Yesterday at church we remembered a well-known Bible story. Jesus has died and come back to life, telling his disciples, ‘Now it’s over to you. You’ve got to continue the work that I’ve started’. Jesus leaves his disciples… at Pentecost the Holy Spirit comes to help and empower them. ‘The Spirit of Jesus is with you; now you must manage…’
The ‘now you must manage’ responsibility has been with me at different times throughout my life… When I first stood on my own in front of a class of children… When Jo, our eldest child, came home from hospital as a baby… When I led my first funeral service… ‘Now you must manage’ brings personal responsibility.
Last night we watched the first part of a new TV adaption of ‘Lord of the Flies’, based on William Golding’s 1954 novel… An aeroplane has crashed on a deserted island. A group of boys are the only survivors. Faced with ‘Now you must manage’ their attempts to govern themselves lead to violence, chaos, savagery and tragedy. This story about boys is a picture of all humanity.
Our church Crafty Cuppa group were challenged by a local care-home to create a very, very long scarf that could fit around their care-home sign. Given a ‘now you must manage’ situation together they began to knit and crochet squares that were joined together. They excelled themselves!
I just heard a ‘thud’ at the window. I looked out. A blackbird had flown into the glass and was standing on the patio looking very dazed. He stood there alone for several minutes. Summoning up the strength he flew to a nearby fence. It was his ‘now you must manage’ situation. He waited a few more minutes then flew off.
This week I won’t have classes of children or newborn babies. However, life continues to present ‘now you must manage’ situations. I’m aware that they can lead to Lord-of-the-Flies-chaos… I learn from Crafty-Cuppa-teamwork… I recognise times of blackbird-individual-responsibility… I remember Sunday’s lesson of Holy-Spirit-empowerment…
malcolmsmusings.org 
Very good, so relatable. Thank you for the reminder that I’m not on my own, but the Holy Spirit is with me in my managing!
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It seems to me, Dana, that for hose who would follow Jesus it’s about balancing the Spirit’s help with the personal responsibility – and the blackbird’s determination.
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Wow – this resonates deeply with me, Malcolm. Thank God for the Holy Spirit in those moments.
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Sometimes, Wynne, ‘Now you must manage’ can feel quite lonely, but input from God and other folk can be reassuring.
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Favorite Guy and I both live with health challenges (Parkinson’s, Crohn’s) and now we must manage with being octogenerian and not feeling well. But God we find God’s blessings all around us every day, big ones and small ones!
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It’s good to hear how God helps you manage, Joy. I’m sure that God is with us, enabling us to manage whatever comes our way.
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