RELIEF?
On the very first day of Level Four Lockdown I was pretty exhausted and a little dazed. The lead up days had been frenetic and full. The last day before Level four, I was at work around 6am and finally finished there around 6pm, collected some groceries for Mum & Dad, dropped them off and got home late for an elders’ 7pm zoom meeting which finished quite late.
And so, the next day I stumbled out of bed donned my stunning blue dressing gown and worn out slippers and ambled into the kitchen. With a pot of coffee I found myself sitting in my favourite recliner in the morning sun. The world was changing but everything was the same except for the quietness of the road, no cars only bird song.
I had started a book earlier in the year but it had been ignored for over a month. The book was called, ‘The Pianist of Yarmouk’ by Aeham Ahmad. Aeham is a classically trained pianist who with his blind father, mother, wife and young child was trapped in the city of Yarmouk. This city was originally a place where Palestinian refugees were accepted by the Syrian government, until the Syrian war began. It details his struggle to fit into a foreign culture, particularly a culture of classical music. This struggle continues when he struggles to live and survive until one day he decides he must escape Yarmouk.
He does, but I’ll say no more in case you wish to read the book yourself, (it is well worth it). As I sat on the first day of our Lockdown and read of this remarkable man’s journey and struggles I could not stop reading. After an hour or so, I was finished reading Aeham’s story – and I cried.
I cried with relief at the ending, I cried for the life he had been forced to live, I cried for the atrocities and pain inflicted on him and his family and many others in Yarmouk. Perhaps I even cried a little for the uncertainty we were all about to face.
Now we face Level one in New Zealand, but don’t forget the millions of people in this world that have been impacted by COVID-19 over 7 million infected, and over 404,000 deaths.
It is appropriate to cry for this.
John 11:35 – Jesus wept.
The greatest verse to demonstrate that Christ followers are not hollow law-holding placemats awaiting a future day, but people with feelings who care about those around us. Our Lord wept real tears of grief – may we also have eyes and ears that enable us to grieve for those around us that are lost or impacted by devastating circumstances. Let’s not just hit restart at Level one, but let’s be sensitive to the call of our Lord as He is sensitive to us.
Grow in His grace,
Warren
11 June 2020
Previous Blogs
The News... : Warren, 1st July 2020Shhh - Listen : Warren, 19th June 2020
Relief? : Warren, 11th June 2020
On the Cusp : Warren, 4th June 2020
In the Beginning... : Warren, 28th May 2020
Seasons : Warren, 21st May 2020
Aroha|Love : Warren, 14th May 2020
How is your mind? : Warren, 7th May 2020
On the Level : Warren, 1st May 2020
Signs : Warren, 24th April 2020
Whakaaria Mai : Warren, 15th April 2020
Essential Worker or Not? : Warren, 8th April 2020
Rumours : Warren, 1st April March 2020
What Would Jesus Do? : Warren, 25 March 2020