armchair supporters 2

I watched the football last night on the telly. It was very frustrating. England drew 0-0 with Montenegro. They did not show much invention and some players seemed incapable of doing the simple things like passing the ball to a team mate and keeping the ball on the pitch.

I have discovered that I am incapable of watching a match on TV quietly. Poor passes were met with groans that later became howls of anguish as they kept occurring. Th lack of invention and general refusal of the team to attack in numbers led to complaints that were lobbed at the telly.

I know that they could not hear me, because if they had heard me they would have done things differently. But it did not stop me talking and complaining at the telly. In the end I was asked to get a thesaurus by my son, who was fed up with me saying ‘woeful’. I used other words as well after that.

But what is it that makes me want to express myself in this way to an inanimate object? I reckon part of it is cathartic. I am keen for England to play well, score goals and win matches and when they do not it disappoints and upsets me. It may be better for me to express that at the telly rather than bottle it up. Part of it may be a desire to be at the match myself, when I could join in with the crowd. Part of it may be that I am a sad individual.

Do you feel the same frustrations when your attempts to talk about your faith fall on apparently deaf ears? I have heard several stories recently that have encouraged me that while it may not seem that anything is being received, actually what is being said and the way we are is noticed and makes a difference to people. And we have the advantage that God’s Spirit is also at work in those with whom we are sharing our faith – taking the words we say and the things we do, the person we are and allowing them to germinate in someone’s life like seeds sown in the autumn germinate over winter and we do not see the shoots of growth for a long time.

I seem to remember some research recently that suggests that the average length of time it takes for someone to come to faith is five years and they need many encounters with Christians who will share what they believe in words and actions during that time.

So be encouraged, keep going. These are people God loves not inanimate tellies!

Bob was tired but wanted to watch the match so he plonked himself in front of the telly and tried to stay awake. The first half was boring and eventually he nodded off and slept through the rest of the game, and through the whole night.

In the morning Bob’s wife woke him: “Wake up Bob, it’s seven!”

“Woah!” exclaimed Bob, “Who scored the goals?”