I read recently that ‘life is a mixture of beauty and fragility’. The beauty of loving, caring, trusted relationships is coupled with the fragility of life and the reality that we, and the people we love, are growing older, and that sometimes the circumstances of life mean that sadness and grief become our companions. In a culture that elevates happiness and thus pushes away anything that might rob us of that happiness, the emotion of grief is often not processed well. Yet it is something we will all experience at some time in our lives and maybe on more than one occasion.
In the Old Testament is a collection of books called the Psalms which reflect a range of emotions – from joyful celebration to despair and grief. They make fascinating reading and we generally do not have to read for very long before we can identify with what the psalmist is saying. The bible takes sadness seriously and the psalmist often leaves us in no doubt that his world is not as he would like it, or how he believes it should be. All of us will go through times such as that – for such is the fragility of life. During those times the psalmist would, despite his circumstances, affirm his confidence in the goodness of God. In times when life is not as we feel it should be, then God’s grace comes as a welcome friend to carry us and sustain us.
May his grace and peace be yours today and each day that follows.
Gerry Riviere
Senior School Chaplain
