I haven’t blogged for a few weeks now. In my previous post, I mentioned how tired I was and so I deliberately didn’t blog the following week because I, even I, couldn’t find the energy to type.

No matter what, I can usually find the energy to type.

So clearly, I was exhausted.

However, then when I attempted to log into my blog another week after that… it refused to work!

After making some enquiries, I’m back online now. Phew.

Is it just me, or did God know I needed to hit pause?

And… lean in to listen to this one… he totally let me.

He didn’t get angry. He didn’t crack the whip. He didn’t tell me to work harder, do more.

In fact, because I believe in an all-powerful God, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did some digital fancy footwork to bump me offline for a bit.

Because he knew I needed it.

I was saying to someone a few weeks’ ago that the Church is very good at giving lip service to the concept of grace but doesn’t actually offer it very well to people in practice.

Sadly, this is all too often the case.

We tell people to work harder. To tick boxes. Expect them to always be full of energy.

Do we stop to ask how they are? Do we stop to check if they’re exhausted?

Do we get curious? Or do we get judgemental?

Let’s face it, if you only see someone once a week at church on a Sunday, then there’s a whole swathe of their life you don’t see. You don’t know what they are doing for the kingdom the rest of the week (and have been for years), you don’t know the issues in their life, you don’t know the pressure they’re under, you don’t know their health concerns…

You. Don’t. Know.

If we instantly jump to a posture of pressure or judgment, we’re not posturing as Jesus did.

And we’re hardly inducing them to share their concerns if we don’t create a safe space.

In the New Testament we are given some great advice: be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

Quick to listen – ask, don’t assume

Slow to speak – don’t just jump in and advise, don’t believe you are all-wise

Slow to become angry – practise love and grace

God gives rest.

Are we above him?

Yours back online,

Alison