"You are in trouble! She is out with a vengeance against you."
The words that terrorize! "She is crazy with anger. There is no recourse. No one can save you from the wrath." is the sense of confusion that comes when overwhelming fear is used to motivate children. Not all fear, but overintense use of authority...
Children see only the wall. {I have most certainly been there.}
The Plate on the wall when the brother in law got up had cherubs in a circle around, as if to say, someone did see. Seemed no one saw. Seemed no one intervened. But, someone did see. The angels carried news to God and God was most certainly involved in the need of that poor child who would greater take a chance with a strange savage than to trust his sister. Burdens notwithstanding. With what measure you meet is most certainly seen by the angels. Who saw this happened, you might ask? God did see and the angels were on that plate looking at the injustice of the severity that this lone child experienced.
In Great Expectations, it is as though the cinematographer knew that the angels were watching the whipping of that boy and placed that plate right there to signify the interaction of heaven with children's cries.
There was a crooked woman, it seems the movie cinematographer started the movie with. There was a woman whose heart could not be touched by the orphaned-ness of her brother. There was a woman who thought that her work of caring for her brother would be seen in heaven. Granted, that she didn’t send him into a work camp, somewhere and live her life in ignorance of his state. But, her condition of soul could not see the sad estate of this orphan. No maternal comforts to soften the life blows. No, she adds to his sore estate by severe punitive actions. Doesn’t the Bible say spare the rod? Oh dear. He was out in a grave yard. He took the spanking as though it was a usual situation.
Is it wrong to spank a youngun? Maybe not. But, this was unusual severity and the plate on the side with angels, said to me, that someone saw.
Fear that hardens your heart to life... Fear that discourages the soul from endurance is often inflicted by a loving intention of fear.
If you have ever seen your life flash before your eyes at the thought of facing the wrath of an elder person, you will see the flashes of God’s presence in Great Expectations. God nurtured hope out of hopelessness. God used a convict, escapee to raise the condition of a poor misfortunate soul. Who saw? Who could see the eyes of hopelessness? Only an escapee from the hellish condition of the prison could see the futility of the life of this poor child. He probably went to church every Sunday and people looked into this child’s eyes and no one saw the condition except this inmate. What a judgment. What is godliness. Visiting the fatherless and widows and keeping oneself unspotted by the world. Where was God when beatings and hopelessness abound? His eye is everywhere, but I love that picture of the angels on the plate as though they were the only spectators of this family’s abusive parent. What else can we do? Where else can we go? God made a way for this poor child.
Proverbs 9 Wisdom has hewn out pillars. The Foolish woman has her reasoning and hewing,also. The foolish woman and the crooked woman is very busy, as well. She is busy crushing the dreams of those who are around her/him. God sees and He has made a way for PIP. For His own glory.
