For over five years I have written this weekly ‘Faith Column’. Prior to that, I maintained my contribution on a monthly basis. I see it as a privilege to have been invited to offer an opinion piece from a ‘faith’ perspective and agree with Editor Roy’s summation that it is “an opportunity not to be eschewed.”
Murray Smith
CS Lewis once declared, “Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else.” I would find it difficult to write about anything if it didn’t interest me and that’s precisely what has kept me engaged enough over the years as I’ve sought to bring a weekly offering that is encouraging, hope-filled and spiritually challenging.
Actually it’s more than mere ‘interest’ which energises and sustains my writing efforts. I carry a compelling burden over how our society is losing its way… from legislators to the average Kiwi person, everyone’s effected.
A seasoned military man with vast ‘outdoors’ experience became lost at 12,000 feet in a wilderness situation with diminishing provisions, no GPS or hope of rescue. His compass had become demagnetised. This can happen to a compass if it’s left exposed in proximity to devices that exert magnetic pull. Electronics such as cell phones, car speakers, or anything exerting a strong enough magnetic field, can demagnetise a compass.
Fortunately this hunter regained his bearings using the fixed reference point of magnetic north. “I took my needle, passed it back and forth on my merino wool clothes, set it on a floating leaf, and voilà, I had a new, workable compass.”
Metaphorically, contemporary society with its confused values has lost its moral compass.
We’ve lost our bearings in a maze of debate over what is right and what is wrong… contentious, clamorous opinions, extreme insistence of individual rights and freedom of choice over societal good, have exerted ‘magnetic pull’ that has ‘demagnetised’ us. Personal preference has become the final arbiter in determining right and wrong. Relativism insists that ‘my truth,’ can be different to ‘your truth’ and nobody has the right to suggest you might be wrong.
Acceptance of a ‘true north’ that is relevant and applicable to everyone has been discarded, the thought of an ‘absolute’ or a plumbline rejected.
In a climate where discernment of right or wrong is subjective and where values are dismantled and revised, it’s important to ask, “Is there a solid, reliable point of reference… a compass for life, an umpire providing boundaries and benchmarks to guide us?”
Jeremiah, a Biblical writer wrote: “I know, God, that mere mortals can’t run their own lives – men and women don’t have what it takes to take charge of life. So correct us, God, as you see best.”
Unapologetically, I believe the Bible provides a reliable, timeless ‘compass’ for us all. Correctly interpreted and applied, it transcends culture, and shifting sands of social change … it is truth, the safe and absolute plumbline for hope and freedom!
Flat Lay of the Holy Bible and Items on the Desk. Photo: Chris Liu, pexels.com
