This last parade service, we had, as we often do, Rob Ainslie to lead us, and this time the subject of his talk was the five senses and which was the most important. He made the subject most enjoyable, as usual, and although he primarily aimed it at the Brigades there was food for thought for all.

He asked the congregation to choose a sense and say why it was the most important of them all, and there were quite a few profound thoughts about why a particular sense was important. Although the conclusion was that they were all important and needed parts of the body, that and a recent bout of deafness brought on by earwax, set me thinking – what if we were to lose one of them permanently?
God has given us five great gifts; hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. We should thank God for them and enjoy them. If we look after them, they will last us a lifetime and give so much pleasure, not just to us but to all around us that we share them with.

By sharing, I mean that if we share a hug, or beautiful view in a picture that we or someone else has painted, or go to a concert with someone. An experience shared is often doubled because of the emotional feedback from the other person.

At this time when we anticipate the arrival of Spring and its renewal of the Natural World, if we lost any of our senses we would miss out some important parts of that renewal. All are important; hearing to hear the birdsong; sight to see the new buds and flowers in all their glory; smell to smell the freshness and the scent of the flowers; touch to feel new growth, and you can even taste the freshness of Spring.

There is also the safety aspect to consider, about losing any of our senses. If we lost our sight, we would not be able to see obstructions as we walk, or if we lost our hearing we would not be able to hear danger advancing on us. Similarly if we lost smell or taste or touch we would be unable to tell if food was burning, had gone off or was too hot, for example.

And looking after our senses not only means taking care of them by not abusing them and protecting them as needed, but also exercising them by using them and stimulating them. Stimulate by a walk in the park or countryside, listening to music, or baking a cake to share – wherever your talents and interests lie. Maybe even try a new interest to receive different stimulation.

As our senses are God’s gift to us, it is important that we should take care of them, no matter what our age, whether we are 5 or 95, by not straining them and when they need help, go to a specialist to get them sorted. Maybe an optician for sight, audiologist for hearing, or some self-help like wearing gloves in winter to protect our hands, for example.

All in all, Rob’s talk on the five senses not only stimulated me but also made me profoundly grateful for God’s gifts to us and the fact that I still have all mine, albeit somewhat modified by age now!

Yours in God
Helen