Living on the edge ...
Dedications Sunday’s Done! Did you Dedicate or Deviate in Diffidence?
Well, it seems that a lot of people differed, if I going by the few forms finally found finished. I’ve got a few comments to say on that at mordecai.weebly.com. It’s all quite a contrast to Queen Esther, I must say (See Esther Ch 2 for some expressions of that) and puts me in mind to write something about living on the edge, but that’s for another Sunday. In the meantime I had a last minute letter from a careful confused congregant[1]:
Dear Mordi. I have a daughter completing matric this year. The big debate is what about next year? To date the possibilities have ranged from missionary work in Sudan to being in the dance lineup at Sun city, which I know you will agree is a healthy and diverse range of interests. We have settled on the Waterfront School of Art and Drama. Do you see this as a happy balance? Confused parent.
Well, that’s a great question. Because it begs the question of how much one person dictates to another. Just like in church, we’re actually a community of people who choose, and we choose what to surround ourselves with! So my answer is this:
Dear concerned parishioner: thank you for your query. When it comes to comment on children I can say little, recognizing my own failures and limited successes in that area. But I have long been aware that the outcome is way beyond my control, and I can at best be (not necessarily do) what God wills, and everything else is in His hands.
But in my inimitable way I can never resist giving an opinion (I have permission – see 2Tim 4:2), and my thoughts would be as follows: God has given your daughter a passion, and God gives for a purpose, and it's usually best to let God's purposes be. However, however, (sigh), when one releases a loved one into a wider, wilder, and altogether rougher world, then one is left with the seemingly nebulous option of trying to gently guide from a distance, plus of course huge gobs of prayer. But aside from prayer, I think that the ever decreasing role we play with our children is best spent by encouraging them to find and be immersed with Godly people within the world they enter. In the arts and theater this can be hard to find. But it exists!
I am mindful of communities such as "Artisan" (see http://www.artisaninitiatives.org/) -- "a resource for people working out their Christian faith in Arts, Media, Fashion and Entertainment industries". If I may be so bold as to suggest that you do all you can to link your daughter with a resource such as this. Even if this example is not local, it has tremendous value as a Christian voice which speaks into her life, and contrasts the world she enters. One could even, if finances allow, help her to attend a Christian art and theater gathering (e.g. see events on the Artisan web site) ... an immersive experience which will prove more valuable than a few words from an aging parent.
Well, likewise StB is a resource for working out our passion of life in Cape Town. So I ask the members of StB: what are we immersing ourselves in? It’s a choice that requires a response. How do you choose?
[1] I’ve got to get a grip on this ghastly alliteration.