Ordeal by Machine...

There is a saying, that when things break down, they often come in threes.

Well, we are having a serious run of things breaking on us. On Monday morning, just as I was about to set off for the Country Show in Knebworth, the clutch on my car failed. Foot went straight to the floor, and nothing but a huge grating noise. John kindly loaned me his car for the day… and the rest of the week… whilst I try to get it sorted….

Then the cold-water tap in the kitchen just kept going round and round – something broken there. …

The strap came off my handbag, and it had to be professionally repaired with an industrial sewing machine in town. I only actually possess one handbag at a time, so I considered getting a new handbag, but those of you who have read my blog will remember that this one replaced the one I had stolen, so I’d got seriously attached to this one…

The 4th thing that has “crashed” is our dishwasher. It started making some seriously bad noises last night, and was not doing a thing to clean the contents inside. It is a luxury, but with our very hectic schedule, it is a significant thing not to have working…

My “street” trainers (as opposed to the pair I reserve for the gym) developed a hole in the left sole last Friday. I therefore got a new, cheap pair (can’t be spending £60+ on a new pair) and tried them out. By the time I had finished my walk, I had developed a blister the size of a £2 coin. Forget any advice on puncturing it with a needle or anything. Although the trainer pinched a little, I had not realised that the skin had been ripped right off – looks not too good at all, so gym work has been out this week…

Would like to say that I rose to the challenge, but instead indulged in quite a bit of self-pity. Something about feeling a bit insecure and fragile, I think

Pat’s Thought for the Day
When the Word says that we should count it joy when we face trials, (James 1:2) and that when we are weak, God is strong (2 Cor 12:10), we must take this on faith. Joy is only truly possible in the middle of a trial, and strength is all the more potent when we allow God to flow through the weakness and frailty of human bodies.