bigger

Out and about this afternoon, I saw an interesting 'bumper sticker' on the back window of a car.

"My Dad's bigger than yours!"

It took me aback for a moment or two. I'm naive enough to read these things quite literally.

For a fleeting moment I thought to myself - how can you possibly know? My Dad's been dead for more than a quarter of a century!

In fact, I was so put out for that second or two that I found myself thinking - I bet he's not (I mean, I bet your Dad's not bigger than mine: since my Dad was 6 foot 3 in his stocking soles).

But reality quickly set in. It was, after all, just another playful 'bumper sticker' which meant no harm. As in, 'just joking'.

When I walked on by, I thought about it some more. And the more I thought the more I reflected that this was a word from the Lord. For me. In the face of all that's presently going on.

A reminder to me of certain basic truths I need to cling to day by day.

My Dad's bigger than yours.

That's the truth nof the matter so far as I'm concerned.

My Dad is God. And you don't get bigger than that.

And I'm having to learn all over again to depend on that basic truth.

In a strange sort of way it was Jesus who really coined, if not the phrase, then certainly the notion.

He reckoned that those who were his opponents were 'of their father the devil'.

Quite harsh, the language he used! But he made people sit up, take notice of what he was saying: and think.

And when he got nailed to that wicked cross he was all too aware, I suppose, that this was what he who's the father of lies could come up with and throw in his face.

Deception leads to destruction.

The folk who opposed him - their 'Dad' had quite an armoury, and, bully that he is, is pretty strong.

But ...

My Dad's bigger than yours.

It was like today the Lord was simply reminding me once again that that's the bottom line.

Hitting me right in the face with this fact as I walked along and telling me simply - remember!

These days aren't all that easy, that's for sure. In all sorts of ways which I can't go into here.

So it's good to have this perspective underlined for me and brought to my attention once again.

It forms the solid backdrop, or bedrock, to all that I've been doing.

Which on a Monday involves a fair old bit of preparation. With the Wednesday lunchtime service coming up and soe thought to be given to each of the two Sunday services.

And then, again, there have been people to see and visits to make and a meeting at night to consider some aspects of our whole overall 'youth strategy'.

Where there's work to be done.

Sometimes it feels like it's failure on every front. Like the challenge is way too big. Like we're not really up to the task. Like the thing's getting worse as time goes on.

It's then that I have to remember that rock bottom truth on which my life is built -

My Dad's bigger than yours.