Caribbean Moravian Devotions

Few days ago I passed by the airport and noticed that a Delta aircraft was sitting on the tarmac early in the morning. I thought to myself thatÂ’s strange since I knew that their flights donÂ’t usually overnight here in St. Thomas. Later that day as I drove by, I noticed that the same aircraft was still in the same position. I thought to myself that looks like a plane that obviously developed some major mechanical problem which left it grounded. My suspicions were confirmed when the next morning as I was driving by I noticed that it was still there. IsnÂ’t it amazing that with all of the up to date technology that are used these days in flying these commercial jets that they are not perfect inventions. Even the most advanced contraptions break down and need to be FIXED. It was not until the third day that the problem was FIXED and the plane went airborne again. As we observe Black History Month in February I invite us to focus our minds on a few Negro Spirituals that are well known and which by their titles can speak a word in season to our hearts. So with that in mind our FF for today is FIX ME JESUS! FIX ME!

Have we ever felt as if there were situations in our lives that could just not be FIXED? ItÂ’s as though we find ourselves in a predicament or dilemma that seems not to have any valid solution. Such moments make us feel as though weÂ’re between the proverbial rock and a hard place. And what makes the mess even messier is that weÂ’ve attempted to correct things ourselves and have applied our own human wisdom expecting that because of our best efforts all will be well. Our spirits are crushed and our sense of disappointment is overwhelming because after extending ourselves, we are forced to admit that really and truly nothing has been FIXED. Oftentimes it is at that point that we begin to consider and pursue other options before us. Sometimes those other options provide us with success and we get some relief. But it is also true that the persons and places we may turn to in order to get the matter FIXED can also leave us just as disappointed. We go from frustration to desperation because we badly want this issue to be FIXED.

It’s one thing to FIX a damaged car or airplane. They are objects that have been made by human hands. They come with a manual that gives clear instructions on how to FIX something that is not working the way it should. The purpose of the manual is to help the one who’s doing the FIXING to bring this object working the way it was originally intended. But it’s a whole other matter to FIX a marriage that’s heading towards a divorce or to FIX a child who’s gotten involved in drugs and destructive lifestyle. Who’s the best person when it comes to FIXING, not things, but people? Why who else but the manufacturer! And so the title of this Negro Spiritual is a simple but direct prayer – FIX ME JESUS! FIX ME! Notice, the attention is not focused on the other person. It’s not asking the Lord to FIX the people around us or even for that matter to FIX the problem itself. It’s not pointing or suggesting that the real source of the problem is ‘them’ or ‘over there.’ Instead, it is a prayer in which we accept responsibility and acknowledge our role in both the problem and the solution. FIX ME JESUS! FIX ME!

IÂ’m pretty sure that today, we can all offer a long list of whatÂ’s wrong and whoÂ’s to blame. Rather, letÂ’s take just one look in the mirror and as we see our own reflection pray this prayer sincerely: FIX ME JESUS, FIX ME!


Mikie Roberts (Rev)
HereÂ’s the link for the blog. Join in the discussions.
http://moravians.net/serendipity/index.php?/categories/1-Friday-Focus