Our local news this week has included the unexploded Second World War bomb that’s been found in Great Yarmouth. This 80 year old 250kg bomb was found whilst dredging the River Yare on Tuesday.
Bomb disposal experts have been called… roads have been closed… many folks have had to leave their homes… a controlled explosion is planned… there’s the problem of a nearby gas main… it’s now the third day of the complex operation.
When I was teaching, some children were like unexploded bombs. Their extensive needs and difficulties were such that they could explode at any time… they needed to be treated by skilled bomb diffusion experts…
Some friends have unexploded bombs in their lives… Chloe is a single mum with two teenage daughters; she works hard but struggles to make ends meet… Derek’s cancer is currently in remission, but it could flare up again at any time… Richard’s wife has dementia; her behaviour is unpredictable – Richard never knows what she will do or say next…
Insufficient finances, cancer, dementia – bombs with the potential to explode
I’m reading Jennifer Bute’s ‘Dementia from the Inside’. Dr Bute, a senior doctor in a large clinical practice, was diagnosed with dementia in 2009. She tells her story with insight, wisdom, hope, and the perspective of her Christian faith.
She writes, soon after the diagnosis: My heart said: ‘Well, Lord, here I am with Alzheimer’s: I accept this as an unexpected gift from you, an opportunity to understand dementia from the inside.’
She sees her dementia not an unexploded bomb, but an unexpected gift!
I was reading Deuteronomy 20 this morning. Israel have been in the desert for 40 years and are about to enter their ‘Promised Land’. Their God says that they must see beyond their fears, problems and battles to God’s presence and power that will bring victories, successes and a new home.
Musing… do I face insurmountable problems, difficult battles, unexploded bombs… or exciting opportunities, potential victories, unexpected gifts?
malcolmsmusings.org 