It seems to me that on becoming a believer of any kind, an individual is given (or told to get) a plastic bag containing approximately three things to survive. They couldn't even be bothered with a rucksack, just a plastic bag - not particularly good for the environment but in some ways like gold dust. Inside the bag are a few items...
- The first is a walkie-talkie. Yes, an invisible one. The believer is usually told to pray to their god of choice. Except with far fewer incoming messages than outgoing ones. And a lot of interference.
- The second is a map. A Bible, a Quran, a Torah, The Vedas. Supposedly giving direction in various situations and often prone to being misunderstood and read the wrong way round.
- The third is shelter. A community of other believers. Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples even. Consider it a little like shelter if the storms outside are getting a little too intense and you are fed up trying to make a hat out of the plastic bag you were originally given.
Is there anything else in the plastic bag? Not much. Some people say that they receive spiritual gifts, but, for the most part, we are like Mirabel in Encanto and often do not receive a gift. Hey, maybe we should count our blessings to even get the plastic bag.
After that you are pretty much on your own. You are supposed to read your map, use your walkie talkie and not avoid the shelters, unless you've been locked up or something, in which case it is okay.
When I first became a believer (which, as I say, happened through a prayer), I wasn't given a plastic bag exactly. I was given a paper flyer saying when the next church service was and a warning that a coal which falls away from the other coals in a fire will no longer burn hot and red. They were times of immense change as I tried to adjust myself to a new landscape and worldview.
So, it is always a big no-no if a believer fails to use any one of the items within their plastic bag. Most of the sermons in the shelter are meant to encourage people to use their walkie-talkie or else read their map. If you are lucky, you might get told that you should take action based on the map’s directions to help you survive on your journey in the wild.
Believers can spend a lot of time looking to see if there is anything else in the plastic bag. As a spiritual tool-kit, the contents are sparse. Maybe climbing into the bag would act as a portal through which one might escape? No, it doesn't. There are no portals. And our God is invisible no matter how many times they tell us to keep our eyes on him. And when they say that, they just mean ‘use your walkie-talkie’ or ‘read the map’ or ‘go to the shelter’ anyway.
There is, of course, one last thing that I have neglected to mention. The presence of your chosen God. Think of your God like a companion or guide. Somehow... We are told... He/She/They is with us all the time, inside us even, and we are to be aware of that. We are told that this is a fact, however we feel. So, along with our often-faulty internal compasses, our consciences, we also have another guide, one who can bring peace and comfort and, who is, I imagine, trustworthy. Providing it is the Creator God we are talking about (The Creator God being kind of important). Given that God is supposed to be inside us, you might wonder why we are so often prone to making some quite catastrophic mistakes and treat others so badly. But that is because of ‘the enemy’ and his/her/their/its evil plans.
It is a fact that I am not currently using my walkie-talkie and that I am finding it difficult to refer to the map. I think, at this point, I’ve thrown the walkie-talkie into some soggy ditch. The map is so complex and not terribly helpful. I am not finding it terribly helpful, even when people post their favourite portions of it online in memes. But I know the map fairly well and have always been reasonably good at reading maps, from when I was a child, sitting in the back seat of the car with my brother and offering directions.
Of course, there are many maps. And there are many types of walkie-talkie (and channels and recipients of the messages).
Don't think that the survival kit is for the believers alone. Well, think what you like, but try not to express it at dinner parties. There are other things which people use to direct their lives. Like common sense. Or the declaration of human rights. Or a favourite self-help book. The road less travelled...
All kinds of plastic bags are handed out to all kinds of people. Each one believing that their map and walkie talkie are the best. As AI might say 'It is up to the individual to decide which map is the most accurate'.
And for those who eschew all maps and walkie-talkies? Well, I guess there are always the angels to protect from the pummelling rain and the saturating cold.
Maybe that’s all any of us really have anyway. A kind angel to be on our side through our life journey. To keep our personal demons far from us so that we don’t even have to listen to their uncaring voices.
Goodness knows that so many forces are not on our side in any meaningful way.
Like death himself, who is not entirely reasonable or helpful, whether we come to terms with him or not. And who does not seem to care about our various walkie-talkies, maps, shelters or plastic bags.
Maybe something else is hidden at the bottom of the bag? Like a shiny hope in Pandoras Box or something? Or a 1 terabyte memory stick containing a more helpful online map that everyone apart from us must surely know about? And the link to some more useful resources beyond mere words and stories...
I'm not sure if or when I will read my map or
use my walkie talkie again (or try to dig it out from the ditch). The resources
and provision given to most of us are, I feel, very threadbare.
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