Just another log
Three pieces of wood
A very special gift that Bishop John received in the last week of the pilgrimage was some prose which was accompanied by three pieces of wood. The prose, titled ‘Fiddleback’ reads:
‘I started out on a wood heap. Really, just like any other firewood log. Nothing very special, just a bit of local ‘ironbark.’ It was only when split that my tortured years were revealed and the slow and stunted growth that caused my grain to be so contorted was first seen in the light of day.
It’s peculiar sometimes things of such unsightliness are missed for their true potential. With some care, all those hard years can be transformed into a thing of beauty, when planed, sanded, stained and polished. But even then, the hard years can still be seen.
You have to look intently and at just the right angle, and then you can see the highs and lows, they are quite plain, just beneath the surface, a reflection of the past. It’s a sort of parallel to a human life being transformed by the gracious hand of God. What was and now is.
It’s a bit like ahealthychurch…transforminglife.’