HAVE you noticed that every day, week, or month, seems to have a theme or focus attached to it?

For instance, June is Pride month.

We have carers week, and men’s health week coming up, and special days such as Father’s Day, the Kings Birthday, summer solstice, and we have just come to the end of volunteers week.

Volunteers week is a huge subject, 14.2 million people in the UK are volunteers.

Look around you, volunteers are in every walk of life…. lifeboats, fire service, police force, mountain rescue groups, First Aid, and first responders, chaplains in hospitals and schools, church workers.

In all walks of life we encounter volunteers and so often they can be tired, stretched to their limits, and in organisations where there is a shortage of volunteers life is busy, finances are tight, red tape becomes prohibitive.

There are times of frustration and even despair.

We all have times when frustration and disappointment can be prevalent, even people of faith can feel low, despondent, and sad, during the tough times.

This week has not been great for me personally and the words of The Beatles song from 1970 kept coming to mind, ‘When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be, and when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me, shining until tomorrow, let it be’.

Being a follower of Christ is not a protection from frustration or tough times, Jesus never offers life without challenges, but there are words of reassurance in The Bible to encourage and bring hope.

Here are my two favourites, I hope you find them helpful.

From the Psalms, Psalm 46:1 ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’, and from the New Testament, Matthew 11:28, ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’.

As The Beatles sang, ‘Let it be’.

Rev Helene Stainer, of Trinity and Saints