I stood, waiting for one of the most modern metro trains in the world. The station was squeakily clean. Efficiency was evident, with an unusual mix of ticketless devices and people in uniforms to help and guide. While nothing may always be perfect, this station signalled confidence from every angle.
In an age of cell phones, often more than one per person, communication for an above-ground system would seem simple. This metro was not assuming anything in this space. Expressing the need for help in an emergency was as near as the green columns on the platform. Simple, visual, and relatively obvious instructions let me know I would be rescued when I was in danger.
In the silence, I heard the question of when and how my heart and soul could be rescued. As I start today, life offers answers that can guide and protect me through the challenges and dangers ahead.
Divine preparation is ahead of anything we can do. With overwhelming forces leaving devastation in their wake, the evidence of destruction and loss of life is hard to comprehend. The trail of failed human effort is beyond anything I imagined. In context, one asks what could be more important than being prepared. In the darkness of the night that is giving way to a new day, I realise some, Divinity along with a few communities, took the challenge on. A note reminds me of Divinity’s approach to being unprepared; “if that had been the case, he would have to sacrifice himself repeatedly throughout the course of history. But instead, he sacrificed himself once and for all, summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the final solution of sin.” (Hebrews 9.26)
In a moment of emergency, help and support is the answer. Learning and growing will come with strength, courage, and hope. Until then, what you have done, the externals of who you are, and where you sit are secondary to the person I see who is in need. I will start with unconditional acceptance delivered with compassion, kindness, and care.
