New hope

Let the weakling say, "I am strong!" (Joel 3:10) 

In The Star Thrower by Loren Eisley, he tells a story about a little boy. The boy wanders along a beach littered with tens of thousands of starfish, washed up by a recent storm, quietly throwing them back into the sea. When asked by an old man why he bothers, as his actions can make so little difference, he picks up a starfish, throws it back and says, 'It made a difference to that one'. 

So much of modern life feels like that beach. Our attempts to save the planet by recycling plastic are dwarfed by the mountains of waste left on the docks or stuffed into landfill. Our gifts to homeless charities are woefully inadequate to help the large numbers sleeping rough on our city streets. Our low energy bulbs, our electric cars, our air-source heat pumps or our solar-powered phone chargers, are as nothing to the new power stations, busy airports or belching cows that seem to cover our planet. 

And yet. In God's challenge to the nations is this unexpected interjection: let the weak say I am strong. Warriors have all gone out, farmers are joining the fight so even the weakest must take up arms and do battle. It is a vision of total war. Vain, empty, hopeless but all encompassing. Or is it? In opposition to God, yes, utterly, but this is not the last word. With God, under his protection, we are given a different view. 'The Lord will be a refuge for his people'. Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength, writes Isaiah, almost in conscious counter to Joel's despairing challenge. So the irony may be reversed. In the Lord, Let the weak say I am strong. And it will be true.

Yesterday we were all called to be the starfish boy. To recognise that our own efforts may seem trivial in comparison to the task, but if we all act together, then we can achieve our goal. It is called NHS test and trace. Like all recent government edicts it takes a little bit of thinking to get to grips with it, but in simple terms we are being asked to act sensibly so everyone can get out of lockdown. If you get symptoms, immediately isolate with your family, and immediately book a test. If the test is positive, stay in isolation and share any recent close contacts with the NHS test and trace service (under 2m, more than 15 minutes, if I understand correctly). They all self-isolate. If they get symptoms the whole process starts again. Some infection will slip through but if we all do it, this will steadily decline and we can all get back to work.

So I suppose the question for us is one we've all been asking ourselves for years. Are we the cynical old man who sees no point in chucking the starfish back or the enthusiastic young boy who sees the value of each individual? I have some sympathy with the old cynic, but I am hoping that, in the Lord, I may renew my strength and act like the young boy. Bring on the recycling, the selfless giving and the low energy bulbs. Bring on NHS test and trace. But more than that, bring on simple loving acts, the acts of random kindness, that make such a difference to those around us. Let the weak say I am strong and find a way in God's love to make a difference.

Sunset over the Dorset hills