We were in the park the other day. It was a beautiful warm sunny day and the children were playing on the swings, the slide, the roundabout and the seesaw.
I decided to replenish my failing reserves of energy by sitting on a bench and soaking the warm sun. It’s not that I’m lazy, you know. Believe me, I really love hard work – I could sit there for ages and see others do it time after time and I never tire of watching.
So I sat watching the mothers and (some) fathers pushing their young ones on the swings, or helping the roundabout go round and round. Another man sat next to me and sniggered: “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little old for all this energetic work!” I smiled back and said nothing.
As I looked at the seesaw going up and down with a child at either end a thought occurred to me.
Life is a bit like that sometimes. You have at one end of the seesaw Worry and Doubt; and at the other end Peace and Certainty.
Sometimes Worry and Doubt are in the ascendant and together what powerful adversaries they make for my poor mind! I start questioning my faith. What if I got it all wrong? What if there is no God at all! I worry about my family, my friends, myself and my worldly goods. I’m sure you can imagine what it’s like.
But at other times, especially after prayers or Bible readings, Peace and Certainty are up in the air. I remember the many times God was there for me and the many situations He saved me from and helped me through. It’s at these times that I know for certain that He exists alright, despite what others might lead us to believe.
I suppose we can’t control the up and down movement of the seesaw. That’s what it was designed to do. But with constant prayers we can ensure that Peace and Certainty are there high up for all to see in our lives for as long as possible.
© Copyright V Moubarak 2008