We are so lucky to have someone like Sarah Davidson among us. Sarah is a thoughtful theologian with a heart for connecting with anyone, regardless of their place within society. She really challenges popular thinking but does it in an incredibly gentle manner with an openness that puts everyone around her at ease. I think she's an important voice for us to hear often and it is great to have her as part of the community.
This talk of hers is well worth the time to listen to more than once!
I think there was one very important point that got overlooked about the cleaner and that was "her" strength, "her" courage, "her" capacity to give and care for others. Here is a woman with little who works hard to look after those who have even less. She has taken on the responsibility of her ageing mother, her disabled sister and the care of someone else's child.. I think this woman is awesome and a lesson to many of us. I think she must be a very strong lady and I respect her immensely
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! I hope you are saying this in many places :) Rachel Tallon has recently done some fascinating doctrinal research in NZ schools; she explored how young people make meanings from images produced by development media (her journal articles are incredibly insightful). Her finds were, that the majority of school children in NZ thought the "poor" were "thick." A cleaner, can be seen in the same way, which is why I think stories like the lady I told need to be said and comments like yours need to be heard :)
DeleteSarah
I would guess this woman is very rich in love.
ReplyDeleteI agree anonymous. People like that woman are often seen and treated as victims instead of being celebrated for the strong, humble people they are. Doing the best for her family and taking on the role of responsibility for them is a lifelong commitment. People like her often ask for nothing and go unnoticed. I bet she's the first to offer help to a friend if they need it because she knows what its like to be in their position. People like that are the unsung heroes because to them, helping those around them is what life is all about.
ReplyDeleteNice!
DeleteYYYYYAAAAHOOOOOOO it gives me so much joy to read your post's.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that is said, the lady I was talking about has taught me so much. There are structures around her that make life really hard though, so was wanting to draw attention to people working on those structures and getting to know her, instead of as you say treating her as a victim and someone helpless who needs our saving and thus missing out on the treasure she is.
Sarah :)
P.S. Sorry for all the grammar and spelling mistakes :)
ReplyDeleteSarah
In case you want to go deeper:
ReplyDelete- The WWJD and WIJD is from a email conversation with Myk Habets (thanks Myk). I could not recommend more highly reading his book, "The Anointed Son: A Trinitarian Spirit Christology." Just incredible (I am still working through it).
- "The Web of Disadvantage," comes from Mick Duncan and he has a book called "Costly Mission"- it is brilliant and he gives very practical tools for everyday life.
- The illustration with the jugs is from "The Attachment Theory."
- The virtue and duty ethics are taken from Samuel Wells and his book "Improvisation." This is wrestling with what it means to live a life as Jesus followers, by improvising in God's story. We are saved from sin and to Christ, which gives us a profound freedom to be obedient to what the Father, through the Son by the Spirit is doing in this present day - to delight in God. James points us to Christ; we get to participate in God's story by the Spirit and be sustained by Christ to bring glory to the Father! yipppeee what good, good news :)
Sarah