When Calls the Heart
During this period of MCO, I had the pleasure of catching up on some movies and one of it was the series- “When Calls the Heart”. The story opens with a lot sadness and gloom because the people of Coal Valley lose their husbands and sons in a mining accident. In order to sustain their income and home- the women in solidarity find a way to get through the difficulty by coming together and helping out one another. It is a story of how men and women of the frontiers pull their resources and learn to live as one big family.
Soon from a Coal Valley, the town is named Hope Valley. The story depicts forgiveness, second chances, love and faith. No individual is left alone to bear the struggle on their own but in every corner of the town, there is someone they can share their pain and sorrow and hear words of comfort. So much compassion and little judgement, a lot of communication to motivate one another to move forward – that hope springs and permeates the entire town. In time, peace and prosperity follow.
In our world today, where a lot of uncertainty prevails with dashed plans and frailing hope, words of comfort can warm the heart. Hope is empowering and can see us through the darkest days of our lives. When our plans fail, let’s not forget that God has better plans for us (Jer 29: 11 )“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
As this year’s Pastoral Theme is ‘Sent with Joy to Heal‘– let us not shy away from this mission. God wants mercy not sacrifice, He wants us to live life to the fullest and heal the wounded. A friend told me that “the light is not at the end of the tunnel but it is within us”, we carry the light within us and thus we need to shine this light in the midst of this darkness. All it takes is little words of kindness , an act of love and reaching out to others from the confines of our homes. Can we live life to the fullest in this situation? Yes we can – all we have to do is believe and do our best. It may not be to our expectation but we are alive and that counts. We can make a difference!
SR