15th July 2020

I had to find my diary this week as we had been invited out for a cup of tea in a friend’s garden, such an unusual occurrence in these times, I thought I’d better write it down.  I looked sadly at all the abandoned engagements from the last four months, so much for plans, I thought. When they were put in place we couldn’t see the road ahead or have an idea of the change that was coming.

One of the devotional writers and retreat leaders who I have found very helpful is Margaret Silf. I have her book Compass Points on my Kindle and I often turn and read one of the short pithy stories at the start of the day. In one that I enjoyed recently, Margaret relates how she was once walking down a country road in complete darkness, no street lights, and no moon or stars, she was aware of the uneven surface beneath her feet, pot holes, and rough places. The light from her torch was swallowed up in the blackness surrounding her, she could see nothing, so was no help at all.  Then she tells how she shone the torch just in front of her feet and her immediate way ahead was illuminated. So one step at a time, she was able to proceed to her destination, even though she could not see the way ahead.

This reminded me of this hymn by Sydney Carter:

One more step along the world I go,
From the old things to the new,
Keep me travelling along with you.

As we take our small steps, one day at a time, into an uncertain future, the new normal, may we be able to trust that God will be with us and give us courage as we travel through the good and bad.

Elizabeth Webb