They took some organising this morning, did the Beaker Folk. I blame it on an outbreak of piety and an elevated doctrine of "calling".
Started with Strawbens, when I asked him if he'd carry a few tables into the Moot House for the Chessy Church. He put on that faux-devout look and said, he didn't feel called to carry tables. I explained to him the difference between calling and sending, told him who was doing the sending, and he went off pretty rapidly to do some carrying. And it has to be said, he served the church well. You'd prefer a willing volunteer, but a scared one is acceptable.
Strikes me you could sit around waiting for a calling all your life. Like somebody waiting for Mr or Miss or the Revd Perfect. The Perfect person won't necessarily turn up. You might have to grab somebody who's not quite so perfect, and maybe try to get along. Don't try to make them perfect. That's never gonna work.
I mean, look at Paul's instruction to Timothy. "Do the work of an evangelist". No mention that he was called to be one. He just got the job. Maybe the evangelist had worn herself out after a long apologia, and they needed a short-term substitute.
Maybe, just sometimes, the thing to be called to is right in front of you. If George Herbert was right that you can sweep the floor for Jesus, then it might - or might not - be a long-term scheme. It might be a ten-minute calling, or a three-day event helping at something where they just need a bod to back up the adult / child ratio. Go and grab it. And, after a lifetime to doing whatever your hand finds to do because it's to hand, maybe that was your calling after all.
You feel called to be a domineering Arch Druid and have now got natural successors in you child and grand children. This is called (forgive the pun) succession planning or dynasty building in business world.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious from the evidence of history that the rule of tyrants is normally ended through bloody revolution and ad-hoc executions, just look at Romania or Libya for an example.
If I were you I'd be building a secure room in your manor house for you and the family, perhaps with a tunnel to enable a quick, quiet getaway.
It's obvious that you've already invested your illegal profits in off-shore, safe, secure tax havens and have a number of safe properties in Moscow and elsewhere where obligarch's are in good hands.
Be very careful with your handling of people, they might well turn on you when least expected. And watch sports shops locally, if there's evidence of a run on Cricket Bats and steel toe capped work shoes, it might be time for a change.
Did you read my sermon script for yesterday? I too used George Herbert to make a similar point. Big things aren't for most people, but little day-to-day ones are for everyone.
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