Greetings!

 As always, I hope you and yours are well, and even if that is not altogether so, I hope that you know and will always hold to the truth that whatever it is that you are facing, you are not alone! You have with and for you, One whose name is Emmanuel; consequently, there is no need to fear.

Now, the above is not a reflection given by one who has conquered all fears: in fact, I have to remind myself these days, that the messages I preach to, and share with others are also, perhaps more so for me, or else they would only be hollow claims, devoid of substantiation. So, I pray that you, me, and all who read this, will know that to enjoin a way of being that does not give in to fear, is not because there is nothing to fear, but because the One who is omnipotent, omniscient, and ever-loving, is with us to help, direct, and support us, always, and in all ways, if we allow Him.

Since the elections up “North” almost a week ago, and the various and sundry commentaries and predictions being banded about, I have felt in my gut, a desire to share my two cents worth, for the simple reason that I believe I can be honest with you, about how I feel and how I plan to deal with those feelings. To be sure, the results had me (and you perhaps) in a tailspin! I thought that the story of the people’s clamour for the release of Barabbas, was one for Biblical history, not to be repeated in our own time. Well, I thought wrong!

As my friend Annett and I spoke, a couple of days after the election, she reminded me, in her usual unvarnished candour, that even before Barabbas, the Chosen Ones had demanded a king. She said: “Gee, remember what God said to Samuel when the prophet lamented their decision.” See below, The Message paraphrase translation, of what God said.

God answered Samuel, “Go ahead and do what they’re asking. They are not rejecting you. They’ve rejected me as their King. From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they’ve been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they’re doing it to you. So let them have their own way. But warn them of what they’re in for. Tell them the way kings operate, just what they’re likely to get from a king.” 1 Samuel 8:7

I believe that the quotation above, in light of what we saw leading up to the elections, and the results, need no further explanation, but rather the response of a posture that looks away from human solutions to the world’s myriad and multi-layered problems.

The catalyst that inspired my deep meditation, therefore, prompting my decision to call a halt to unrestrained imbibing of broadcast after broadcast, and commentary after commentary, came by way of two things: one a comment made by a dear and well-respected ministerial colleague, earlier this year, and the other, comments made by a professor of Ethics, at Harvard. Both have helped me to put things in perspective, hence the title of today’s blog.

Like I said, my friend spoke words to me earlier this year, which I did not want to hear, but which, kept reverberating in my spirit. Not only did he predict the outcome of the elections, but he also said in essence that he hoped it would be as he predicted, because that is how empire in the west (with all its world-glorifying connotations), beginning with our northern neighbours, would be brought to its knees, in acknowledgement of the One who holds creation and all that is, seen and unseen, in His hands.

The professor, on the other hand, having surveyed the global landscape, concluded that the election results only heralded the unleashing of a process towards what he describes as ‘…a culture of debasement,’ from which there will be little escape, over the next decade or two. What he recommends borders on the fact, that not only in the USA, but all over the world, people will need to adopt the kind of coping and endurance mechanisms, without which, we will not survive.

I am no analyst, and precisely because of which I try not to nuff up miself on social media. I am sharing with you here, only that which I have discerned, in my own wrestling…with God. The medium, therefore, dictates that what I write/share is neither new nor profound, but rather, a way of engaging the onward journey, looking not to any world-appointed messiah: white, black, coloured, male, or female, no matter their (presumed) charisma, but exclusively to the ONE who is author and perfector of our individual and collective stories.

So, in the final analysis, here is what I think: Life as we have been experiencing it on this side of eternity, is both short and unpredictable. With all our advancements in science, technology, and communication, it seems that the more we know, have, and achieve, the further away we drift from the ground of our being, relying instead on our presumed superior intellect, and strengths, evidenced in our many accomplishments. So arrogant and myopic have we become as a species, we foolishly assume and so believe that to turn back…to admit our need for God, is infra dig…a retrograde step, that is beneath us, hence not worth our self-aggrandizing while, even considering.

Like I said, I am no analyst, and this post is getting too long for my liking so I shall leave it, here and you, to decide how and with what spirit you will approach the year[s] ahead. Let me just say as I close, that as a student of Judeo-Christian Scripture, endeavouring to read the signs of the times, there is no mistaking the fact that Only God will be able to guide us safely through the wilderness we have made of His world, to the Promised Land of possibilities, in union with Him.

As my grandmother of blessed memory would often say: “We are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.” Well, I will take my chances with the latter, because the lifeguard in whom I trust, has shown repeatedly, that He is able to rescue the perishing, even to the parting of waters, that they may cross over on dry ground.

Until next time, stay safe and well as you remain in His grip!

Grace+