Coco Calling No. 124 - For Those Who Suffer…..

My owner had a surprise the other day. He went to use the mop and bucket in the kitchen, and there, in the bottom of the bucket, nestling up to the mop head, was a small bat. And a very comatose bat at that. It was in a state of semi-hibernation, hidden away from the rain and the cold and everything else that bats don’t like.

There are probably a lot of humans right now that would feel envious of that bat. The nights are getting longer; the days are getting colder. And Covid19 is becoming more prevalent, resulting in another national lockdown. The mood across the nation is very flat, and so many humans are feeling worried. Worried about loneliness, depression and isolation. Worried about their jobs and finances and livelihoods. Worried about being unable to visit their loved ones. And simply worried about how they are going to cope and survive. This is a really challenging time to be a human being.

Parrots don’t worry in quite the same way as humans. Because we live our lives one day at a time. We focus on the here and now and not on what tomorrow may bring. Simply being alive to enjoy another day is a triumph in itself, and so we try to make the most of each and every day. It’s just like Jesus says in Matthew 6:25-26a:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them….”

The more complex humans make their world, the more they have to worry about. And too much complexity blocks out the view. Sometimes we all need to be able to see through the crisis to what awaits us on the other side……

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18).

There are times we all need to experience hardship to allow us to see the light. There’s an old saying which goes:

“When you find yourself in a dark place, you may think you’ve been buried, when actually, you’ve been planted.”

We should always have hope during our darkest days because we were created by a force of love and compassion. And the real challenge is for us to see that and understand it. And to realise that there is far more to our existence than the immediate threats we see around us……

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.” (Corrie ten Boon)

#Covid #hope #loneliness #suffering