Thought for the Week

by the Rev. Beverley Sproats, St John’s Church, Yeadon

RECENTLY I was walking on Holy Island, a beautiful island off the coast of Northumberland. As I was walking, I wandered off the path and got covered in burrs! I realised I had come off the path. I looked at some signposts and checked the map, and made my way back to the path. I had to stop and pick all the burrs off my trouser legs! Then I continued on the path where there were less burrs.

Sometimes in life, we wander from the path. We are all made in God’s image. It says in the bible that ‘in the image of God… male and female he created them.’ But sometimes we get off the path that God has for us and all sorts of things build up that God never intended for us, like the burrs on my walk on Holy Island!

At these times, we need to realise that we are off the path, and turn back to God. A word for this is ‘T’shuvah!’ which I heard about on a Rob Bell podcast. It’s a Hebrew word that means ‘repent’, but not just in the sense we often think of ‘repent of your sins’. Instead, it’s saying that since we are made in the image of God, then even when we mess up, ‘T’shuvah!’ – we can turn away from our sins and turn back to God. It’s like God is saying to us, ‘You’re better than that, come home to me’, and welcoming us home.

I saw this principle in action recently when I was watching ‘Dark Knight Rises’, one of the Batman films. In the film, Catwoman steals from Batman and betrays him into the hands of the villain, Bane.

When Batman and Catwoman meet again, despite the betrayal, he can see there is good in her and tells her, ‘You’re better than that’. Later, Catwoman has a chance to save herself and abandon Batman and Gotham City. Instead, she comes back to help Batman. She asks Batman, ‘How did you know I would come back?’ Batman replies, ‘I knew you were better than that.’

God can see the good in each of us because he made us in his image. When we turn away from him, he still says to us ‘T’shuvah!’ – repent, come home to me, get back on the path. Next time you realise you have wandered off the path, remember God loves you and ‘T’shuvah!’ – turn back to God and get back on the path with him.