Our Wayward Minds

Wayward: Difficult to control or predict…

Yesterday…

…We watched the Celebrity Traitors final. Nineteen contestants had started; just five remained – traitors Cat and Alan, and faithfuls Joe, Nick, and David.

In the end, comedian Alan Carr was crowned the winner, winning £87,500 for chosen charity, Neuroblastoma UK. He admitted to the ‘deceit, the lying and murdering in plain sight’, saying of himself, ‘I’m an awful human being.’ We were thoroughly entertained.

I was brought up to believe that lying is wrong and that being faithful is good. I still do. Our mind accept that lying and cheating are acceptable as part of a game.

…We reflected on watching ‘War Horse’ in Norwich… the story – Joey the horse and Albert the boy… the horrors of The First World War… the simple but creative staging… the haunting musical accompaniment…

We talked about Joey, created as a life-sized horse-puppet, operated by three men… with desires and feelings who made a relationships with people. The audience responded with horror when Joey was about to be shot… The play convinced our minds that this was a real horse.

…I attended  our ‘singing for wellbeing’ group at the Seagull Theatre. Folks with breathing problems are helped by the singing; folks with mobility problems join in action songs… and those with dementia, whose conversation is limited, discover that they remember the lyrics of songs learnt fifty years ago.

In conversation afterwards I was talking about War Horse. Graham’s dementia is deteriorating. He’d been silent. The conversation triggered a memory. ‘I remember that film. It made me cry,’

Dementia’s wayward mind…

…I went for my weekly prayer walk, seeking to re-align my mind with God’s heart, will and purpose, reflecting on

…St Paul’s words in Romans: ‘The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (8:6) …‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (12:2)

…and my wayward, unpredictable mind that’s seeking transformation.