long in a self inflicted state of guilt.

In his book David Gooding says: “Sin need not have dominion over you! It is possible for you to get up and start again ... Why? Because the penalty of sin has been paid. I’m not telling you sin doesn’t matter; sin matters a lot, and if we’ve ... gone into sin as Christians, there is no penalty, but coming back can be difficult ... But ... you can do it! And you are free to do it! You are not chained by the penalty of the law. You are free, thank God ... You are free to get up and begin again in the path of holiness and in the school of Christ”.

I find it encouraging to look at some of the biggest characters in the Bible ... take Abraham and David as examples ... they wandered and failed, then got back up again not just once, but many times. They were acceptable to God because of their hearts and even though they messed up but turned back a thousand times, God chose them for vital tasks because they had hearts relatable to Him ... they were aware of their human frailty and were willing to acknowledge their weaknesses ... they knew their God and were sincere in their relationship with Him. 

God can use us if we learn through our failings and acknowledge them ... there’s no room for pride, but a heart full of compassion and tenderness, even if it has taken a beating in the past, God loves and can use for the benefit of others and his work. No matter how many times I need to ‘start again’, I am free to do so because I am under grace and not the law.

Often guilt and shame can take a strong hold on our lives, limiting our freedom and hindering us from starting again. It’s inevitable that we will continue to go in circles fairly often ... a freeing, spiritually high time, to a despondent pit of anxiety and guilt. We need courage to face things about ourselves with which we have every right to be discontent, but we should never stay there ... to see ourselves as God sees us ~ accepted through Christ; liberated to walk in the light; forgiven permanently; unconditionally loved and restored to a perfect standing with God. We are his beloved and of great worth to him.

Personally, I feel that what hinders us on our journey of living in liberty and starting over many times if it’s necessary, is less about God and his amazing grace, but more about the voices of others around us. If we feel alienated or shamed; fearful of isolation or disappointment, then we will withdraw and hide in the shadows. Often those closest to us can be the ones who judge the harshest and will seemingly forgive and love, but hold the sin of your past over your head like some expected foreboding that of course you’re going to let them down again, or commit the same offense. Thankfully with God, even if you did do that, it’s as though you’ve started from a clean slate. He has no wish of failure or regret ... he is saddened by sin ... but his heart to forgive and pick you / me back up again is just the most beautifully liberating love that you could ever wish for. He doesn’t condemn (look at John 8) but encourages us to walk in faith and to follow his light. In fact, it is our duty to do so as his disciples ... to hide and feel shame or fear, or to let the threat of others dictate our freedom, is wrong and dishonoring to God in whom we trust (or say that we do) ... we have this great God on our side who rules with justice and pure love ... what can anyone do against that?

With a focus on Him as our path lighter, we will prevail ... and if we should fall ... He will be there to pick us up and welcome us back onto the path. Any shame put on us by others whether through abuse, legalism or a misinterpretation of love, is not God’s love. Those who know what it is like to fail and falter, to be belittled and made to feel worthless, can stand the tallest, knowing that the God of all the universe accepts them, (scars and all), and with this knowledge, he can use them for mighty works because they have tender hearts, closest to his own.

Ingrid x

Midweek Thought ~ Old Ramblings!

Apologies to Theresa May but when I wrote this, there had only been one female PM! I came across this piece that I had written back in 2012 ...  not even sure now what inspired it particularly but there you go ... not too much has changed me thinks. 

Thought I’d be lazy and share it on as I’m currently feeling particularly rough with what I think is flu. 

THE ERA OF ME

A while ago now, on watching the film portraying our only female prime minister ‘The Iron Lady’, I was struck by her conversation with the doctor where she emphatically exclaims “don’t ask me what I am feeling, ask me what I am thinking”. 

 

The point seemed to be that we can overindulge our feelings, dwelling on them so much that we fail to focus on the bigger picture … life in its fullness, our future and what action we can take to help to change it for the better, to make a difference.

 

We have for some time now been living in an era that prioritises me, number 1. We are led to believe so much that our feelings, wants, problems and desires are paramount, that the real root to happiness is sacrificed. As wise old Solomon said: “there is nothing new under the sun”, we maybe need to take a step back and review our thinking. I believe it is now time for the cycle to move on a notch or two from self-absorbed introspection to living out true love (actions rather than feelings).

 

Please don’t misunderstand me, I firmly believe in emotions and feelings being vital to individual and collective well-being, however there can be a danger when these are consistently allowed to dictate decisions and actions (or the lack of). It is often the real-life tough decisions that make the difference for us and our country which if based on feelings alone, would have potentially proved disastrous rather than victorious.

 

I’ve seen t-shirts that epitomise the sentiment “it’s all about me, get used to it”. While it may be amusing as a passing remark, if we all genuinely believed this then we are no better off than becoming pure anarchists and society would continue on its slippery slope to ruin.

 

Take the riots in London as an example, I sometimes wonder whether they really happened … I mean, how could they? Yet they did. People looking to themselves and literally just doing what they wanted with no concern for law, governance or others. This was indeed a most public display, demonstrating the degradation of the human heart; however, it does happen constantly, not so visibly, in homes and hearts across our nation.  

 

I am as guilty as the next person. Going through a marriage break up recently, I ask myself did I give as much as I could, did I try as much as I should have? Or was it all too easy to hide those thoughts behind the more prevailing ‘legitimate’ voices of our society saying ‘what do you feel and want’?; ‘You’ve given it all you can, you deserve to enjoy life and move on’; ‘you’re the most important person, put yourself first for once’; ‘life’s too short, just enjoy it’ (in other words don’t worry about others and if they’ll be hurt in the process, you’re the priority!). Sound familiar?

 

When you break it down, this argument when taken to its literal end is not healthy in the least. No wonder there are so many broken families, homes, hearts and so much confusion and lack of trust as a nation. Maybe if we took a leaf out of Jesus’ book and “loved our neighbours as ourselves” a little more, thinking of and living for others, we may see more rewards than we’d ever dreamed of both individually and nationally. After all, ‘Love’ is an action not just a feeling, it is a choice.

 

We should not do this with the expectation of receiving in return but be assured there will be a domino effect. When driving, have you ever noticed how that when someone has let you out of a road during rush hour (you’ve been sat there for a few minutes fuming!), that you in turn are more likely to spot someone else and let them out? It happens all the time.

 

I truly believe that Great Britain was great because it was a nation founded on good principles (pretty much Bible truth) and as soon as we let these slide, we become weaker and less identifiable. We should not be ashamed of our heritage and we should embrace the truths and principles as a nation to put the Great back into Great Britain. I know we must move forward with the ‘times’ and due to the world becoming a much smaller place this is more complicated than it’s ever been, but we are strong and resilient enough to rise to the challenge. True Brits are stalwarts and if we would just take the time to admit some home truths then put in the hard work (even if it doesn’t mean me first), we would once again become a united nation supporting each other and paving a better way for a future generation. Let us plant the seeds for a better tomorrow.

 

Get to know your neighbour, see the good in someone rather than relishing the worst, help someone in need and if you don’t know anyone then find someone (it won’t be hard), volunteer at something (yes that means giving your time which is possibly the most difficult thing to give), praise your family, work at relationships, overcome evil with good and always show and be kind … “be kind and compassionate” (Ephesians 4v32, The Bible).

 

With the economy as it is and the struggles ahead, I think we would all appreciate a neighbourly helping hand. Although giving money to charity is commendable, try to give time and a personal touch, make it real.

 

Ingrid x

 

(Written in June 2012)