New Year Musings

Four Personal New Year Musings:

Imperfection: Yesterday on TV I watched part of ‘Matilda’… Matilda sings ‘Naughty’ with the wonderful line, ‘Sometimes you have to be a little it naughty’. I’ve often wondered how such an approach to life fits in with me as a teacher or responsible citizen… friend or family member… Christian or role model…

Matilda reminds me of our imperfect world – internationally, locally, personally… The song continues: ‘And that’s not right!’ I need to acknowledge imperfections, and, like Matilda, call them out.  

Improvement: There’s the usual debate about New Year’s resolutions – what resolutions we should make, how long we keep them for, whether there’s any point to them… Resolutions are based on the premise that we need to improve – that we should address our imperfections.

Matilda’s ‘And that’s not right!’  continues, ‘And if it’s not right! You have to put it right!’ My good Christian friends would add ‘with God’s help’… I need to take responsibility for improving life’s imperfections.

Imagination: Last night on TV we watched DIY SOS: a field in Beverley, Yorkshire, was transformed into a wonderful new home for the Cherry Tree Youth Club. Presenter Nick Knowles identified with the young people: ‘I grew up in a place like this, the kind of place that people say, ‘Oh, don’t bother building anything nice there, it will just get destroyed.’’

‘…You have to build stuff in tough places, you have to make a difference to change…’It’s about imagining the best… aiming for, working towards the apparently impossible.

Importance: Yesterday I was reminded of Jesus’ parable of the talents. We all have personal assets – money, time, skills… Jesus says it’s not about the nature or quantity of our talents, it’s about making best use them… not hiding them, burying them, or making them inaccessible.

Matilda reminds me of my imperfect world and my responsibility to improve it. Nick Knowles calls me to use my imagination, to aim high. Jesus emphasises my importance in using my personal, God-given talents in that improvement.