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Sarum Pause for Reflection: ‘Rubbish’ That Isn’t

Home News Sarum Pause for Reflection: ‘Rubbish’ That Isn’t

Reflection

The petals of a wild rose really are heart-shaped.  When I saw the first one lying on the ground, very early in the morning, I mistook it for a bit of confetti – it was so white and so improbably perfectly shaped. 

I was reaching for my litter-picker, grumbling to myself that some members of the public will leave anything (anything!) behind on a nature reserve, when I realised my mistake.  D’oh!

When I looked again, and really saw the petals, I could see how beautiful they are even when they have done their job and fallen to the ground.  That they are so neatly formed is wonderful: a symbol, perhaps, of the love and care which God rains down on us, however daft we are.

We love because He loved us first.
1 John 4:19

We are so wonderfully loved by God the Most High – so greatly, so sweetly, so tenderly – that no-one could ever get their head round it.
(Julian of Norwich, ‘A Revelation of Love’ Chapter 6)

|

Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts
of your faithful people:

Help us to stand still
and let ourselves be filled
with your strong
but gentle
vitality:

Fill us to overflowing!

Amen

Action

If out on a walk, remember to stop (somewhere safe) from time to time and look round. Not just to check that you know where you are, but also to take in all the environment, from close at hand to horizon edge.

Share this reflection here.

A reflection from Jennifer Brooker ObJN, who has been a frequent visitor of Sarum College. She has a degree in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford and master’s degree in theology awarded by Durham University.


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