Andrew's Annotations and Anecdotes

I've been thinking about doing good recently. Inspired by Julian Hardyman's excellent little book Glory Days I've been reflecting on what it means for Christians to do good and when and why we should do it.

What's that got to do with running? Well I ran a 10k recently (52:39 for those who are interested!) and loads of the people doing it were being sponsored for some charity or another. I've always been reluctant to do that kind of thing, for several reasons. Firstly because when somebody asks you to sponsor them I always fear it seems like a kind of emotional stranglehold - you can't really say no without drawing into question the value of your freindship! Secondly, no doubt, because I am tempramentally mean and like to keep my money for myself (another area for regular repentance!). But thirdly because I sometimes wonder what difference it can all make. So will my mate Jon's triathlon, raising money for Asylum Link, really enable asylum seekers to be treated properly, rather than in the terrible way our society does at present?

The refreshing answer from Julian Hardyman is that we don't have to think we can solve the world's problems to try and do something about them...

"Surely God is pleased that child mortality rates have dropped enormously in the UK over the last 150 years - and would be pleased if we could achieve the same for developing countries today? Surely if we could reduce the number of abortions in the western world that would be worth doing, even if there were still some that happened? We may not be able to "Christianise" society but we can make it better."

Here, here! So, with gratitude to Julian Hardyman, I'm going to do another 10k in September and try and raise some money for cancer research. Who knows what good it will do. But, in a fallen world that won't be sorted out till Jesus Christ returns, doing whatever good we can is clearly the way forward!

So... if you'd like to sponsor me click here. And I honestly won't think it undermines our friendship if you don't!