Vivi had a secret.
In the novel (and movie), Devine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, we meet a group of older women who have been friends since early childhood. Even now, they still care deeply for each other, despite their flaws.
A war has erupted between one of the Ya Ya's, Vivi, and her adult daughter, Sidda. Like many family conflicts, this one is part truth and part misunderstanding. Hoping to reconcile the two, the Ya Ya's kidnap Sidda from her life in New York City and spirit her away to Louisiana.
In the course of trying to help her understand just why her mother is so difficult a person, they finally realize they must reveal to Sidda her mother's deepest, darkest secret.
Vivi dropped her basket.
If you know the story, then you already realize this is the phrase Vivi came up with to describe a time when she had a mental and emotional breakdown as a young mother, brutally beat her children, and then was hospitalized for her subsequent attempted suicide.
You'll have to read the book or rent the movie to get the rest of it. As for us, this is what we need to know: Vivi dropped her basket. Life can be tough. Some of us fare better than others. Some of us are, for reasons known and unknown, stronger than others when it comes to our mental and emotional health. And, even when we appear strong to those around us, we can be coming apart on the inside.
About the time I discovered Elijah in my Bible reading, I also discovered the Twila Paris song, The Warrior is a Child. It was a perfect paring. In the song, Paris sings, "People say that I'm amazing, strong beyond my years. But they don't see inside of me, I'm hiding all the tears ... I drop my sword and cry for just a while, 'cause deep inside this armor, the warrior is a child."
Elijah, on the other hand, is this almost superhuman prophet of the Old Testament. He performs amazing feats in the name of the Lord. People are in awe of his power and authority. To his peers, he seems the ideal warrior for the Lord. And yet.
Elijah dropped his basket.
That's the story we find in this week's Lectionary passage from 1 Kings. This great warrior for God, on the heels of a mighty victory ... just loses it. In fear, he runs out into the wilderness; so depressed, he begs God to take his life. When you read this passage, don't stop when the Lectionary breaks: keep going through the end of Elijah's story. See what God does with Elijah's depression.
Keep that in mind as we face the struggles that affect us in this life. No matter how strong we've been, no matter how amazing our most recent Mountaintop experience, no matter the number of victories we've achieved, any of us can drop our basket.
The takeaway this week is tied to a passage in the New Testament book of James where we're told, "Elijah was a man just like us." And like Elijah, we can depend on God to be in it with us, to hear what we have to say, and, if we can receive it, to redirect us on our journey.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 7 (12) (June 19, 2016)
First reading and Psalm
1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a
Psalm 42 and 43
Alternate First reading and Psalm
Isaiah 65:1-9
Psalm 22:19-28
Second reading
Galatians 3:23-29
Gospel
Luke 8:26-39
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We meet each Friday morning for Lectionary Breakfast. We're still sojourning at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant from 8:00 to 9:00-ish for an extraordinary hour of relaxed fellowship, Bible reading, and meaningful exploration of just how those scriptures affect our actual lives.
Join us.
Blessings,
Steve
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