Dennis Potter, the playwright, in one of his final interviews, said that when he looked out of the window of his study, he realised that the blossom on the cherry trees had never looked whiter. The reason that the cherry blossom had never looked brighter was that he knew he would never see it again; he was living through his last Spring. He had a terminal illness; the impact for Potter was that he began to see things in a new light. He knew time was short and precious and this caused him to value, in a new way, the time that he had left and to see beauty where he had missed it in the past.
This piece is not aimed at those who face that similar sentence to Potter. In fact for many, they don't have Potter's luxury of being in a state to enjoy such things; illness can mean pain and confusion. Rather I think Potter, like Dives (the rich man in the story of Lazarus), is trying to talk to those of us who aren't in that position and as a result, paradoxically, don't live life to the full. How often do we say:
'Today's really dragged - I'll be glad when it over.'
Or: 'I can't wait for six weeks time when I go on holiday.'
Or worse: 'I've got nothing to look forward to.'
I had a colleague at work, who was always chasing the next job after the one that he was doing. Each promotion simply led to a refocusing on the next target, it was a variation on the 'grass is greener' idea. He never enjoyed what he was doing; he never lived in the present.
Being, not just doing
The Christian faith challenges that approach it is not just about doing, it is about being. In the past this whole concept got tied into a debate about justification, that is, how do we prove to God that we are a 'good' boy or girl. Is it by simply believing or by doing? It was St Paul who said you couldn't work your way into heaven - we are not justified by good works. However, if we believe, we can begin to start living in a new way. If we believe we see life in a new light. We enjoy the moment. We see the beauty in the world around us, and we begin to serve others not because we ought to, but because it seems natural and is life affirming. It was the way that Jesus lived and it can be the way for us, as long as we wake up and listen.
Dennis Potter, the playwright, in one of his final interviews, said that when he looked out of the window of his study, he realised that the blossom on the cherry trees had never looked whiter. The reason that the cherry blossom had never looked brighter was that he knew he would never see it again; he was living through his last Spring. He had a terminal illness; the impact for Potter was that he began to see things in a new light. He knew time was short and precious and this caused him to value, in a new way, the time that he had left and to see beauty where he had missed it in the past.