12th May 2021

Our project, which has had a long gestation, is about to ‘go live’. Analogies of making the final steps up Everest when the oxygen is thin and you’re tired have been shared… all of us longing for the view and the sense of achievement when we finally reach the summit! I wonder how you respond to busy or stressful periods in life, what helps you through?

Is it just me, or do you find yourself praying with greater intent when the going gets tough? I’ve come across various mobile phone apps at different times and found then helpful. One is called “Sacred Space”. Another is “Lectio 365”. Although it’s style isn’t naturally one I’m drawn to – in recent weeks I’ve found it helpful – a guided opportunity each evening to reflect on the day, take in words from the Bible and engage with a prayer from a well known Christian writer.

I’ve been particularly conscious of, and appreciative of, kindnesses shown… the colleague who brought me tulips because she knew it was a busy time for me; an occasion when colleagues quickly rallied and helped problem solve a new issue that had appeared out of nowhere. These things have kept me going. It feels as if they have almost been the tangible out-workings of what’s described in one of my favourite Bible verses: “but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). I hope you too experience kindness and encouragement this day.

Ruth Allen