Looking for a more positive way of living

8:13am Saturday 8th March 2008

By the Rev BRENDA STEPHENSON, Minister of Dorchester's United Church

GOOD old Harry! The third in line to the throne has been on the front line in Afghanistan for 10 weeks.

As we've now heard he has fulfilled his sense of vocation in doing so, his leadership has been appreciated, and he has enjoyed being an unknown soldier far away from the glare of publicity.

What's more, the British media - after months of negotiation - helped this happen by agreeing a blackout on the news.

I'm not an ardent royalist, nor am I in favour of war, but to me this was a piece of good news.

However, soon after the story broke the media were being criticised for being in collusion with the establishment.

It sounded such a negative comment to me, and I seem to be hearing so many recently.

Almost anything that happens seems to be accompanied by somebody complaining and pointing out how it will affect him adversely.

It's easy to find snags - I know, I do it myself.

Only if we're not careful, we shall all end up living out of our fears - is that what we want?

There are alternatives, and the opposite way is to live by trust.

That can bring out the best in people.

Perhaps you've suffered once too often, when you have trusted and been let down.

Yet it's only when you trust someone that they can learn to be trustworthy.

Or how about being a person whose motive for what you do is love and a real caring for the wellbeing of others?

When he was writing to some Christians in Corinth, St Paul wrote: This love of which I speak looks for a way of being constructive... it does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of others.

On the contrary, it is glad with all good people when truth prevails. Love can outlast anything.' That's a more positive way of living.

Paul was writing about the love of God.

Christians believe they can be inspired to live with that same quality of love.

They have seen it in Jesus. His Spirit is available to make this happen.

That doesn't mean we always manage to live in this way.

We certainly don't.

But it makes a difference that this is what we aim for.

This is what we hope to do, and sometimes struggle to do, with God's help.

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