大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Haydon Spenceley, Christian musician and worship leader.

Saturday

Good morning. I really hate fireworks. At the risk of coming adrift from those listening to this programme as early as the second sentence of the broadcast I have to be clear and up front with you. It鈥檚 a semi-regular thought of mine that I wish Guy Fawkes had settled for a quieter, more peaceable existence around this time of year all those centuries ago.

We live in a world where fireworks are very common, both literally and metaphorically. I have cerebral palsy and part of that condition means that I have a startle reflex, particularly bad and annoying when I鈥檓 tired, when I will have a spasm at sudden loud noises (like fireworks). Many people have this and I鈥檓 far from alone, nor is mine as difficult to manage as I know it can be for others but it is incredibly frustrating, to say the least. Many the time I鈥檝e ended up wearing a drink, and that鈥檚 because of the startle reflex, not because I鈥檝e upset the person I was speaking to.

I wonder if there comes a point in our lives when we could do with a few less fireworks going off. The last few years has felt like a series of firecrackers, one after another. Perhaps you wake up, or head to bed, this morning, hoping, like me, for a few less fireworks and a little more still, small voice of calm in your life today.

Father, thank you for your peace, which is a gift you never take back once we have received it. Let us enjoy it and share it with others today.

Amen.