Issue 111
Small Picture Thinking
Have you ever heard yourself saying “what just happened here?” or “how on earth did that happen?” Work is proceeding at a normal pace, progressing towards a planned outcome and suddenly it changes. We find ourselves using phrases like ’fallen through’,’”pearshaped’ or’”belly-up’. It can happen in any job, to any person, at any time. If it is a deal that has gone wrong, sometimes it can be fixed or replaced. People are far harder to fix or replace and if you are the one losing your way, your job may need replacing, which can be very hard indeed.
The workplace is full of bizarre and unexpected challenges. Computers can take on a life of their own, and forces can combine to create the most confusing sets of circumstances. For some this is a source of enjoyment in work – it is the reason they want to do what they do – but for many these eruptions of the extraordinary can be the source of stress, bewilderment and fear.
Such was the case for a group of rural businessmen; dealers in livestock, they had amassed a large holding. As the working day was coming to an end and the night shift was about to take over, they saw their entire stockholding of 2,000 animals spontaneously stampede down a hill into water and die. Unsurprisingly, they were so shocked that they ran away from the scene to report the disaster. The phrase “what just happened here?” hardly covers their disbelief. In a matter of minutes their assets were gone. Years of work had gone belly-up and sunk without trace – this was not a good day.
With the hindsight of history and the overview of theology, we of course, know what happened. Jesus was working in the neighbouring cemetery and set loose some unpleasant forces from a notorious madman which infected the animals. They stampeded as a result, but why? Some nod knowlingly and say that these sort of people should not have been trading in these sort of animals anyway as they were considered unhealthy and unfit for human consumption, but these sort of people were not subject to Jewish law or customs. So why did these 2,000 pigs die? Why did this business literally sink?
The honest answer is we don’t know. We simply don’t ave enough information to fully explain the episode. Frustrating though it may be, this is the truth.
On another level, one has to conclude that if God had wanted us to know why, he would have made it clearer, but he did not. The very fact that we can debate and discuss possibilities proves that we don’t really know. Once you admit this ignorance, you find yourself admitting your limitations and God’s overview. As a finite human being you are faced with trustingin God.
It may be that next time it goes ‘belly-up’ or ‘pear-shaped’ or any other bizarre way at work, your investigations will lead you to this position of trusting rather than knowing. It is sometimes our quest to know more than God wants us to know that is the source of our stress. We want to see the big picture but he wants us to see a smaller one. The place of peace often involves not seeing everything but still trusting.
Mark 5:1-20
1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” 8For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!” 9Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” 10″My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs.
The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 14Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man–and told about the pigs as well. 17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
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Work well
Geoff Shattock
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