June to July 2005
 

The TV headlines scream out that 'Big Brother' is back. Many of us had hoped that 'Celebrity Love Island' would have been the last of these reality TV shows. Having said that, I have just finished watching a three part series called 'Monastery' where five volunteers spend a few weeks in Worth Abbey Monastery. It has been extraordinary to watch their lives being transformed as they faced up to their past and started finding a new vision for their future. The key to their transformation seemed to be an acceptance of themselves as 'loved by God'.

Reality TV is only putting onto small screen what we all do, all the time. We people watch. We see people around us go through the joys and sorrows of life and we watch and note how they handle life. We watch them take on challenges and we watch them lie low. And as we watch, we think about our own lives.

In light of what we see in others, we ask ourselves questions: Is our life all that it should be ? Do we feel we have potential for more ? Do we have reserves of inner strength to face the trials of life ? Are we enjoying life as much as you should ? Is there one more challenge for us to tackle ? Are we at peace with our past ? Are we content with who we are ? Have we got a good vision for our future ? Or will we simply sit back and carry on watching the world go by ?

Once more, I am reminded of my favourite verse in the Bible - John 10:10. Jesus said 'I have come that they may have life, and to have it in all its full abundance'.

Yours in Christ,

John Ganjavi