The winter test

Eight days into December and I am getting used to my first winter up north. The wind is very wild and there has been the occasional dusting of something between hail and slush. It's been chilly - but not unusually so for this time of year. All in all, the weather is far less severe than in Scotland and probably not much different from some central and southern parts. If this is a standard northern winter, I'll do fine.

My thoughts go back to the beginning of my ministry in the West Country. A new resident that I came across was sadly caught out by an illusion. She and her husband had been visiting that part of the world on their holidays for twenty years. The summer sun had shone and they had enjoyed the peace and the beautiful scenery. They had resolved to make their home in their favourite spot on retirement. The big event came and, at a time of year when the weather was kind, they purchased their dream bungalow in its dream setting. Regrettably the husband died, a victim of the shock of moving while in poor health. The widow now faced her first winter on her own, hundreds of miles from her nearest relatives. Little had she expected that West Country winters can be very bleak affairs. Social Services had many like that lady on their books. No doubt these hapless people now regretted their choice, but it was too late to unmake it. No doubt the only answer to this problem is to urge people to consider the cost of following their dream.

In Luke 14 and verse 27 Jesus warns His followers in very stark terms not to imagine that being His disciple is easy. There may be pressure - even from within your own family. Those in countries dominated by other religions know that well. But you need to set something against that: the cost of not being Jesus' disciple. What a tragedy to miss our way on this one: to miss picking up our cross and then exchanging it one day for a crown!

Sit down and count the cost. But remember, following Jesus to the end is one venture which cannot result in disappointment.