Whatever happened to the TV show Providence. Remember Providence on TV? This was the series that revolved around Dr. Sydney Hanson who left her glamorous job in Beverly Hills as a plastic surgeon to move back to her hometown of Providence, RI, the people of which couldn’t afford plastic surgery. NBC aired five seasons of Providence, fully intending to bring it back for a sixth, but Dr. Hanson, by God’s providence, got a job gathering evidence on CSI: New York. She’s still there to my knowledge. Gave up plastic surgery to be a crime scene investigator.
Providence, RI was founded by theologian Roger Williams. He named the township Providence in honor of our God who watched over him through some tough, dangerous times, and who provided him a place in the wilderness to live out his beliefs after Massachusetts gave him the boot. Providence comes from the Latin word “providere,” which means to foresee. God’s providence refers to God foreseeing the consequences of human action and therefore being able to provide what it takes to move events toward the intended end of creation, the kingdom of God in its fullness.
Providence does not mean that God operates by a predetermined script that makes human freedom beside the point. No. We’re free to help or hinder God. Providence is simply the way in which God brings about his purpose both in spite of and through the actions of flawed human beings.
One of my favorite movies is Cinderella Man - Russel Crowe and Renee Zellweger starring in the real-life story of boxer James Braddock. In Cinderella Man we have a family going through some tough times, the Great Depression. One of the Braddock’s sons, who is 9 or10, sees neighborhood families having to send their children away to relatives who can better provide for them. Food is hard to come by. In the hopes that his family won’t give him away, the little boy steals a salami so they will have something to eat. His dad gets upset and makes the son take it back to the butcher; but then when he learns why the boy stole it, assures him that he will never give him up, never send him away. Likewise, God will never give us up to the errors of our way. God foresees the consequences of our actions and makes plans to get us through. We may have to go through some tough times; but these too will pass. - DJ
No comments:
Post a Comment