A clear frosty morning today, with the beginnings of clouds drifting in from the direction of Liverpool Bay. Lawns were sparkly and our car was crusty. It won’t last very long: the sun has already been up for an hour or two, and will climb high into the sky.
From the Lectionary, (1 Peter 3:13-14a) “Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.”
The writer seems to be thinking on his feet. Nobody will harm you, but even if they do…
What is it to suffer for doing right? Is it to be a whistleblower? Is it to go to your vital work loyally, even if you are underprotected? Is it simply to be honest in walks of life where honesty doesn’t pay? Is it to do civil disobedience, or to take up arms when there’s no alternative? Is it to keep faith? Maybe there are people out there who have their own experiences to share.
And there’s the reverse, what is it to profit by doing wrong, to succeed by lying, or by being careless of other people’s needs, or by leaving justice behind in the rearview mirror of your turbocharged egotism?
God strengthen us
to do what is right,
because it’s hard sometimes,
confusing, and against the grain.
Let our minds be like the mind of Christ.
And may he be with us always,
a friend, a guide, a supporter, a helper.