Rubber and Road - Part 2
I want to end this week on the Holy Spirit with an image I have used before... Bear in mind that all images have their limitations.Imagine the scene: You've been selected to serve as the South African ambassador in Moscow. It's an important posting and you would love to excel.
Two weeks before the big move you have a terrible nightmare: You dream that you get there and it turns out that your Russian lessons have been woefully inadequate, that the social nuances are much more complex than you imagined.
Each night you prepare like crazy for the various activities in your programme for the next day, but when the day comes, you use the wrong fork, kiss the wrong cheek, dish up what you think is chicken and it turns out to be something horrible and you keep on mispronouncing names and misunderstanding people's comments.
In your dream this goes on day after day. You really want to succeed, but no matter how hard you try, you just keep failing and because of this your confidence is shot and your nervousness reveals itself in clumsiness. You jerk awake covered with sweat and with a loud cry because in your dream you have just spilt sherry over the Tzar's white dinner jacket.
Your spouse wakes at your cry and asks "What's the matter?"You explain and their answer "It will be alright," calms you down immediately and you sleep like a baby.
Why?
Your spouse is a native of Moscow and their parents are highly placed figures in the political scene. You won't have to study and sweat, you will have a quiet prompt who will advise, guide and illuminate you. Through their insights you will learn to enjoy and to love the people, the city and the culture.
All you need to do is keep the marriage good...
| But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John16:13) |
