Wonky Scales Worry!

What a panic! Diane was just stepping onto our digital bathroom scales wearing only a bright smile, when suddenly she let out a yelp. Instead of her usual weight being displayed, or even a little less, the scales were showing her about 8 stones (50kg) heavier than she should be! I dashed to her aid and whilst trying to console her found my own reading astronomical. We are both trying to lose a bit of weight and being told that we had just gained about 50% of our ideal body-weight was a bit of a shock. Ouch!

I had a brainwave, though, and took the scales off to the bedroom where I keep spare batteries. A swift change of the power source - and presto - we were both 'normal' again (as normal as we can be 😂). We had not changed but the basis on which we were being judged had.

It's so important in life to remember not to judge other people by our own, possibly faulty, scales. I know that when I am tired or stressed, my batteries run down a bit, I can be tetchy and make assumptions about others and they way they act, that if I chomped on a Mars Bar or had a cup of tea, might not seem so bad. And also, although we will all one day stand before the judgement of God, the Bible tells us not to judge beforehand in the case of others (1 Corinthians 4:5). Jesus told us that we should not judge others or we ourselves will be judged (Matthew 7:1).

And it's good to know that God always has fresh batteries when it comes to seeing what is really in our hearts and what weighs us down. On that day he, who is judge of all the earth, will do what's right. And Jesus will speak up for us like he did at Calvary saying 'Father, forgive'.

Next time I'm tempted to judge someone harshly I will check my own batteries too. How about you?

Moon Landing Mania

The whole world watched the events of 50 years ago this week as two men walked on the moon for the first time ever. I am sure that I must have heard the phrase 'one small step for a man: one giant leap for mankind' at least a dozen times in the media in the last three or four days. And it was both of those things. Particularly if you consider that I hold in my pocket more computing power - thousands of times more - in my smartphone than was available to the whole Apollo 11 project. Yes, maybe it was a giant leap for mankind,but how significant was it in the grand scheme of things?

So, we have put a man on our tiny moon, a virtual speck of dust in the vast universe beyond it. In the half-century that has followed very little more space exploration has been done despite the great expectations in the sixties. Some would argue that we have enough problems on Earth to occupy our scientists and inventors without spending countless billions on travelling to other planets beyond the moon. But still the desire to conquer great challenges drives us on to further space adventures.

I am concerned about a degree of escapism in all this celebrating the moon landings. The World Health Organisation has just announced a global health emergency in Africa due to the re-emergence of deadly Ebola. Still today, too many millions of children go to sleep hungry at night, while millions more flee violence and persecution.

Putting a man on the moon has not changed much really. What can change mankind radically is a personal relationship with the One who made the moon, and the Solar System in the first place. When we begin to make Jesus Lord, and let him change the way we live each day, forgive and radically overhaul our behaviour, that may be a small step, but it will turn out to be a giant leap too.