A ‘Thought for the Day’ for Black Cat Radio – May 2020
A while ago I mentioned that I was getting a new bike and that I hadn’t ridden one for a long time, so I was a bit concerned that I might fall off. As it happens, I haven’t fallen off and I’ve really been enjoying cycling around. Most of the time the roads have been pretty empty of traffic, which helps, but last week things were different. I went out on VE Day for a ride and came across a socially distanced street party. Lots of people all down this normally very quiet road were out the front of their houses, eating and drinking, while kids rode around on bikes and scooters. It all looked like a lot of fun and really cheered me up.
So often, we think that no-one cares about their neighbours anymore but in times of crisis we see that this isn’t true. When it matters people often pull together, look out for each other, and try to find ways to interact. I remember people acting in a similar way during the Great Storm of 1987. I was living in Sussex at the time, which was badly hit, and my road was full of fallen trees. Then everyone started coming out to clear up the mess and help out with food and water, on a road where people tended to keep to themselves.
The Bible, of course, is big on loving your neighbour, and one reason for this is that it’s good for us to live in community and have meaningful relationships. This way we can find and give help when needed, have fun together and learn how to love one another better. I hope that when this pandemic is over we will all have made some new friendships and grown a bit closer to one another. That way, something good can come out of all this.
