Revd Nicola Bown’s Pause for Thought for BBC Radio Humberside’s Breakfast Show
The other night I woke up, heart pounding, from a nightmare. I knew it would start again if I went back to sleep, so instead I thought of some small good things to chase away the horror: daffodils in spring; sunlight shining through stained glass; clean sheets; the sound of children playing; a golden sunset. The nightmare faded, and sleep came again.
When things are hard for us, the whole world can seem full of misery. Thinking of small good things can’t change our lives, of course, but it can help us to see glimmers of light in the darkness. Many of the psalms in the Bible show us this. ‘I cannot sleep for crying and groaning in despair’, one says. ‘But then I remember the good things God has done, and I have hope.’
Small good things, things that we feel thankful for, can help us get through the dark times. I wonder what your small good things are?