Disappeared



Image by J Prem from Pixabay

I am haunted by the story of the missing mother, who disappeared along the banks of the River Wyre in Lancashire over a week ago. The police theory is that she may have fallen into the river. Her anguished family are traumatised by the endless hurtful speculation on the internet. Therefore I will not add a hashtag with her name to this post.

I am praying that she will be found. To not know her fate is far worse than knowing, however terrible the truth may be.

The story of her disappearance haunts me because I too once knew someone who disappeared without a trace. She was a friend of my sister’s, and I met her many times at my sister’s church. We went on a walking holiday in Switzerland in 1991, and Pat and her husband were part of the group. They emigrated to New Zealand some years ago to join their family there. Pat began to develop Alzheimers’. One afternoon in January 2017 she went out for a walk around the block, wearing a lanyard to identify who she was. Then she vanished. There was a massive police search. The story hit the NZ national headlines. Nothing. No trace. She has never been found.

Her home was near the sea, and it is possible that she ended up lost in the Pacific Ocean. It’s a dreadful ending to contemplate for a committed Christian who had a robust, joyful faith and was much loved and respected by her family and friends. And there is a very dark question at the back of my mind, as I’m sure it lurks at the back of yours … if God can allow such a terrible thing to happen to a faithful, servant-hearted person like her, how on earth can we trust Him – for ANYTHING?

As Christian writers, I think it important to tackle these hard questions or at least to think about them. Tough themes may not be the main focus of our writing, of course, and I’m not suggesting they have to be. A writer is not obliged to tackle every single trauma out there. Writing to inspire, to comfort and to entertain is every bit as valid as delving into darker themes.

Yet it is a writer's nature to capture the human experience, both the light and the darkness. Christians know that God’s people are not always magically protected from terror and trauma. The massive difference – and it makes all the difference – is that we don’t believe in a nihilistic, meaningless universe in which people can disappear and it doesn’t mean anything. The lives of these two women who vanished without a trace are immeasurably precious. They lived. They were loved. They are still loved. I dare to believe that somehow – SOMEHOW – all this can be redeemed, ultimately, when Christ makes the whole universe new.

Writing about such things helps too. Whatever you are facing personally, may God use your writing gift as a channel and also a catalyst for healing and strength.

I’m an Anglican lay minister: my day job is administrator for the education and learning department of the United Reformed Church. I wrote a devotional for the anthology Light for the Writer’s Soul published by Media Associates International, and my short story ‘Magnificat’ appears in the ACW Christmas anthology Merry Christmas Everyone.

Comments

  1. What a thoughtful, insightful blog. Thank you Philippa.

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    1. Thanks, Katherine. Sorry, it's me - Philippa. I'm at work and don't have time to log into Blogger!

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  2. Natasha Woodcraft6 February 2023 at 09:10

    Thank you for this article. I do try to write on tough themes, though everytime I do, I feel unqualified for the task. What could I possible know about the trauma they or you are going through? Who am I to give my opinion? And yet, God seems to keep pushing me to do it, throwing myself at his mercy and praying for wisdom and grace to write something that might just scratch the surface and help someone.

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    1. Thanks, Natasha, and may God bless your writing. - Philippa

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  3. Lovely post, Phlippa!I too know of people who have disappeared in to thin air from devoted christian families. When I lost my dear sister last year, May, the Question you asked struck my mind. The scriptures in Habakkuk 3:17, 18 and the one in Job13:15[ Though He slay me,I will trust in Him], remind me that I am just the clay and He is the potter. Also, no matter how christians go or the valleys of death they pass through, eternity will be different. We can only comfort and encourage one another. Thanks for posting this because it is a prayer point. Blessings.

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    1. I am so sorry for your loss, Sophia. And it's so sad when people go missing, for whatever reason, including when they do so intentionally. Heart-breaking. Bless you.

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  4. A big AMEN, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to your prayers at the end of the post.

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  5. Thanks for posting this provocative piece, Philippa. It reminds of Kevin, a boy from my school who lived close to me. Aged sixteen he went to the local shops to buy the eggs he needed for his cookery class the next day and was never seen again. To this day his family still appeal for information, I really can't imagine their trauma. I have been challenged recently by the suffering of people known to me who have sacrificially served God throughout their lives in difficult ministries and who now suffer from dementia and chronic illness. It seems so unjust but despite their troubles I am humbled by their undaunted faith and unbroken hope.

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    1. How absolutely awful about your teenage acquaintance. What a horrendous thing for his family to live with, just heartbreaking. About faithful Christians fading out in the end as old age and dementia take their toll ... sad to witness, I know. But at least we can surround them with love - just as God does.

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  6. Life is often very unfair. Events like the disappearance of Nicola Bulley and the ones described in the comments have led me over the years to the conclusion that God is not in complete control here on earth. What I am sure of is that he works through people and also in mysterious ways to strengthen our trust in Him and to guide us in our lives. He loves all His children. He will never leave us. I believe that, but I think He gives us independence too.

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    1. It's a tricky one. I'm reluctant to compromise on the theology of God's sovereignty, but I fully acknowledge the challenges you raise. I do agree very much that God doesn't micro-manage us.

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  7. One of the best novels on themes which may challenge us as writers, by an ACW Christian writer, is 'Braver' by Deborah Jenkins. This was published by a small company. Such novels can be 'difficult to place' with the larger more well known secular publishers.

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    1. Agreed - a great read about some challenging subjects

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  8. What an incredibly wise and thought-provoking post, Philippa. We just don't have the answers, do we? I'm going to be firing so many questions at God when I get to heaven. I suppose all we can do is trust in Him and pray like mad.

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