Pear-shaped

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8.28

No sooner had I turned on the ignition to drive home from church yesterday, with the intention of collecting my son from work on the way, the car stopped. While frustrating, the bright side of the situation was the many expressions of help which followed. The Session Clerk stopped, with a car full of children, and we tried to jump-start my vehicle. When that didn't work, the insurance company sent a taxi so I wouldn't have to wait until the recovery lorry arrived, which was having a busy time and therefore could take hours.

The taxi-driver turned out to be a chaplaincy colleague, so we enjoyed catching-up with each other's news on the way back to the manse. My son had enjoyed a walk home on what turned out to be a sunny afternoon. When the recovery lorry got around to my case, the mechanic from Morar Motors collected the key from the house to save me the bother of returning to the vehicle.

I'm not going to sit here smugly and croon about how wonderful it is when things don't go according to plan - because of the cascade of opportunities which an unforeseen situation unleashes. As I walked the dog later that evening I reflected on how different it would have been in bad weather or mid winter. I just feel grateful for how lightly I got off - and of course for all those gestures of kindness I have just related.

Those who really can boast about creating opportunity out of adversity include the Melody Singers from Iraq. When these formerly displaced Christians from Qaraqosh on the Nineveh Plains returned to their city, they found their homes in ruins. As they began to rebuild they made music to encourage each other and now they sing - for Christians and Muslims - as a testimony of their faith in Jesus and to encourage others to rebuild their lives and their homes and their faith in God, whose love always comes through for those who trust Him. You can find out more at www.opendoorsuk/iraq. Gur teid math leotha - agus leibh!