By Jonathan Filkins

One of the more favorite children’s’ stories is the tale of the little Dutch boy. As the child was walking near a dike, which was holding back the North Sea from his low-lying country, he noticed a slow trickle of water coming from a small hole in the face of the structure.

Quickly, he understood the potential tragedy, which could befall all of those below, as he ran to the dike and placed a tiny digit into the growing breech.

Stemming the flow, he began shouting the alarm with great vigor, and there a crowd soon assembled.

Quickly, the breech was repaired, the disaster averted and a new local hero found. It was widely acknowledged that great suffering would have occurred if the boy had not taken such quick action.

This story, which we have heard over so many generations, whether true or not, brings the clear message about stepping up to the challenge of living and going beyond ourselves.

Consider what would have happened if the youth had turned away, and ignored the obvious. Consider the results of this possible action.

Consider that the word “catastrophe” would have not fully covered the scope of the devastation.

There is a common lament, popular among us today. It is about the condition of the world and our place in it. Frequently, we hear, “The world is such an awful place and there is nothing I can do about it!”

Unexplainable killings, deviant behaviors, reckless attitudes and unfeeling perspectives all aid us in our laments. Perfectly true these.

Yet, in our blindness of being only within ourselves, we often fail to acknowledge our part in the problems.

Yes, our part, as we are not divorced from humanity.

We often hear the “end is near,” as we hold that this generation is the most wicked of all time.

Our perspective ignores the historical reflection upon the past, as slavery, serfdom, plagues, evil corruptions and innumerable societies’ declines are rampant there; for many millennia.

Our excuse making is the problem, as we stand below the leaking barriers of common Christian decency and then, do nothing but complain, and await others to fix the problem. In reality, we have never had more affluence, more intellectual wealth, more potential, than we do today.

The challenge is where, and most importantly when, we are going to put our own fingers “in the dike,” to stem the flow of hated, malaise and intolerance. Some may say they have already done that, this “trickle stopping,” and others may say they have put all of their fingers and toes in the burgeoning breaks, as they tell us they have no more to give.

The Prophet Isaiah gives us the needed guidance, as he tells us that God, “is The Repairer of the Breech.” It is He, through Jesus Christ, who gives us the strength to go beyond ourselves. It is He who commands us to go beyond ourselves.

When we are exhausted, and lose the strength to hold back the pressing waters of this life, He is there with us.

It is only for us to notice the necessity of repairing the breech, within ourselves, and seeking His strength, grace and mercy for stemming the flow of the evil among us.