30/07/2013

Good morning.

Every time there’s a football tournament, we seem to be reminded of how many years have passed since England won the World Cup. It was on this day in 1966, that the names of Bobby and Jackie Charlton, Nobby Stiles and the others became embedded in the national consciousness. After all who can forget Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick goal hitting the back of the net, Kenneth Wolstenholme’s immortal lines, “They think it’s all over…it is now!” And the iconic picture of Bobby Moore lifting the trophy, carried on the shoulders of his team-mates.

We’ve had glimpses of national fervour in the last few weeks with the Lions roaring to victory in Australia and Andy Murray crowned Wimbledon champion, but for me , an England team winning the World Cup …well, that’s something else.

I suppose we all strive to be the best at what we do, whether that’s in our work or in our recreation, or just in the mundaneness of our family life. Being the best husband, wife, partner, parent…that’s a task in itself.

Sometimes, like our favourite teams, we try our best, but fall at the final hurdle, and we live with the failed attempts and disappointments. But, once in a while, we get it right and when we do, it’s good to get some acknowledgement. It might be something as simple as a grunt of gratitude from the teenager who seems to live in a different world, or a nod of thanks from the boss who finds it so difficult to show appreciation.

And it works both ways...sometimes we need to be the ones who recognise that others have done their best and gone the extra mile for us; and while they don’t hand out medals for the ordinary and the mundane things of life, it can be in those moments of shared reward and fulfilment that we can sometimes find the greatest satisfaction.

Lord, give us perseverance and strength in everything that we do today and, when others get it right, give us wisdom to recognise it, generosity to acknowledge it, and contentment in being thankful. Amen.