Parachutes, Pies and Pals

I find the Bible inspirational and encouraging… but difficult and challenging…

I’ve been reading Joshua and Judges… After years of unrest Israel’s finally settled in their ‘Promised Land’. There’s great stories about Joshua and Gideon – heroes of the faith. There’s lesser known adventures of Caleb and Deborah… salutary tales of Achan and Samson…

Judges finishes with rape, murder and civil war, and the final sentence: ‘In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.’

In days when it often seems that moral leadership is lacking, and people just care about themselves… here’s three random thoughts…    

Parachutes… Parachutes only work when they’re open… We need to be like parachutes

with open minds to consider alternative points of view, open hands to give generously to those in need, open hearts to love the sick, the sad and the straightforward.

We know that open parachutes save lives that are in danger, bring us down gently when we’re falling…

Pies… Someone said, ‘I had to eat humble pie’. I googled it… apparently in the fourteenth century, the ‘numbles’ were the heart, liver, entrails etc. of animals, especially deer – what we now call ‘offal’.

The rich and important ate the best meat; the poor ate ‘numble pie’. Demanding my rights, insisting that I get the best, seeing my self-importance is overrated. Being satisfied with the numbles… eating humble pie is OK.

Pals… A few days ago I heard ‘I’d do anything’ from ‘Oliver’. It’s a song about friendship and loyalty between pals… Nancy, Artful Dodger, Oliver, Fagin – the whole gang. It emphasizes selflessness and devotion, reflectng a willingness to go to any lengths for someone you love.

The willingness to lace my shoe… paint your face bright blue… catch a kangaroo… go to Timbuktu – and back again… is true friendship.

So this morning… I’m musing on countering the lack of moral leadership, the promotion of self-centred living, with the openness of parachutes, the humility of pies and the devotion of pals…