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03/11/2009 Richard's Ramblings - November

“Life is precious.”

Precious is not a word we hear used very often these days. The thought that springs most to mind is from the Lord of the Rings trilogy in which Smeagol/Gollum, desperate for the Ring utters, “My Precious, must have precious.” And those who are Lord of the Rings fans will know the single-minded attention to getting the Ring that consumes a number of the characters.

So why has this word receded from use? Perhaps we have so much, or at least want to have so much, that few things remain precious to us. It almost seems that the fewer things we have, the more precious they become.

I remember times when, as small children, my daughters quietly showed us their “precious” possessions, usually some stones or other small items of no particular value, other than in a child’s eyes.

The more I become immersed in the events of community or organisational life, the more I am challenged to remember how precious is the life of each individual. It is so easy to do things for people, without giving them your time or yourself. It is very easy to avoid being with people while we are busy making life better for them.

Each time we have moved as part of my job, I am reminded of the relationships which either come to an end or have to undergo significant change.  I have often felt the loss of relationships with people that we might well never meet again. Particularly in Australia, where we frequently moved hundreds if not thousands of miles to our new home and place of work, people who had been such an important part of our lives now only live in the past of our memories. It’s as I reflect upon these relationships, which are in fact the most precious things we ever experience, that I am challenged afresh about the importance of placing people first in our lives.

There often seems so much to do and so little time in which to do it. Yet all that we do really achieves very little if we don’t have the people with which to share it.

You are precious. Your friends are precious. Precious may not be a very popular word any more, but it identifies just how special and valuable is each life, each person.

One of the reasons I find comfort in my faith, is the assurance that we, too, are precious to God.

Rev Richard Johnston
November 2009

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