Just Get On With It

Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe wrote a set of essays in 1999 entitled, "A Healing Family," about life with his handicapped son, Hikari, aged 30 at the time of the writing. Oe writes how upon finding himself with many handicaps that limit and tax him, Hikari nevertheless continues to focus on his life habit of music composition. Hikari's dad says of his basic tenacity in the face of his disabilities:

I received a letter from him: "It's no good...I should never have lived to be twenty." But, though he may have felt that way at times, he has never acted on those feelings, never just given up and stayed all day in bed. And this surely--the fact that he actually gets up every morning looking forward to seeing his friends at the training center, that he takes a certain pleasure in the contents of his lunch box, that he comes home and listens to records or throws himself into his composing--all this is evidence of his own basic resolution to "just get on with it." And it is true that this resolution has been one of the cornerstones of our family life.

Hikari's resolve reminds me of one woman's biography found in the Bible. Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth, who eventually became King David's great-grandmother, was devastated over her husband and two sons' deaths while refugees in Moab. One of her dead sons had been Ruth's husband. When Naomi returned to Israel with Ruth, the townspeople could hardly believe it was she. "Is this Naomi?" (naomi in Hebrew means pleasant.) She retorted, "Don't call me Pleasant, call me Mara (or bitter)." And yet, when she saw Ruth's resolve to find resources for food and permanent dwelling, Naomi herself began to hope in their future. She encouraged and coached Ruth through the process of courting Boaz, until the day came when Naomi held her grandson in her lap. The townswomen said to her,"Boaz will renew your life and sustain you in your old age." She did not disagree this time. In spite of horrendous setbacks Naomi and Ruth got on with what life they had been given, eventually reaping a benefit.

Arthur Greeve, C. S. wrote his lifelong friend, C. S. Lewis, that he was anxious about the slow progress of his career. Lewis replied, "It is not your business to succeed, but to do right: when you have done so, the rest lies with God."

May this beginning of a new decade be one in which no matter what our limitations, setbacks, fears, and discouragements, we will take a deep breath, say a prayer, and just get on with it.

The rest lies with God.

Postscript: You can listen to samples of Hikari Oe's compositions on Amazon.com.

One Tough Assignment

 MEMORANDUM

DT: December, 2006
TO: Christiana von Believer, Special Forces
FR: Department of Defense
RE: New Assignment

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to compile a lucid, tightly woven report concerning Jesus, called Messiah. The exposé must include “all the principle truths of the salvation and the kingdom of God.”[1] It must “consider the whole of human experience - hope and fulfillment, suffering and death, resurrection and redemption.”[2]

You may cite the Bible only, and the ratio of Old Testament to New Testament texts must be roughly 2:1 in favor of the Old Testament. You may use no more than 50 citations total.

After you complete the work, a famous composer will set it to music. Once we begin to leak it to the public, we predict that millions of English speaking people will hear this report over the next hundreds of years.

It is due at the Pentagon by January 31, 2007, and will be declassified and publicized in April, 2007.

********

And by the way, Christiana, no pressure.

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Unless this officer has a good grasp of the Old Testament, the mission is extremely difficult to complete. Many Bible-reading folk may be able to come up with solid New Testament insights to Jesus’ life and purpose. Old Testament texts are a bit more sketchy in our minds.

Thank goodness, an English chap by the name of Charles Jennen did rise to the challenge back in 1742 or so, and wrote what became the libretto for George Frederick Handel’s famous “Messiah.” From the Old Testament, Jennen brought together scriptures from Isaiah, Haggai, Malachi, Zechariah, Psalms, Lamentations, and Job. His New Testament selections were from Matthew, Luke, John, Hebrews, Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Revelation.

During Jennen’s life, the Age of Enlightenment was in full swing, and so-called enlightened scholars began to treat the Bible as if it were merely another piece of classic literature or interesting phenomena awaiting scientific scrutiny. They scorned the idea of Jesus’ divinity. Jennen compiled these scriptures as a defense for the belief the Jesus was truly the Christ sent to bring the kingdom of heaven to the earth and salvation for all peoples.[3]

The brains of the Enlightenment may have not been impressed with Jennen's work, but enough of the rest of folk were. That is one reason why people still take the time to hear or sing a performance of “Messiah” during the Christmas and Easter seasons. The core message of the Good Book, even the oft ignored Old Testament, accompanied by great music, does not cease to stir the human heart.

[1] The Staff or associates of Christian History Institute.
[2] Program notes of Henley Denmead, Hartford Chorale.
[3] Christian History Institute.