DIFFERENCES CAN BE SEEN

DAY 12 OF 365 IN 2021

Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

Pulse per minute, respiratory rate per minute, blood peessure, temperature and oxygen saturation as a percentage; these are the individual parameters seen in the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) used in adult health. Each parameter by itself can tell a specific story and trigger some form of intervention but together, they offer a fair picture of where a patient is medically at any specific moment.

In using this system, comparison to previous readings are always done to identify trends and any differences.
The latter is our subject of interest following the Gospel today. The people of that day had heard the scribes teach them their whole lives and now were hearing Jesus teach and oh, were they clear about their opinions: ‘he teaches with authority, unlike the scribes’. Thus, from the very beginning, the order parameters had been set and a difference had been identified between the two sources of teaching.

So my dear, while you go on doing what you’re doing and living as you are, bear in mind that others are keeping tabs on you. They are forming their opinions about you and with or without your consent, you will be compared and contrasted with others. This is because that is one way to spot differences: by comparing with a baseline or a benchmark.

Therefore my dear, I ask “how different are you?  People dare to be different because that is one way to stand out in a crowd, yet one might also wonder how recognisable is that difference? How are you standing out? Sweetheart, we are really nobody else because we are created uniquely, fearfully and beautifully with the tag of the Most High. That should be the first thing people see: a difference which provides evidence that we have been with the Lord!

#sly