Devotion in all weathers

A few days ago I was taking a later than usual prayer walk through Cassiobury Park. I came across a site I had not expected.  A group of people playing croquet. In January. In Watford.

I enjoy croquet. My father bought a set back in the ’70s, and we grew up playing it on the lawn. Evidence supplied in the photo below. I took the picture on my first camera. Playing croquet are my parents and younger sister. Not sure of the exact year, but between ’70-75.

We are fair-weather croquet players. Not so the Watford tough guys. Wrapped up in wooly hats, gloves and thick coats they were out there in the cold. I couldn’t help but admire their dedication and hunger. As I reflect on the beatitudes in advance of the Watford teaching day (details below), I keep coming across illustrations that illuminate some aspect of those beatitudes. The Watford mad-men and women were hungry and thirsty for croquet. Freezing conditions were not going to stand in their way.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6 NIV11)

My crazy croquet friends were not playing through gritted teeth. I stopped to watch for a while. I saw smiles, heard laughter and sensed the camaraderie. They were ‘filled’ with what they were seeking even as they were freezing in the cold.

What are we seeking above all other things? Righteousness? Doing right by God and our fellow-humans? Does this matter more than any other hope, aspiration or goal? 

With this in mind, please pray that I would have a consistent hunger for all things righteousness oriented. 

Prayer request

Please pray for me as I prepare the materials for the Watford teaching day. 

Thank you for reading this far, and encouraging me in my endeavours to support our times of quiet with God, our corporate worship experiences, and the effectiveness of our preaching and teaching. I hope my uploads will help you to have beatitude-infused conversations this week.

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God bless, Malcolm