Radio Leicester Thought for the Day
© John Denney 2
May 2003
War is a grim business. It’s full of pain and suffering, death and
destruction. Thank God that the Iraq
campaign is practically over, and reconstruction can begin. The broadcast reports of the suffering and
misery of the Iraqi civilians during the conflict, and the dangers faced by our
own troops have been distressing to watch.
That’s why, in common with millions of others, I looked forward to the
daily briefings of the Iraqi Information Minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf.
“Comical Ali”, as some genius nicknamed him, was a wonder to
behold. In the face of all the evidence,
he stuck to his story of the widespread defeat of the coalition forces and the
mighty victory of the Iraqi forces under the generalship of Saddam Hussein. He even asserted that there were no American
troops in Baghdad when two of them were clearly visible across the road from
him as he spoke. The latest rumour about
Mohammed is that he has been trying to surrender to American forces, but they
won’t arrest him because he’s not on the wanted list!
Maybe the English Cricket Team should recruit him as head
coach. His optimism about victory in the
teeth of the harsh reality of defeat may be just what the side needs.
Of course, it’s easy to laugh at someone like Comical Ali, whose
version of reality is 180o from the truth. But maybe we all act a bit like him. Because reality can sometimes be hard to cope
with. This morning, some councillors
have found they’ve been voted out of office – and that hurts. Others have found they’ve been elected
unexpectedly, and they’ve got to knuckle down to all the hard work that being a
councillor entails.
What difficult situation do you have to deal with today? A work issue?
A relationship concern? A family
problem? A financial crisis? A health fear? Whatever it is, will you bluster it out, like
Comical Ali? Or tackle it full in the
face? Confrontation is never
pleasant. But it is necessary if a
situation is to be resolved.
The apostle Paul said this: Don’t
fret or worry. Instead of worrying,
pray. …
Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming
together for good, will come and settle you down. [Philippians 4:6ff]