The Protector

Just because you have someone who will protect you, it doesn't mean you are safe.

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. - Mark 6:17-20

Today's Gospel reading begins with Herod fearing that John the Baptist had returned from the dead, when he hears of Jesus.

Then we get the backstory, the reason Herod is fearful.  He feels guilty for having put John to death, since he had always known that John was special.

But Herod's fear of John was not as great as his fear of looking foolish and powerless among his subjects.  Sure, he was tricked into it by his daughter, who excited the crowd with her dancing, and took advantage of the situation, with Herod drunk.

We don't know if Herod had promised John that he would protect him from harm.  Maybe Herod thought prison was protection enough for him.  But as much as Herod liked listening to John, he was not one to be trusted.  And John probably knew the day would come when that protection would end.

Change is inevitable. 

We go through cycles of gain and loss, good times and bad, and we can be fooling ourselves to think the progress we make is permanent.

In an ever changing world, there is only one constant, God.  His love is permanent and unconditional.  He is with us through good and bad, and is our only true protection.

I describe myself as an optimist.  I believe in moving forward even when the obstacles seem insurmountable.  I would hate to give up on something I believe in, just because I have found myself taking three steps back to my one step forward.

Throughout my career, I worked hard to make my boss look good.  I did this out of loyalty, yes, but also as a form of protection.  If He or she depended on me, I was safe.

But times change, and bosses change, regimes change, priorities change.

If I had not found a way to work within the new system, I would have been out.  I think we all need to be like Joseph, whose gift from God, to understand dreams, gave him the confidence to stay the course when all his protection fell apart.

John found no opportunities to get himself out of prison, but Joseph did.  He was patient and focused on the goal, and that enabled him to find solutions to his problems that no one could have foreseen.

We need to be that way if we want to see our vision of the future become real.  But we also have to accept the fact that the tide flows in and out, rising and falling with the cycles of the moon, and at any particular moment, we may be up or we may be down.

The idea that we will reach the top of the mountain and not find a valley below is unreal.  For there is always another valley and another mountain to climb beyond it.

More to come...