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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Canon Rachel Mann.

Good morning.

I was once told a traditional story from the Sinai in which a European entering the desert beyond Nuweiba asked an English-speaking Bedouin how far it was to the nearest oasis. The man didn’t respond. ‘How far is it to Ein El Furtaja?’, the traveller asked more loudly and carefully, but again the Bedouin said nothing. Shouting the question into the Bedouin’s face and again receiving no answer, the traveller shook his head and started walking away. ‘About four hours,’ the Bedouin then called.

‘Why didn’t you tell me that the first time?’, the European asked.
‘I couldn’t say,’ the man responded, ‘until I knew how fast you were accustomed to walking’.

Making good and informed judgments about what is going on in the world strikes me as a fine and careful art that, in truth, is a lifetime’s work. Some people will claim that good decision-making is simply a matter of having the right algorithm or of being trained in problem-solving. I’m sure that holds good for some situations.

However, much of life is deeply relational and requires a careful understanding of context. Jesus says, ‘Do not judge by appearances, but by good judgment.’ In our daily lives, I think we need the careful attention that the Bedouin displays in the old story. Especially in a digital age, it is easy to stereotype those whom we barely known on the basis of feeble information. It is only when we see, metaphorically, how fast they are accustomed to walk, and they us, that worthwhile conversation and relationship is possible.

Patient God, help me exercise good judgment and teach me to bring tender and generous attention to the lives of others.

Amen.