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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Grace Thomas

Good morning.

Last week we commemorated 2 years since the first UK lockdown. With the quieter roads in lockdown, I decided to try and take up cycling. I have never been a confident cyclist. I haven’t ridden in years and was terrified at the prospect, so I engaged the help of a cycling instructor to get me started.

Now, two years on, I love cycling. It’s been liberating for me. I will not win any prizes for speed, but I love cycling downhill, with the wind in my face. There’s a thrilling sense of freedom in it – so much so that I sometimes have to resist the urge to squeal aloud with joy. I stop myself because of a sense of self consciousness about what I, a full-grown adult, would look like to others.

Jesus once said that unless you become like little children, you won’t enter the kingdom of heaven. One thing I have noticed as I have watched my children grow up is the uninhibited delight that they would express when riding a bike or playing outside. How their laughter and enjoyment brightens the world around them. It makes me wonder how much more joyful an experience it would be, when cycling, if I did just let myself go and squeal out loud as I race down hills. Who knows, by being like a child, I may well experience something like a foretaste of heaven.

Loving God, help me to let go of my inhibitions, sometimes, and enjoy the delights of the world more freely. Help me to see the world through the eyes of a child and, through this, maybe catch a glimpse of what heaven can be like.

Amen