Foreshadowing
Amitiyah Elayne Hyman
March 28, 2004
Hindsight is always better than foresight. At least that's what we say when confronted with something we didn't anticipate, a mistake, a wrong turn taken, one we've lived to talk about. If only we had known ... we could have, would have, should have. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. If only we had known the gas line was going to break, we would have, could have, should have had that maintenance check last winter, paid for the recommended overhaul of the furnace, converted to a newer system. But at the time, it seemed such an extravagance. Our priorities have always been people first, building second. If only we had known, that without the building there would be no place to serve the people. If only we had known.
If only we had known she was going to run away, die, leave ... We could have spoken to her more often, reached out and tried to get to know her, taken the time to call, written her a note, invited her out for a movie, listened to her phone messages, taken her suggestions, told her what a good job she was doing. But at the time, we didn't have time. We're always so busy, with many competing loyalties, she seemed to be coping. We didn't realize she was serious. We thought she was OK. We had time to get around to her, someday, soon, but not today. Who would have imagined what we woulda, coulda shoulda done.
Hindsight is better than foresight.
The range of what we think and do
Is limited by what we fail to notice
And because we fail to notice
That we fail to notice
That is little we can do
To change
Until we notice
How failing to notice
Shapes our thoughts and deeds.
R. D. Laing
If only we had known that we were going to:
be in that accident
have Parkinsons, MS, cancer,
gain so much wieght,
develop diabetes,
go blind,
have to sit in a wheel chair,
have a stroke,
lose our hearings,
we coulda, woulda, shoulda,
had more fun
taken that vacation,
gotten that massage,
planted that garden,
made love,
listened to the quiet,
knelt before God.
But at the time, we thought we were in charge, everything depended on us, had more time. It just didn't seem right to take that afternoon off, spend money like water, indulge in something so uncertain.
If only we had known, Jesus ... If only we had realized that he died to make us whole ... If only we had loved him more ... We would have made it a point to learn his story, paid attention to his teachings, stopped ... our endless questing for signs and wonder, sat at his feet. Meditated on his life. Gotten to know him.
Hindsight is better than foresight.
We don't know what Mary knew, what Judas knew, what Lazarus knew. In hindsight, according to John, they foreshadowed each other's lives. Everything they did with Jesus had portent, purpose, place. Nothing was as surface/simple as it appeared to be. Everything, it turned out, was real, significant. SOBER. Nothing, not one detail was unimportant. There were clues all over the place. That's how John told the story.
We don't know what Mary knew. We know that Judas was afraid. He tried to micromanage her choices, question her behavior, challenge her extravagance. He fretted about the costs, wanted to hold on to the money, carped to Jesus about the poor, telegraphed/foreshadowed his fear. We don't know what Mary knew. But we do know that she acted. Call it woman's intuition, an extravagant show of love, eros "love", in service of AGAPE "LOVE". Scolars disagree. We don't know what she knew. What we do know is that ignoring the social taboos about where women belonged and what they should be doing, she stepped up, took a pound jar of pure ointment, the kind that cost a year's labor, rubbed the oil all over Jesus' feet ... in lavish tenderness, then let down her hair, in public, and wiped his feet, with her hair. It was the ultimate act of devotion, the sure sign of humility. We do know that Mary committed a bold, not so new "old" thing. And we bless her for it. She foreshadowed her faith.
We have the same choices, each and every day. Faith or fear. Each and every day we get to affirm that there is enough, we are enough, we have enough, there will be enough so just for today we will use all that we have in bold, humble lavishly loving acts ... or we get to say we will hold on, hold out, clutch and close off the fold. Fearful for the future. Uncertain and afraid. Each and every day, like Mary, Lazarus, Judas, we foreshadow each other's lives. Each and every day, we get to say we are choosing the path of fear, we are choosing the path of faith.
"Faith is the bridge between us and God, as God has ordained. If all were seen and known there would be not merit in doing right. God has ordained that we do not see or know directly. But we can experience the power of God's spirit through our faith. It is the bridge between us and God. We make the venture of faith." (1)
Some days we choose the right path, we get it right, dead right on. Some days we get it wrong, dead wrong. Thank God our lives do not depend upon whether we get it right or wrong. Thank God our lives depend upon God. And according to Isaiah, that God of the OLD is doing something NEW. The one upon whom we depend is bringing about salvation history. God is getting ready to retore the faithful to fortune and abundance. Rivers are going to open up in the desert, a path will appear in the wilderness. The faithful people and the world which depends upon God will have reason to praise. Thank God our lives depend upon God's mercy, everlasing kindness, good will and wonderfulness.
Now let me tell you how wonderful God is ... God is so wonderful, that God can take a thing done for the wrong reasons, something we could call "evil" ... God can take that self-same thing and turn it into good. God can make the wrong right. When we lay our lives in humble adoration before God, God can and will do a new/good/right thing. Thank you God.
(1)Taken from 26 March entry, "24 Hours A Day" (Back to text)
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