Ten years on

I am so very glad I found the Seven Sisters blog.  I look forward so eagerly to Jessica’s posts.  It just delights my heart. 

The most recent post, here, speaks about a tradition the sisters started last year on Valentine’s Day, of meeting up to imagine what they would all be doing in ten years’ time.  So this year they met again to ask the same question – only now it will be nine years’ time.  You can read all about it on the blog, with lots of pictures.

But it made me wonder – how about you?  How do you imagine your life will look in ten years’ time?  It’s a very different question, isn’t it, when asked in middle age!!  I know something of the lives of some of you who read and share here, and I can guess that you want to say “Don’t ask!  One step at a time is all I can manage right now!”

My grandfather, my mother’s father, played the violin.  He liked to play hymns, and one of his favourites was Lead Kindly Light.  They had it at his funeral, but I was only a baby then, so I don’t remember – I don’t even know if I was there.  But I think about my grandfather when that hymn is sung (not often nowadays).  My beautiful mama has a photo of him holding me in his arms.  I could speak very early, just a few words, and he used to rock me and sing “Rock-a-bye-baby” to me until he thought I’d dozed off to sleep.  But when he stopped singing I’d open my eyes and demand “More baby!”

Anyway the first verse of Lead Kindly Light goes:

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I can immediately think of several among my friends who might pray that most fervently – “I can’t bear to think about what’s coming next – just keep me steady through today.”

And for you, I pray that it will be so; that God will keep your feet steady in His path, that you will not slip or falter or lose your way, and that the Lord Jesus will walk with you all the way home, holding your hand when you are afraid and the going is treacherous.

But now – if looking ten years ahead scares you a little, can you at least think of five things you would like to have come true in your life in ten years?  Here are my five:

In ten years’ time I would like:

1)  It to be the tenth anniversary of belonging to the Servants With Jesus (I’ll tell you about them tomorrow!)  

2) To have really long hair and had the strength of mind not to cut it

3) To have spent the last ten years sticking faithfully to a healthy pattern of diet and exercise

To have a dog

To be following a path of Gospel simplicity, walking (not driving) lightly on the earth and making the Lord Jesus known and loved everywhere.

Of course I hope for lots of other things too – for good health and for my children and grandchildren to be happy and cheerful and kind and protected from every possible  adversity, for my husband to be enjoying his retirement in contentment, for peace on earth and marvellous reversals in our present approach to caring for forests and waters, wilderness, birds, animals, earth.  I hope wars will have ceased and gentleness will abound, that we shall have entered an age of wisdom when sages increase and prophets are two a penny, when the people return to prayer and faithfulness and the voices of the ego are stilled.  But . . . er . . . well . . . you never know.

And you?  In ten years’ time you would like . . . ?