"Our Daily Blog" #9
Updated: May 28, 2020
By Dr. Gloria Latimore-Peace
Psalm 8:4-6
(4) What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visiteth him?
(5) For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
(6) Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all things under his feet.
This message is for the "fearfully and wonderfully made"[1], in the "image and after the likeness"[2] of our Maker; and who have been given "dominion over all the earth"[3] to whom was declared, "...behold, the kingdom of God is within you”[4].
"Quiet as it's kept", the real message(s) of the current Pandemic appears to be getting lost in the shuffle of "hustle and bustle" of getting back to "normality". "Our minds are still racing back and forth, longing for a return to "normality", trying to stitch our future to our past and refusing to acknowledge the rupture. But the rupture exists..."[5] While I concur with Arundhati Roy's argument that we cannot expect to simply stitch, in other words, to copy, cut, and paste our future to our past, it is my conviction that our past is not to be ignored. Knowledge of Our-story, which is not to be confused with his-story, must be the foundation of Our vision for Our future. For, it is the glue that will bind, our future, and our past into eternity.
It seems to me, that the time has long since come that we need to study, learn, and heed the lessons we could have, should have, learned from the countless sources that have been provided to us. Among them are those passed down through the "Oral Tradition"[6] via the stories that we have been told by our Elders. Many of these have been preserved in writings that are still available. Our shared experience is yet another invaluable resource, as we "re-member that time" when defining events occurred in our own lives and/or in the lives of others who abide in our "world".
Among the lessons that appear to have gone unheeded, are those that ought to have come from the sacrifices of the legions who have lived -and died- for us. Of course, not all of them can be listed here because many of them are unnamed and, therefore, "unknown soldiers" who have lived, are living, and are yet to live among us. Since it is not possible, within this space and time, to identify and honor their sacrifices, this assignment is left in your hands.
I would be remiss if I neglected to remind the"fearfully and wonderfully made" in whom "the Kingdom of God" resides and to whom were given "dominion over all the earth" that the "window of opportunity" for completing our first and foremost assignment may be closing sooner than we think... To allay y/our fears, we pause to share this story of an A student who, while taking a final exam online, found herself running out of time (through no fault of her own). She, like every other student, recognizes and fears the negative impacts of low grade(s) - not only on their GPA but, on their careers, their futures, and their lives as well. As she desperately struggled to complete the assignment at the Center where the exam was being taken, THE SERVER SHUT DOWN!! By virtue of that act of divine intervention, the exam was not factored into final grades.[7]
All this has been said to reiterate the obvious, which is that we can count on the Most High to take care of us, "through every day, o'er all the way"..[8] The question is; will we commit to completing our first and foremost assignment. Opportunity is knocking.
Dr. Gloria Latimore peace
Footnotes:
[5] The "Pandemic is a Portal" by Arundhati Roy [6] Oral Tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas, values, and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted from one generation to another. The transmission is through speech or song and may include legends, folktales, ballads, chants, prose, or verses and so on.
[7] This student remains on the Dean’s List.
[8] ”God Will Take Care of You "by Bobby L. Jones
Thank you, I appreciate your comments. Please continue to visit us and share with your family and friends.
Thank you 🙏🏽 Gloria. As usual your blog was great. Michael Jackson’s song is most appropriate for our current state of affairs.