Pull your socks up!

If you read the background to this blog, you’ll see that my ministry has long involved socks. (If you can’t be bothered to go and look, when I started in ministry, I began to wear brightly coloured socks as I figured most of the time, I’d be wearing boring black clerical shirts. Early on someone paid me the compliment of saying “You’re not like a normal vicar. I knew you’d be ok when I saw your socks.")

For the last 12 years I’ve nearly always worn bright socks. I’m quite particular about the right kind of socks and have avowed never to wear “character” ones with cartoons etc on them. They just must be brightly coloured.

Just before Christmas, I received a belated birthday present from my sister - in - law. The parcel contained a stripy scarf and some “loud” socks. And my sister in law had got the socks just right. They were from a company called “Happy Socks”. And if you look at their web site you will see the wide variety of brightly coloured socks they have. (Other suppliers of brightly coloured socks are available – though if Happy Socks read this, I’d be pleased to be a brand ambassador!)

The other great thing about Happy Socks is, they are great to put on. For me this is a big factor now. Since my illness, my right foot has been rigid. I can’t move it at the ankle and I can’t wiggle my toes. So, my wife has been helping me put my socks on for the last 2 ½ years. And believe me, to help someone put their socks on you need those socks to be stretchy.

Now stretchy socks are usually nylon. Eugh! But Happy Socks are a mixture of cotton and stretchy stuff (to use the technical expression. They stretch to go on but then don’t constrict either.

(I’m very aware that this blog is becoming very Sock Nerdy. Or is it Sock Geeky? And what’s the difference between a Nerd and a Geek anyway?)

This is all well and good, but I’ve still needed help. But then someone said, “You know you can get things to help you put your socks on?” No, I didn’t so off to the Internet. And yes, there are many devices. And, many demonstration videos on YouTube. (This really is becoming worrying now!)

I sent off for a sock putting on thing and last week it arrived. And lo and behold it works! I can put my own socks on!

(There is the small matter of the surgical stocking I have to wear because of poor circulation. But one thing at a time.)

I’m sure many of you have already lost the will to live in reading this blog. But please bear with me, I am getting to the point.

Yesterday I was talking to a friend. He asked me what I was planning to do on my sabbatical. (3 months leave. Or as the Methodist Church defines it “For Methodist ministers, a sabbatical is a period of release from ordinary ministerial duties, in addition to normal holidays, for the purpose of pursuing an approved programme of study, research, work or experience. It is intended as a time for re-equipping, refreshment and renewal.”)

I explained I was going to work on my interest in photography. I’m calling the project “Seeing God through a camera lens.” It will mean me visiting places of interest, historic churches, beauty spots; places where I feel in touch with God, then I’ll photograph it.

My friend said this sounded interesting and told me he’d seen that a retreat centre in Devon offered retreats linked to photography. And this is where we come back to socks.
I explained to my friend that I would have liked to go on retreat for a few days during my sabbatical but because of my inability to put socks on, I thought it wouldn’t be possible. But now since getting my sock thing, it might be possible.

I said something to my friend like “You probably think not putting on your socks must be a really feeble excuse not to do something.” And my friend said, “No. Far from it. I can see why it would be a way of preventing you doing something.” But then he added “But isn’t it wonderful that it’s another thing you’ve overcome? And doesn’t it make you think how with faith and perseverance, we can overcome many things? Though small things can be big hindrances too.”

My friend is absolutely right.

I’m always slightly wary of some analogies for faith and what God can do and what God is like. (If you’ve ever seen the TV comedy “Gavin & Stacey” there’s a wonderful bit where a vicar compares faith to a sandwich. Cringeworthy.) Is the ability to put socks on a matter of faith? Or a hindrance to faith? Well yes, I think my friend is right. A small thing like being unable to put socks on can be an obstacle. (It could easily have made me get in to "This isn't fair God".) But there are ways to overcome them.