Love Island?

I’ve been watching Love Island in the run up to being ordained as a deacon in the Church of England. This feels wrong on so many levels as the programme represents all kinds of hedonistic behaviour. People get hurt by the programme and young men and women are almost encouraged to be promiscuous by the editors.

However the thing that is fascinating me about it is this- who has the strongest heart? Who is actually loving in their actions? It seems to be the people who are able to trust and grow, the people who know they are not perfect (and that’s not everyone!) and the people who see people in a tight bikini or working on their pecs and see the person inside and don’t just swoon at their exterior beauty and ignore their personalities. There are a few people like that on the series and they really stand out as a result. Josh and Georgia are two of my favourites!

This weekend I’m away on silent retreat with no TV and the thing I have to work on is just my heart. There is fortunately no beauty contest in this process. In the ordination service it says ‘Pray ..that your heart may daily be enlarged’ and I really need to remember that whatever life throws our way it’s how we love people that counts for God, Not our clever strategy, academic studies  or physical prowess however impressive that is.

For us all now there is hope that with God’s help we can love better, we can love bigger and we can love wider without compromise, fear, regret, tears or recrimination. We can do this because Jesus has ‘up cycled’ all our mistakes and hurt and pain and transformed it into something life giving. He did the ultimate thing for love, he gave us all

a fresh start.

I’m praying In Jesus name, that you get to witness this kind of love today. Amen