In Depth:  Elizabeth McQuoid

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

Family, finances, the state of the church, the latest Bill being discussed in Parliament, war in Ukraine… the list of things we could worry about is endless.

I worry when I feel out of control, when the illusion that I can smooth out the wrinkles of life for myself and those whom I love shatters, when some event reminds me that I was never in control in the first place.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

If you are reading this in January, Christmas is in the rear-view mirror. If you’ve got hold of your en in good time, however, and are reading this in December, please mentally adjust the tenses below as you read!

The chocolates have been eaten, Lego sets made and, predictably, my boys are only still interested in a few of their gifts. Not because they are particularly ungrateful, but because that’s just how we’re wired. We simply can’t treasure everything – or else it wouldn’t be a treasure! We lavish our time and attention on what we prize most. What is really important to us always occupies the biggest space in our hearts.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

Over the years my boys have perfected the art of procrastination at bedtime.

They know, without any shadow of doubt, that a carefully crafted question about God will guarantee extra time chatting with their dad, long after ‘lights out’. Last night’s attempt to derail bedtime was the question: ‘What is Jesus doing now?’ Chewing over the answer kept me awake long after my son had fallen asleep.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

My friend was praying for a new car. He was involved in itinerant ministry and clocking up many miles. His car was failing fast but he didn’t have the finances to buy another.

One day after church, a member of the congregation said, ‘We are changing our car and we’d like you to have our current one. It’s three years old and has only done 15,000 miles.’ My friend was flabbergasted at such an amazing answer to prayer. A few months later, I asked him how he was enjoying his new car. He rolled his eyes and sighed: ‘It’s spent more time in the garage than on the road. It’s the worst car I’ve ever had!’

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

‘It’s not fair!’ was a frequent cry in our home when our three boys were younger.

I’ve been thinking ‘It’s not fair!’ more and more recently. Reflecting on God’s grace I’ve been struck once again that there is nothing fair about it.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

The end of lockdown has not been the panacea that most of us had hoped for.

We’ve emerged to find the world irrevocably changed – politically, financially and culturally. The need to be ‘salt and light’, to speak God’s truth and show His love has never been greater. But what does the Bible say to our weary hearts?

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

I’m at the embarrassing age where I often need to Google the texting acronyms my student son uses. (Do you know what CMB or AFAIK mean?)

The best one I have come across is FOMO – the fear of missing out. It is this perception that others are having more fun, living better lives, or experiencing better things than we are. Unfortunately, it is not just a trait I recognise in my teenagers. When I look at Facebook and see happy families enjoying holidays in the sun I sometimes feel myself turning an unattractive shade of green. More worryingly still, I recognise FOMO in my spiritual life. When life is hard I’m tempted to look at other Christians enjoying an apparently suffering-free life and to remind God, ‘That’s not fair!’

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

New Year brings a flurry of talk about resolutions – the pounds we’ll drop, the exercise we’ll embrace and the hobbies we’ll master. Without fail, the turning of the calendar gives us an impetus to try again. It’s a collective opportunity for a fresh start, a clean slate.

Why do we love the idea of a ‘do over’? Because we all long to do better, to be better. Despite our failed attempts and unfulfilled longings we keep trying because we were made for something more. As C.S. Lewis surmised, ‘If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.’

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Matt. 27:46)

‘He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now,’ the religious leaders jeered (v. 43). Full of irony, what they really mean is: ‘He can’t really trust in God. If he did, God wouldn’t have let him go to the cross!’ Jesus’ anguished cry: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ almost seems to justify their charges.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

I know your afflictions and your poverty – yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.(Revelation 2:9)

‘I know… ’

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

But Abram said, ‘Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I shall gain possession of it (the Promised Land)?’ So the Lord said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.’ Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half (Gen. 15:8-10).

Imagine a bride walking down the aisle to her groom.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

‘I’ve got too many tabs open!’ Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes that’s how I feel.

Getting ready to send our son off to university, looking after a close family member with a serious health condition, juggling work and family routine with a special-needs child – sometimes I feel overwhelmed.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

‘Haven’t they grown!’ seems to be a well-worn phrase as we emerge from lockdown and meet up with young people and children we haven’t seen for more than a year.

Women who weren’t pregnant last time we saw them now have babies in their arms, tweens have become fully-fledged teens.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

As winter turns to spring, what are you hoping for? To get the vaccine, the end of restrictions, to get back to work, to take a holiday?

These glimpses of normality have been dangled in front of us for months like the proverbial carrot. The waiting has led to frustration, despair, and often a sense of hopelessness. But, perhaps that’s the point. Perhaps, among all the other lessons to learn from this pandemic, God wants to reorient our hope – for us to see the ultimate fruitlessness of earth-bound hope and long for something better.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

Typically, at the beginning of January, we look forward.

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions to try a new diet plan, a new gym membership, or a new hobby. This year our aspirations may take more of a backward glance as we long for the return of things we’ve missed; things we didn’t realise were quite so important until they were gone – the whole church meeting together, communal singing, having friends and extended family around your dinner table, a hug.

the ENd word

Elizabeth McQuoid

A recent newspaper article commented that current lockdown legislation was sucking the joy out of life: ‘Cancellation looms for Halloween, Christmas, bonfire night, and just about everything else that gives anybody any joy or meaning during Britain’s dark, long winters.’

No singing and other restrictions placed on church gatherings means that it’s easy to be swept along on this tidal wave of despair. But, in a strange way, the uncertainty of these days helps us hear with greater clarity God’s whisper to our soul: ‘What are you living for? Who are you living for?’ These ‘no celebration’ days encourage us to turn like never before to God and to rediscover the true source of joy.