Three weeks ago, having returned to my car and found that my offside wing mirror had been pinched by a person or persons unknown, I was forced to drive home without a clear view of what was going on behind me. And as I did so, I discovered how important it is to be able to look back if one wants to move confidently forward.
Sometimes, when everything is going to plan, life can seem simple. In the good times we find it easy to follow the path that we like to think is laid out for us and we are able to eagerly anticipate the future without ever having to worry too much about the past.
But what about when things go wrong and we struggle to be able to put one foot in front of the other? What about when life is hard and we fear that things will never get better? And what about when, recognising our weakness and our propensity to fail, we fear that nobody could possibly love us anymore? What are we to do then?
For me at least, the answer to these questions is to look back, to an event that reassures me that, however difficult my present circumstances are and however unclear the way ahead might be, my future is no less certain.
Because the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ speaks to me in my darkest moments reassuring me that there is one who knows the ‘end from the beginning’ [Isaiah 46:10], one who will not ‘break a bruised reed or quench a faintly burning wick’ [Isaiah 42:3], and one who remains by my side even as ‘I walk through the valley of the shadow of death’ [Psalm 23:4]. And it reassures me too that he is the one who can bring order out of chaos, joy out of sadness and life out of even death itself.
The cross of Christ reminds me that things can and do get better. Because even death is not the end. Furthermore the God who raised Jesus from the dead has promised that a day is coming when ‘every tear will be wiped from our eyes and death will be no more’ [Revelation 21:4]. And confident that God can be trusted to keep his word, I do not doubt that what he promises he will one day bring about. That is the essence of christian faith.
For whilst it is true that ‘faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen’ [Hebrews 11:1], that does not mean, as some suppose, that faith is blind. On the contrary, faith, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is belief based on evidence, testimony or authority. As such, my sure and certain hope that after death I will one day be resurrected and go on to experience endless pleasure in the presence of God [Psalm 16:11], far from being just wishful thinking on my part, is, in fact, an entirely rational belief based on compelling evidence for the historicity of the empty tomb, credible eye witness testimony of those who saw Jesus after he had been raised from the dead, and the authoritative word of the one who spoke the universe into existence.
Furthermore, the cross assures me that, however great my failure, there is redemption through the one who died for me, the one who bore the punishment that I deserve, not only for all that I have done wrong in the past but also for all I will ever do wrong in the future. Because ‘when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me’. And though ‘I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him’, even so I know that he will one day ‘plead my cause and execute judgment for me – he will bring me out to the light [and] I shall look upon his vindication’. [Micah 7:8-9]
Why so sure? Because that is what God has promised.
Finally, and most wonderfully of all, the reason that God has gone so far as to send his much loved son to suffer for my sake is down to the fact that he loves me. Yes, even me! But this is not because of anything in me. Since God is love [1 John 4:8], rather than being a response to who I am, his love for me originates from within himself. God loves, therefore, because it is his nature so to do. And so, whilst I hope on occasions my actions will have pleased him, God’s love for me is not dependent on my performance. My security comes, therefore, from knowing that God’s love doesn’t change – that I am loved by him irrespective of how unlovable my behaviour sometimes sadly is.
Some of you may have read a piece I wrote last week about how, having broken down on stage at Glastonbury, Lewis Calpaldi experienced the affectionate support of the huge crowd that sang for him the song that he could not. I wonder if that was the moment when Capaldi felt for the first time the full extent of the love that his fans have for him. Because it is, I suspect, only when we are at our lowest point that any of us are able to recognise the extent to which others care about us. I think that’s true of my experience of God’s love for me. It is only when I fail and feel seemingly beyond redemption, it is only when I am broken and feel seemingly beyond repair, that I know for sure what God has said is true, that his steadfast love never ceases and his mercies never come to an end [Lamentations 3:22].
If then today, you find yourself struggling, and if, for you, the future is something only to be feared, why not try taking a look back to what has already taken place and see if it helps you, like me, to move forward with a degree of confidence.
For if God can love me, then he can most certainly love you – even if you are the one who is now harbouring the wing mirror you nicked from me three weekends ago!
For those who are interested a summary of some of the evidence for the resurrection can be read here and here.
Other related posts:
To read ‘The Resurrection – is it just rhubarb?’, click here
To read “Hope comes from believing the promises of God”, click here
To read ‘Faith and Doubt’, click here
To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here
To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here
To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.
To read ‘T.S. Eliot, Jesus and the Paradox of the Christian Life’, click here
To read “Why do bad things happen to good people – a tentative suggestion”, click here
To read “Suffering- A Personal View”, click here.
To read “Luther and the global pandemic – on becoming a theologian of the cross”, click here
To read ‘The Sacrifice of Isaac – Law or Gospel?’, click here
To read ‘Water from a Rock’, click here
To read ‘Real Power’, click here
To read ‘Foolishness – Law and Gospel’, click here
To read ‘The Promise Keeper’, click here
To read ‘The Rainbow’s End’, click here
To read ‘True Love?’, click here
To read, ‘But this I know’, click here
To read ‘I’ll miss this when I’m gone – extended theological version’, click here
To read ‘On being confronted by the law’, click here
To read ‘The “Already” and the “Not Yet”’, click here
To read ‘Rest Assured’, click here
And to read ‘Lewis Capaldi – Retired Hurt’, the piece referenced in the above blog, click here
Some musings 
Nicely put as usual ! Drive carefully without your mirror!
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Rest assured, Amazon came up trumps and normal service was resumed promptly!
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Nice piece Pete, I’ll be honest and say that I have no religious beliefs. I have lived and worked around people who are Christian, Buddhist and Muslim and have seen the strength that their faith brings them. I’m a believer in the “if it works for you, I support and encourage your faith” school of thought.
Onwards and upward, with the occasional glance over the shoulder obviously.
Have a good weekend, and good luck in in the q/f.
Tom
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Thanks Tom – I appreciate your comment. And yes, I’m looking forward to this evening and very much hoping that Banton, Smeed and TKC continue to act, in their customary and rather obvious ways, their wonders to perform!
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