Coco Calling No.233 - When Things Go Wrong…

Life has an unerring habit of presenting us all with challenges. If you’re a bird like me, then it’s often the weather that causes us problems, or it may be our favourite tree getting blown down, or a new pet cat appearing in our territory. And if we make our lives complicated, -just as humans do, - then these challenges multiply tenfold. Humans have to keep on top of finance, possessions, technology, work and relationships, -all at the same time. And when they find themselves juggling so many things at once, it’s inevitable that something, at some stage, will go wrong. And part of the art of us living out our lives, is for us to learn to take a step back, and to put everything into a true perspective. Over the years, some humans have been quite flippant about this:

“I read ‘The Times’ each morning and if my name does not appear in the obituaries, I go on to enjoy the day.”

(Noel Coward: 1899-1973: English playwright. Also a composer, director and actor)

My owner and his wife recently had a big problem. Some humans from the water company dug a hole in the road outside our house. They replaced a piece of pipe, and then disappeared again without having refilled the hole. Later on in the afternoon, the watermain burst. Water suddenly erupted from the pipe like some deranged beast. It spurted and fizzed, it hissed and convulsed, turning the hole into a wild maelstrom.

Within a few seconds, water started to pour out of the hole and down into the driveway where we live. Before long, a big pool of water had formed against the side of our house, and covered the front path leading up to our front door. And it was getting deeper by the minute. Well, the water company was immediately alerted, but despite numerous phone calls, they were unable to send anybody out to deal with the problem for some seven long hours. So my owner and his wife had to deal with this unexpected situation on their own. You could call it another of Life’s unexpected problems.

Well, fortunately, they managed to uncover a couple of drains, and this allowed enough water to be released to avoid the risk of our home being flooded. This combined with frequent bailing and sweeping just about kept the flow of water under control until the water company eventually returned.

There are lots of different ways in which we could view what happened. Clearly, my owner and his wife didn’t want all this water, yet in arid parts of Africa, an abundance like this would have been beyond peoples’ wildest dreams. And in the end, our house wasn’t flooded, so we should all be grateful for that. As Marilyn Monroe once said:

“Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right.” (Marilyn Monroe: 1926-1962: American pin-up model and actress).

You could describe what happened as a bit of a test. As a Christian parrot, I know that Life will bring its’ trials and tribulations, and that they will come in many shapes and guises. But I also know that ultimately, everything will be fine. And when we get to the point of knowing and believing this, then it’s possible to find joy in the midst of adversity. Even when a watermain bursts outside your home!

“Spiritual joy is what you experience when you choose to give thanks to God, no matter what happens, -even when things go wrong.”

(Jim George: 1943-Present: American author).

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

(John 16:33).