S is for SUNBURN

We had been driving for three days. Most of the time, the sun had been beaming down on the my little VW Polo and , without air conditioning to cool our heads and our minds, the windows were open most of the time and the warm breeze only slightly compensated. After a less than pleasant twenty hours on a ferry from Ireland, I suppose even a less than cool wind was some consolation, but our target was almost as far south of France as one can go and still be in France. Our only guide was a little travel journal by Arthur Eperon in which he described the most suitable paths through the vast country, from north to south, taking in the desirable sites en route and, for the budget conscious, like us students at the time, avoiding the costly motorways. It was generally a delightful journey, stopping at little towns and villages along the well worn pages of his journal and checking our daily progress against his suggested time period. Driving for the first time abroad where everything happens the opposite way round is difficult but it wasn't helped in any way by the fact that I was driving a right-hand drive car and was often dependent upon my passenger / girlfriend / soon to be wife / fellow student to act as lookout on the outside lane. Still, the small villages and the glorious scenery made it all worthwhile and the memory of fields full of sunflowers is forever etched on my mind.

Eventually we arrived at a small town, beside the Mediterranean sea, that lay at the bottom of Mr. Eperon's page and signalled the last stop on his and our journey. Nestled between St. Tropez and Cannes and joined to its sister town of Frejus, St. Raphael proved to be a worthwhile base for our short stay where the rich and famous play. It was quiet yet busy, bustling yet serene and the constant glare of the sun's reflection from the bright blue sea was worth the journey south alone. The further we travelled from Paris and the closer to St Raphael, the hotter the sun became. This was territory where open air barbecues were not recommended, where a stray match could have devastating consequences and where most people seemed content to let the sun do its job on their bodies. I've always loved the sun, but being from the north of Europe, I need it for longer and at a slower pace than those whose melanin rich skin gives them a head start on their tan. But I didn't have time and worse still forgot to apply any Factor of protection. It was already late afternoon by the time we reached St Raphael and later still when we booked into our hotel, yet even after four o'clock, we deemed there to be enough sun available to spend a couple of hours on the beach. I didn't notice any problem immediately, though my skin did feel slightly hot and ever so itchy. However, closer examination in the bathroom mirror revealed all was not well and by late evening, I was in agony all across my back but as the night wore on the skin seemed to tighten and sleep left me. A succession of wet towels throughout the early hours did little to relieve the pain and even after several different cream applications, I realised that I would just have to suffer for my ignorance. And suffer I did and so did my passenger / girlfriend / soon to be wife / fellow student who must have been wondering what she was going to marry. After the initial sunburn pain and tightness had begun to ease, the blisters appeared and they were no less kind, but my passenger / girlfriend / wife to be / fellow student took it all in her stride and perched herself out on the window sill of her hotel room to catch the same sun that had done so much damage to me. I suppose that's what they call 'coming out in sympathy'! I couldn't hide it and for the rest of our stay in that lovely town and a few days afterwards as well, blister after blister broke constantly moistening my T shirts. I had learned my lesson and have never been burned by the sun since that day.

When we expose ourselves to sin, it leaves its mark too and no matter what we do, we can't get rid of it. And you know, it doesn't matter that we've been warned to take the proper precautions to avoid it, because often it only takes a glimpse at it and it's hurting us in some area of our lives. I'd like to think that each time it happens and we see the pain it causes, we become a little bit wiser and more alert but it doesn't always happen. And the damage can last for a lot longer than sunburn for it won't get better unless we ask God to intervene.In his letter to the Christians in Rome Paul tells them 'The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' who paid the ultimate sacrifice for my sin through his death and resurrection.

Fortunate is the person who never gets sunburnt but 'Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.' (Romans 4v8).