And they rode off into the sunrise......

Most mornings going to work, I catch a bus (don't worry- I always let them go again to roam free) but now and then I walk. It's a far enough distance to have to leave home early but more direct than the bus, so I'm not leaving too much earlier. A couple of months ago, Spring had started to take its job a little more seriously and stopped doing impressions of the Arctic. It also decided to switch the lights on a little earlier too, so that on the few mornings I decided to forgo the bus, my walk to work coincided with some rather lovely sunrises. I often pop my camera into my bag and once I saw the pinky-purple tinge in the sky, made sure I took it with me.

 Pretty, huh?








There's something very serene
 about those colours!

One particular view- this one.......

... made me think of that old cliche at the end of films where the hero rides off into the sunset. Except, of course, this is a sunrise.
My brain working the way it does- I ended up with the thought that, well, isn't it better to ride off into the sunrise? I mean, I get that the galloping off in silhouette towards the setting sun is symbolic of endings- the hero has overcome, the villain defeated, the girl won and all set to rights again- and the adventure has reached its finale. Nature's curtain is coming down on the scene.
All very lovely and I understand that they've gone off for 'happy ever after'- but sometimes that finale seems a little, well, final. Going off into the sunrise seems a much more appealing option at times. A sunrise is all about new beginnings- a new dawn, another day and all that. It holds potential- the general feeling that anything could be achieved. It's a very positive concept.Instead of the story ending- it's just beginning.

I sometimes worry that I may come across as cheesy radio God-Slot presenter (you know the type- '...and, as I looked at the undercooked sprouts on the plate before me, I realised that we're a bit like those sprouts- hard and unappealing but, you know, God still loves us....' ) but my thought process does tend to make those odd little connections.
At the risk of being a little Double- Gloucester, this was one of those moments. (It had to be, really, didn't it? Or I wouldn't be waffling about it here!)

Like millions of others, I'm happy to be on the Heaven-bound journey. I'm not going to be worried about where I'm seated at the Great Feast, or if my Mansion is detached, semi detached or terraced. I'll just be so damn glad to actually be there that I'll be perfectly contented to sit at the table near the kitchen door and inhabit a nice little bungalow just off the Heavenly High Street. So, maybe it sounds a little weird when I admit that sometimes....the thought of Heaven.... it scares me a bit. 

I thought I'd better whisper that in case I get walloped with a Bible. Maybe I'd better clarify.
I think that we tend to see Heaven as the Christian equivalent of riding off into the sunset. We've fought the good fight, shuffled off the mortal coil (nothing like mixing the Bible with a bit of Shakespeare), and have been told "Well done thou good and faithful servant".

What next?

Are we then going to look at each other awkwardly and say "Ermmm- well...this is nice, isn't it? So what shall we do now? Bit of an anti-climax, actually. Anyone have any games to keep us going for the rest of eternity?"
No, of course not- that's silly.
Maybe we'll all sit around on clouds looking outwardly serene, while inwardly, ignoring the fact that clouds actually give one a soggy bum.
That's just ridiculous.
Perhaps we'll be given a paper bag on entering Heaven- and understand why when we suddenly realise that eternity is a very...very....very....very....very......... long time and start hyperventilating in a panic at the enormity of it all.
I doubt it.

I know that it won't be any of those things. Truth be told though- I've absolutely no idea what it will be. My mind sometimes has a moment of mentally breathing into the metaphorical paper bag when it tries to grasp the idea of eternity in Heaven because, I suspect, I've seen it as the Sunset moment- the end of the journey and the full stop at the end of the sentence. I find it hard to reconcile that idea with the reality that after sunset comes night. Heaven won't be just an odd eternal night time. That much I do know.

After my morning walks to work, I'm now convinced that Heaven will be the sunrise to a brand new day- the start of the true journey- the beginning of the fulfillment of potential.It'll be the part where we say to God, "So....this is all going to be ok, right? Only, I'm a bit nervous" and He'll smile and say "My wonderful child, you have no idea! You're gonna LOVE this...."
And He'll take my hand and together we'll go off into the sunrise................

I can't brain today...I have the dumb!

Ever had one of those days (or lives, in my case!!!) when your brain seems determined to sabotage you? One of those days when it just won't shut up- but keeps spouting so many thoughts at you that you end up in a big mental tangle?

Ever had it tie you in spiritual knots?

What is the deal with that?

Last week I had to do something that was relatively straightforward- a formality to draw a line under an ongoing problem. It was no real biggie and the chances of anything going wrong were very remote.
Still, being  a sensible Christian, of course (!), I prayed about it before hand and on my way to the meeting that was to finalise things.

