Pastoral
Letter Wednesday 14th October:
My
Dear Friends,
One
of the great mottoes of the Scouting Association is “Look Wide!”
Avoid a narrow outlook. Have you noticed how easily depressed we
become when the news is focussed relentlessly and exclusively on one
topic. The politicians and pundits, the experts and fanatics become
obsessed; and we hear of little else. Eventually, it all becomes too
much for us; and it wears us down. Last year we were all heartily
sick of Brexit. This year its Coronavirus.
One
day, a professor entered his classroom and asked his students to
prepare for a surprise test. They all waited anxiously at their desks
for the exam to begin.
The
professor handed out the question papers with the text facing down;
and once he had handed them all out, he asked the students to turn
over the papers and begin.
To
everyone’s surprise, there were no questions – just a black dot
in the centre of the paper. The professor, seeing the expression on
everyone’s faces, told them the following: “I want you to write
about what you see there.” The students, confused, got started on
the inexplicable task.
At
the end of the class, the professor took all the exam papers, and
started reading each one of them out loud in front of all the
students.
All
of them, with no exception, defined the black dot, trying to explain
its position in the centre of the sheet. After all had been read,
the classroom remained silent, and the professor started to explain:
“I’m
not going to mark you on this. I just wanted to give you something
to think about. Not a single one of you wrote about the white part
of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot. Now, exactly the
same thing happens in our lives. We stubbornly insist on focusing
only on the black dot – the health issues that bother us, the lack
of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the
disappointment with a friend. The dark spots are very small when
compared to everything else we have in our lives, but they are the
ones that pollute our minds. Take your the eyes away from the black
dots in your lives. Enjoy each one of your blessings; each moment
that life gives you. Be happy and live a life filled with love!”
Time
and again the Scriptures encourage us to “lift up your eyes” and
“lift up your hearts.”
Liz
joins me in sending our love to you all,
Alex.
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