The will of God is the perfect partner for us
On bringing out the best side of the human spirit
IT’S 40 years since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean swept the board at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics with their amazing ice-skating routine Bolero.
Even after all these years, their performance still gives the feeling that you are watching for the very first time.
Their disciplined co-ordination with outstanding synchronisation and tempo with the majestic strains of Ravel’s Bolero – Olympic history was made and has never been even closely matched.
We would be very wrong to assume that such a performance was not the result of months of disciplined rehearsal. Their choreography was perfect, with every move carefully planned and practised. Their close rapport meant that the chemistry of their relationship was just right. After all, the 10 years they had skated together before Sarajevo with their determination to give their best added to the mix of their success. Before and after Bolero, their commitment to their sport has never diminished.
A 33-event UK tour planned for next year will include a revised performance of Bolero – now that will be something to see!
While the human spirit has a great capacity for good, there is also the tendency to fall short when we allow any sense of superiority or prejudice toward others to emerge.
At such times we need to follow the golden rule, to partner ourselves with the will of God. In the words of St Francis of Assisi, to be channels of peace – where there is hatred, to bring love; where there is injury, pardon; and where there’s doubt, true faith in a God who loves all his children and who teaches us in the ways of love, tolerance and peace.
God’s plan, many millennia in preparation, was rehearsed through the prophets who brought judgement upon evil and who themselves suffered and died at the hands of cruel kings and rulers reminiscent of recent tragic events.
This was fulfilled in Jesus’ life of love and compassion, whose resurrection was the final seal that evil and death would never have the final word.
One day “Thy Kingdom Come” will no longer be prayed in hope and anticipation but will be a living reality when God’s judgement on evil and his amazing grace will be revealed – on Earth as it is in Heaven.