Roland on the river

"When love is in excess,

it brings a man no honor, nor worthiness."

Euripides

Every now and again, when life turns against my favor, I think of the story of Roland.

Roland lived upon the River considering himself a deeply spiritual man. Although he was not the type whom went to church religiously; he genuinely thought of himself as a child of the lord. Much more than a perfunctory loyalty; he loved God and he knew God loved him. It was a lifetime of authentic faith which he was all in; all the time. Then the rains came…

Day after day, night after night, the rain came. In fact the rain continued to the point those officials of the town were told to evacuate one and all. Fore the river would surely overflow; The flooding river would destroy God's creation. Roland could not understand the lack of conviction of those whom heeded the terrestrial warnings of the media. Surely God loved him and would protect him from the rising river. Why, he asked himself, how could those parishioners abandon their faith? But he knew all along their faith was feigned, ergo his lack for attending the weekly ritual.

As the countless boats patrolled the overflowing river, rescuing residents and pets left behind in the haste of those distrustful souls; Roland stood firm within his resolve, thinking only how he would frame his faith in God to those churchgoing townfolk ridiculing his so called spirituality;when the River receded of course.

They eyed Roland shouting “hey you, the town is flooded, the levy can’t hold, get aboard now! “Roland refused to heed the dire pleads from the prospective saviors repeatedly professing

“God loves me, God will save me, I will be protected me from the dangerous flood waters ye of little faith.” Fearing for their own lives the rescuers gave up their futile pleads.

The rains were not to be denied, throughout the night, and indeed they would come to rule the day. Alone in the town and alone in his faith, Roland was spied by the Military Operative in helicopters to reinforce the levies.

“Hey you down there, we’re going to save you, get in when we lower the basket.”

But Roland once more stood firm muttering his mantra, “God loves me, he will protect me, he will save me”, as he wandered away from his rescuers.

Well the levies broke, Roland died, and as he waited outside the gates of St. Peter, he demanded an audience with God.

Roland said “My Lord, my savior, I love you, I thought you loved me, why did you not protect me, not save me from the raging flood waters?

The Lord said “I sent you a Radio report; a rowboat and a helicopter…What in hell are you doing here?”

Prayer works best when one moves their feet thereafter...