Drizzleland
The heat engulfed my cosy balcony as I sipped a Gin and Tonic slowly. I had not seen the burning ball of orange gas in the sky for a very long time but he seemed quite bubbly nevertheless.
The moment was quite brilliant. Moments don’t last very long though do they?
Two young women walked passed me cursing the weather like ardent football hooligans abusing a referee. I took my sunglasses off in surprise as one woman said: “Its too hot! I hate this weather. I’d much prefer the winter. I hate summer.”
I almost pulled the foundation of the building down like Samson I was that infuriated. I couldn’t believe it. Only in the UK could anyone moan that its too sunny. After years of awful summers, floods, winds, minor earthquakes, one tornado, floods, rain, grey skies, floods, hail, sleet, floods … and these two women were cursing the sunshine! Sniper!
Anyway, I returned to work on Tuesday and had forgotten the whole sordid event until one of my colleagues whispered, “Roll on winter.” That was it. I span my chair around and went at him like a buzzard. “Are you serious! How can you moan about the weather when we live in constant grey England AKA ‘drizzleland’. How can you complain about the heat in a country which is known for its harsh winters and pitiful summers. This country is full of moaners! I’m sick of it. Ohhh there’s no snow at Christmas, the roads are bad, Labour are useless, the Tories are useless, police are bad, public transport, blah blah blah … but you really have broken the camel’s back with that short straw my friend. How dare you moan about the sun. He only comes out for a weekend every six years for crying out loud!”
The outburst did not go unnoticed. I was steaming for the rest of the day as I convinced myself I was in the right and the gospel commands us to “do everything without complaining”.
I shared my burden with a Christian friend of mine called William. He laughed before unleashing three words which made me wish I had never left my balcony. He said: “Alex, stop moaning.”
Why is holiness so hard? Why does my ability to react overpower my ability to be still and know that God is God. Why do I take this whole life personally and think I have the right to say how things should be run? I’m a nobody. I don’t know what other people are thinking. I don’t even know what I’m thinking. And look at me now, moaning about the fact that I moan about people moaning. I’m Alex Willmott, sorry I can’t look at you, my eyes are fixed solely on my own naval.
Anyway, join me in fixing our eyes on this:
Philippians 2:14-15: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”
