Living with an eternal perspective

It is snowing outside as I write this and as I was walking the lads earlier, the cutting wind caused my eyes to stream as I looked out from the top of my local vantage point at the outlying Lakeland hills: The Old Man of Coniston, Bowfell, the Langdale Pikes all dusted with pristine white, beckoning the winter walker and mountaineer to their playground of choice. It looks like there is rain mixed with this present flurry of flakes so I doubt it is time to reach for the ice axes, unfortunately.

In the garden our faithful old ex-battery hen, Henrietta has produced her daily egg despite her advancing years.  Meet Henrietta:

A feisty girl, who will stand up to the antics of Maximus until he beats a hasty retreat. She has rarely missed a day even when the temperature dropped well below freezing last month, and even when our proud little silky bantam cockerel (that's a rooster to all you guys over the Pond) dared not set foot out of the hen house. The Aylesbury ducks have continued to lay, and even the youngsters have been regularly producing their beautiful white, albeit miniature, eggs for us. This is never going to to be a net earner, but I still get a kick out of producing even a little of our own food.

My job this afternoon is to butcher two Roe deer that I harvested last week. They have been hanging in my cold room (a fridge previously used in a supermarket to store soft drinks) for four days and are ready now to be jointed, frozen or handed out to a few eager friends. It is strange that my family tends to dine out of necessity on the things that many consider luxury items: duck eggs, free range duck, and venison. I am not complaining. This lifestyle has also produced in my girls what I see as a very healthy approach to the gathering of food. My younger in particular relishes looking on as I prepare a deer carcass, looking forward to her favourite venison steaks. She also asked me recently, quite innocently, "when are we going to kill one of the ducks? I am really looking forward to roast duck".

We are all influenced in our attitude by what is happening around us at any given time. As I reflect on my current lifestyle, I am acutely aware that it is filled with anomalies, with those paradoxes I have mentioned on earlier posts. From one perspective our lives here, out in the Lake District "boonies", is quite difficult and we are constrained by a lack of many things that others would call necessities. On the other hand, many would fight me to the death for all that I have, including the many perks mentioned above. How these influences affect the way we choose to live our lives depends I believe, on our perspective, on how we process our situation.

The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, " I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need." (Philippians 4:11-12). The secret to this complete peace in every circumstance can be encapsulated in the phrase used in the book of Hebrews: "...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith..." Paul saw Christ wherever he looked, even when all he could see was the prison cell that held him captive, and the guard who was chained to him. So often he spoke of being joyful, being filled with thanksgiving and joy at all times, even when his circumstances literally stank, and when the prospect of death was a daily and a very real threat.

I find it hard at times when I cannot have some things that others might take for granted. Things like fuel for the car, new clothes for my girls, possibly a cup of coffee out with my wife. I am more challenged when people say to me, "look at all you have: a beautiful house in the Lake District, your own hunting grounds, space to rear some livestock, quality of life and safety for your children..." It is not a challenge because I have it. It is more a challenge because I need to be sure, that at God's call I could let it go on the same day He asked me for it without looking back. I must know, absolutely know, that He was asking for it for my own good and that of those I love. It would never be merely to take away something I enjoyed just because He could, or just so that I don't get too comfortable. To process such things correctly I must constantly fix my eyes on Jesus. I need to know His character, that His motives for everything are always pure, and always right. I must always make sure that I look toward the things of eternal value and never for the things of the here and now.

And amongst all that I still have to get on with things in the here and now. That means, for the present, having no other possibilities, I will spend my day collecting eggs, butchering deer, walking and training dogs and preparing my next sermon. I know, I have probably just written my next sermon.

Oh, and sharing my life on a blog.