I don’t think the Prime Minister’s feet have touched the ground since the ‘Starmer Tsunami’ of July 4. ‘Busy, busy busy’ seems to sum up the first few days, which is why he definitely needs our prayers.

Having said that though, I can’t help thinking about the huge number of candidates who were not elected. The BBC’s Political Editor summed it up well: ‘Politics at its heart is about human beings, and their emotions: success, failure, jubilation, anguish, regret’.

A former candidate who failed to be elected some years ago put it this way: “In these days following the election, I suspect there will be hundreds if not thousands of candidates who will need to be reminded that their identity and worth is not in politics, being a candidate, or seeking the approval of local voters.”

Feelings of worthlessness and rejection can prove deeply depressing and they are not confined to ‘would be MP’s’ either. I’ve read for example that the world-famous psychotherapist Viktor Frankl (who survived Auschwitz) recalled the night a patient telephoned him to say she was going to commit suicide. She didn’t because he spent two hours on the phone listening to her. It was a very simple act of compassion, but it clearly convinced her that her life was worth living after all.  So, let’s never underestimate the importance of a listening ear.

I never had the privilege of meeting Victor Frankl but will never forget meeting Lorraine (not her real name). Lorraine had been so badly treated that she ended up as a drug addicted prostitute by the age of 17. She was living alone in a tent in the woods, and her life was as bleak as you could get. And then it all changed because she had a dream in which she saw herself dead and this experience scared her so much that she went looking for help. Her GP suggested that she should get to know a group of local Christians he thought could be of help to her. Now she readily admitted that she didn’t want to spend time with ‘Bible bashers’ but she finally plucked up courage and followed her GP’s advice.

She was so glad she did because much to her joy she discovered that they didn’t want to ‘push religion down her throat’, they simply wanted to care for her and to affirm her worth.  Then one day a member of staff uttered the few words that proved her lifeline. “Lorraine you are very special”. Lorraine is now a Christian and living a deeply fulfilling and healthy life and this can all be attributed to that simple but deeply profound phrase. It’s worth remembering every time we meet someone else that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.

We should never underestimate the importance of listening to each other nor the impact acts of encouragement can have. As someone has rightly said encouragement is like ‘oxygen to the soul’. So why not send a message to one or more of the candidates who failed to be elected in your constituency? You could thank them for all they have done and you could remind them that when one door closes another door may be opening. They can still serve their communities, albeit in a different way. But then, that’s something we can all do!