I watched my daughter’s U11 hockey match this week and there was a moment in the game that has stayed with me since. There was only one goal scored in the match and it came after a whole lot of swinging hockey sticks wildly right in front of the mouth of goals (nobody was hurt during the incident...). The ball went past the goalie, into the back of the net and immediately, I noticed one of the defenders tuck her stick under her arm and clap her hands to applaud the goal scored by the other team.

I don’t know about you, but my instinct when the opposing team scores is usually quite different! Here is a child however who has been raised to celebrate the successes of others, and she did so with obvious sincerity. How much sweeter and easier life would be if we could instinctively delight in the good fortune of others in this way! It seems to me that she is already more than half way to obeying the challenging call of Christ to love our enemies, isn’t she? May she inspire us this week to do likewise!