This morning as I sit at my computer, mentally flipping through the pages of the week past…the mountainous problems still erupting in St Vincent, the recent deaths of several more friends and acquaintances plus the pandemics that are wreaking havoc here in Jamaica, particularly the one driven by lawlessness and requires, even more than a vaccine, a national heart transplant. So with each new page I turned, I had to acknowledge the indescribable numbness: a kind of paralysis evidenced by inability to give voice to that which is lodged deep in my gut. As I ruminated on or to be more precise…rummaged through the various scenes, a song from back in my teenage years came to memory. It’s one of those I would sing during crusade services at my or any other church, to which I was invited; its theme is Trials Make Pure Gold

I suppose the song takes its theme from 1 Peter 1:7 in which the apostle compares genuine faith to gold, the brilliance of which shines forth, because of the firing process it must endure, to be rid of impurities. What the apostle does, in making this comparison, is to declare that since gold is enabled, because of the firing, to become pure, genuine and ultimately brilliant, so too the child of God, who endures life’s fiery trials, is able, because of them, to shine/glow in the darkness…of the surrounding world, and so make a needed difference.

I have found – and in this I am by no means unique – that life’s challenges are pedagogues of the highest caliber. If we are prepared to not simply be passive recipients of whatever they would throw at us but are rather determined to engage…to contend with them, we are in effect, making room for genuine understanding and application of the lessons they would teach, beginning with the difference between sympathy and empathy.

One of the ways in which I have been dealing with the challenges of the times, aside from and yet in tandem with reading the scriptures and praying [with or without words] is by binge-watching Netflix! Yes, you saw right and at this point I do not give a hoot if you are mortified at my engaging such a pastime [laugh]; maybe you should too! No, seriously, I have been watching some of these Netflix series, the ones that do not have too many seasons[usually the ones of European or Latin origin] and in which you will experience some serious acting. These short series literally and figuratively invite your own participation in the scenes; they bring into focus your understanding of life…its trials and the challenges of which there is seemingly no end. So, then you may ask…how does one get through?

Well, here are two things I have learned from two series I completed recently. By the way, I will not name them here, lest I get into any copyright trouble. Suffice to say however, if you link me one on one, I can share their titles and my experience [including next day hangovers] of putting myself in the place of one or more of the actors [smile].

I have learnt that religion, ethnicity, social status and education are often used to determine the worthiness or otherwise, of those we claim to love. I have also learnt that real love, the kind that Jesus the Christ embodied: the self-sacrificing way that looks beyond feeling, beyond knowing sometimes, to behold and respond to the divine in another…is what genuine love – with its offspring: compassion, forgiveness and hope – is made of.  

I have also learned that in [family] relationships, honesty is always the best policy; that to wheel deal and connive, guided by the misguided notion that the end justifies the means, usually ends up [even if it takes a number of generations] creating more harm than good. You see, a well-placed lie here and there, is usually the beginning of a life/relationship destined for breakdown. In an insidious way, such a life, being riddled with falsehoods, soon begins to lose all consciousness of the life-giving nature of truth; in fact, it wouldn’t recognize truth or love for that matter, even if both are within the circle of its existence.

So, here’s the challenge for us this week, in these differently difficult pandemic days. From all that is happening around and to us, whether in real time or virtually, there is much we can learn. The challenge however, is to move beyond the surface of our presumed knowing, to ask those deep questions of ultimacy. We must be prepared to drill down into our experiences and ponder the lessons that are there, for our learning. The truth is, the being we accord the designation GOD is so vast, so perfectly profound, so…dynamic, we would do well to recognize that the methodologies GOD may choose to aid our faith journey, can and may include even mundane entities like…Netflix.

Until next week then, keep safe and well as you remain in His grip.

Grace+