I wanted to add a ‘PS’ to my Monday blog – the one about Poo from Heaven.
The next day I was sitting outside again, reading my favourite Monocle magazine and enjoying a cup of tea. Sam was nearby also having a cuppa and devouring a novel. Suddenly there was a funny noise. ‘What was that?’ Sam asked. She looked at me and saw my crestfallen face at what had happened to Monocle … and then she broke into fits of laughter. Because there – right in the middle of the page – was a big splattering of poo. More bird poo from heaven. That had fallen on me. Again!
As Sam rolled around in laughter she threw out some funny questions: Was it the same bird? Was I being targetted? Was there a seagull contract out on me? Was it a sign? Was it God?!!!
I don’t know. There’s a certain mystery to these things which I was trying, in the brevity of a blog, to write about on Monday. My point on Monday was that it’s not right or helpful to say it’s ‘luck’. Anyway, I don’t believe in luck. But the chances of being pooed on twice in two days is pretty slim. But there we go. It happens.
All this shows me two things – two things that I need to hold in tension. On the one hand I need to be careful not to read too much into some of the things that happen in life. If I look for profound meaning in every little thing, I will struggle. On the other hand, life does have meaning and God is at work. And whilst God doesn’t send everything our way (as Lisa Cuellar rightfully pointed out in her Comment on Monday’s blog – thanks Lisa), he is ultimately in charge. He is Sovereign and he works in and through the events of life to work out what’s best. And he uses human beings – even me – to work out his purposes, especially as I co-operate with him and am obedient to him and his word. That much I know and am sure of. And that means I can trust him. I can sleep well at night, knowing that even if more poo from heaven comes the next day (which it didn’t, by the way), then he knows and it’s ok.
Oh, in case anyone wants to know what happened to my beloved Monocle – it wasn’t as bad as I’d at first thought. Whilst the seagull had carefully hit right in the middle of a right-hand page (oh – had it something against Monocle I wonder…?) that right-hand page was actually the front of a pull-out supplement advertising JCrew clothing which I was not too upset to discard. Ha! So if it was trying to destroy my Monocle, it failed! (Unless of course the seagull was making a point about JCrew clothing…)
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