Immediately!
In the gospel of Mark the word 'immediately' is used 40 times, but how often do our responses to the crises of those around us lack the urgency of the response we have to our own?
Catch up on Natalie Williams' latest column for Premier Christianity as she reflects on how a broken boiler recently brought this home...
My boiler broke last week. I’m writing this wrapped up in a dressing gown over my clothes, clutching a hot-water bottle, with a heater struggling to warm up my living room. It’s day five of no heating and no hot water (I have showered; I went to my mum’s!).
It’s a first-world problem, of course, and one that I’m aware I am experiencing from a position of privilege. My new boiler is being fitted as I type and I’m determined to be more grateful for instant access to hot water and warm radiators.
I keep thinking about all of the people who are, like me, living in one of the richest nations on the planet but, unlike me, do not have the means to replace their broken boiler. Or, worse still, can’t afford to use their working one.
Inadequately heated homes are one of the leading causes of death in Central St Leonards, the neighbouring ward to where I live in Hastings. People are cutting back on food and heating because, no matter how they do the maths, they cannot make ends meet. They are our neighbours, and we are called to love them as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31).
What does it look like to do that?
Read on, and catch up on Natalie's previous articles over at Premier Christianity (click here).
