Richard Littledale
Richard Littledale
radio microphone
BBC Radio 2Sarah Kennedy Show
Pause for Thought
Richard Littledale: Series 3, Number 3
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Monday 28 April 2008

There's no accounting for what makes you giggle, is there? Sometimes it's a really silly one-liner in an advert, a daft song lyric, or even a po-faced politician trying to be serious. Well, I'll tell you what reduced me to giggles yesterday - a paper shredder. It wasn't any ordinary paper shredder, though. Oh no, this one was different. It wasn't hand cranked, or solar powered or anything like that. This paper shredder was hamster powered.

Here's how it works. There's a hopper on the top where you feed in your final demand or your letter from your ex or whatever it is. Meanwhile, your furry friend runs like crazy on his little wheel, turns the shredder, and your old rubbish turns into his new bed. Brilliant, isn't it? You're happy because your rubbish has been shredded, he's happy because he gets new bedding, and he gets healthy exercise thrown in too! You save money on pet bedding, and protect yourself from identity theft and clutter all in one fell swoop. It is, as some would say, a win-win situation.

The Christian faith has a lot to say about winning even when you are loosing. In other words, its keen on turning bad experiences into positive ones - a bit like the hamster mincing your rubbish up for something useful. The greatest example of all is surely Jesus himself, turning the tragedy of his death into the irrepressible triumph of resurrection. There are others too, like the Apostle Paul writing from prison and saying that all things work together for good in the end, and that we should rejoice in all circumstances.

Hundreds of years later Terry Waite took up a similar cry, telling reporters on his release from captivity that he had learnt how to 'redeem suffering'. Never having been through an experience quite like his, I'm not sure I understand the full weight of what he said. But I think its about choosing to remember the best, rather than holding onto the worst. Its about turning the tough times into something positive, rather than layer upon layer of bitterness.

There is a catch, though. If the hamster's having an off day and ignores the wheel or only trots half-heartedly round it, then he gets no bedding. Tough, isn't it? Making the most of our negative circumstances and tough experiences demands an effort, even if its only an effort of faith. Mind you, a bit like the hamster with his exercise - its bound to make us stronger in the end.

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© BBC 2008
This talk by Richard Littledale was first broadcast as BBC Radio 2's
breakfast time "Pause for Thought" during the Sarah Kennedy show.
It is reproduced here by permission of the BBC.