That's when my brain decided to play spiritual Twister. If you're not sure what that entails, it often goes something like this.....

Imagine I'm leaving on a journey. I set out down the road in the car. I pray for a safe journey. Then I may be a little more specific- 'Lord, give me skill and wisdom in driving today.'
Tootling along a little further, it occurs to me that God may very well grant wisdom and skill to me- but I'd just better be certain about other drivers on the road. After all, you don't know who's out there today! I add in a little extra..."Lord, grant skill and wisdom to other drivers, too."

Hmmm- what if the drivers are all skill-and-wisdomed-up but something out of their control happens? Something that driving skills and Solomon -esque wisdom can't handle? What if, for example, a random meteor drops in on us. I mean, it happened in Russia, right?
Better factor that in....."Lord, please protect us from events out of our control and keep us all safe."

That should do it.

Ok- the stereo's on, I'm enjoying trying to sing all the parts of Bohemian Rhapsody by myself and...oh. Hang on. What if I'm safe- and other people are safe....but something happens to the car? Theoretically speaking, that thing could get walloped pretty hard but I could walk away safely. Better ping another prayer up.
"Lord, please protect the car from any accidents. Please keep it protected from any damage on the roads..(wait- what if it gets bashed into while it's parked?)... and wherever I need to leave it. Please don't let any person or object cause any damage to it."

Oh flip! What if it doesn't get damaged but it breaks down? What if there's some sort of mechanical failure? We really can't afford to have anything go wrong with it- it's been an expensive month and  we need the car on the road....

Right...

"Lord, please let the car function on my journey today- on the journey there and back and all the bits in between. Let nothing break down, or go wrong."


By the time I reach the first junction, my prayers are along the lines of:
"Lord, let no male drivers, or female drivers, or elderly drivers or young drivers, or newly qualified drivers, or learner drivers or lorries, or vans, or cars, or mopeds, or motorcycles or pedal bikes, or pedestrians or dog walkers or people who have just popped out of their house to put the bin out, or people who have just popped out of their house to get the bin back in- walk in front of, behind, to the left, to the right, diagonally in any direction, on top (well, you never know) or fall underneath the car and......."

Ok- bit of an exaggeration, true. Especially as I can't actually drive!

You get the idea, though? By the time I'd got to the meeting I was attending, I'd probably prayed for every possible, unlikely and downright ridiculous eventuality I could imagine.

Why?

Why do we (some of us mere mortals, anyway) get ourselves all tied up in a tangle?

I'm not saying it's wrong to pray for specifics. On the contrary, it's important- at times vital- to be specific in our prayers. But I'm referring to this kind of unnecessary mental gymnastics that makes our prayers go around in convoluted passages and getting nowhere meaningful.

                                                  

Hang on...didn't I just pass this prayer a minute ago?

What is it that makes us sometimes feel as if we have to cram every little thing into our prayers? It's something I've been asking myself. Is it that I don't believe that God will know what I mean unless I spell it out VERY clearly for Him- a sort of bellowing into a spiritual earhorn?

                              

 "Speak up, dear, I'm getting on a bit, you  know!"

I'm pretty sure that's not it. I mean- God's GOD! He knows. 

Have you ever seen the (fabulous) film 'Labyrinth' with the late David Bowie as Goblin King, Jareth? In one scene, a group of goblins are in hiding and waiting for disgruntled teenager, Sarah, to say the right words for them to be able to spring into action. She frustrates them by coming out with a phrase that's close- but not what they're waiting for. At last she unwittingly hits on the exact combination of words and they launch into their mischief.

I'm also pretty sure that God isn't a goblin waiting for me to somehow phrase my prayer in juuuuust the right way before He'll act on my behalf. 

I believe firmly in God's goodness- His mercy, His generosity, His love...... so why on earth do I find myself with my knickers in a twist, spiritually speaking.(If we can have spiritual armour, I'm reasonably certain that there's spiritual underwear to be had somewhere!!!!)

What usually happens when I get my brain all Rubik-cubed is that I get to the point where I come to a screeching halt and say to God "You know what all this muddled stuff in my head means. Please take my prayers out of this gibberish and help me leave them with You."

At that point, I can almost picture God just smiling and saying "That's what I was waiting for. Quit stressing and leave it with Me."

Most of the time I end up laughing at myself. Most of the time I can hand things to God very simply and happily. But I still don't know why those Twister moments happen. 

Surely I'm not the only one? 

What do you think?

 Ouch!