I long for the days of Lloyd Robertson, Walter Cronkite and
Harvey Kirck. These were the days when the news was reported, personal opinion
rarely made it into the reporting and both sides got a chance to voice their
opinion. My grandfather used to say there were three sides to every story;
yours, mine and the right one. We can all look at the same picture and see
something completely different. I walked into a home a while ago and noticed
the explosion of colour on the refrigerator. From a ways off it just looked
like a huge mess, papers hanging onto the door for dear life held on with a
tiny magnet, colours that should never be placed together and globs that had
dried in place mid-drip. It looked as if this were the remnants of an explosion
in a paint factory but for the family it was art and who was I to argue. The
artist took the time to walk me through the paintings and suddenly horses and
cows, rainbows and sunrises sprang forth from the chaos. Over the years, the
artist continued to draw and paint, many would offer suggestions and wisdom to
the young artist, some he embraced and some were filed for later times, and his
work transformed and grew. Even the negative help to shape his work and today
he is a magnificent artist, not to say that he was not before.
The news today is filled with an almost hysterical flavour
of doom and gloom. Out of this comes arguments of “it could be worse” (which it
could) to “avoid all contact with the world” (which would solve the issue).
Both sides have valid points to make but somewhere in the middle is the answer.
There will always be those who think they are completely correct and they will
argue the point to the end. Some do so by defying the suggestions and input and
believe that what they see is just fine, “don’t infringe on my rights, quit
talking down to me”. Truth be told, you shame me and I will dig in my heels,
its human nature. On the other side of the equation comes lines such as “are
you stupid, your going to kill us all, you are so selfish, the world is coming
to an end”. Somewhere in the middle is
the truth and it is the truth that will set us free from the bonds of this
stress.
Let’s look at the pictures on the fridge with new lenses. I
see the depth of the angst in the colours of the perceptions. There is the need
for self-protection and the need for protecting our families. But let us
consider this, we are all God’s family so why not take it upon ourselves to
seek out ways to keep all our neighbours safe. By limiting my time outside my
home, I am protecting those of my community and I am being responsible to my
family. Yes, you may feel you are impervious to the virus but if you get it,
are you willing to accept the responsibility of spreading it? I have two dear
friends that have closed their restaurants for dining in. I miss them dearly
but love them for caring for their neighbours, their friends.
Yes, this is a terrible time and the news loves to blast us
with the negatives. Daily one-sided conversations and stories saying the exact
same thing over and over. I do understand the magnitude of the situation but
there is another side we don’t see on the news. The pollution over our major
cities is lessening, the canals in Venice are running clear, families posting
goofy videos of dancing around to weird songs on Facebook, kids getting to know
their parents, parents getting to know their kids. Forced time out is leading
to time spent with family. I watch the news and what I don’t hear is the
constant battle of our leaders and the opposition yelling back and forth about
nonsense but rather I hear we must work together. In the darkest hour, we need
to seek the Light. There are numerous good news stories out there, we need to
seek them out. At a time when the media outlets seek to report for ratings and
sensationalism, let us live our lives in search of the relationships that God
wants us to find and grow, in that we will find the beauty within the chaos on
the fridge door.
Main Avenue Fellowship will be having services this Sunday
BUT it will only be available online. We have been blessed with the ability to
broadcast live and will do so at 10:30 AM (Mountain Time) If you would like to
join us online on Facebook, click on the following link:(https://www.facebook.com/MainAvenueFellowship/ )
or view it afterwards on our website (www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca).
See you all Sunday.
Blessings
Pastor Todd
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