Some time ago my 84 year-old father - the adorable George - discovered that he could send text messages on his iPhone by dictating to Siri as if she were a secretary from his working days. I tease Dad about his inability with technology, but I have to give him kudos for learning how to text a little later in life than most of us probably do.

The thing is, Siri doesn't always seem to understand what he's saying, which can produce some confusion on this side of the pond. Some standard things I have figured out, for instance that "You're all dad loves you very much" is "Your old Dad loves you very much." That's easy enough. Some other things remain sightly less clear. It took me quite some time to figure out "Vat's not hat fad" really meant "That's not half bad."

But here's the thing: it doesn't really matter if I always understand every text 100%, because I understand the man behind them. Every message he sends is an act of love, and even if the messages themselves are not always as clear as I would like, the love behind them is.

I think that's not a bad image for God. We hear time and again that we can learn things, not only from the words of Scripture, but also from the events of our lives and our world. And - I have to admit - I'm not sure I always understand what these lessons are supposed to be, what it is I'm supposed to learn. But I do understand that I am connected to a compassionate God who loves me. If his lessons are not always immediately clear to me, his love is. Sure, sometimes I wish God were a little clearer but - at the end of the day - it doesn't really matter. Every message he sends is an act of love, and even if the messages themselves are not always as clear as I would like, the love behind them is.

That's not half bad.