Who was Humpty Dumpty? And what might we learn from him? This is my favorite nursery rhyme and, before a little research, I actually thought he was a personable egg who took a bad fall.
According to Humpty-lore, Humpty Dumpty was the name of a powerful cannon used during the English Civil War. It was mounted on top of the St. Mary-at-the-Walls church in Colchester, England to defend the town against siege in the summer of 1648. Although Colchester was a Parliamentarian stronghold, Royalists managed to capture the town and hold it for 11 weeks. When the enemy fired at the church tower, Humpty Dumpty tumbled to the ground. Naturally, the King's men tried to mend him but, alas, they failed.
If I really want to get myself good and bummed, all I have to do is listen to the pundits who are busy telling us that, so far, this century has been one of decline for our country. Many of us feel our Humptys have been pushed right off the wall and shattered into pieces. How will we put it all back together again?
I am pretty sure that all the king's horses and all the king's men will not be of much help to us— Humpty discovered that the hard way. But there is a whole bunch of opportunity hiding inside this crisis. The opportunity it there for us to put it all back together, perhaps way better than it was to begin with. The opportunity is there for us to leap forward in Faith, rather than let fear slow us down or even paralyze us.
Poor Humpty had to depend on all the king's horses and all the king's men. We do not. In this country, we have the freedom to direct our lives. And along with that wonderful gift of freedom comes an equal amount of personal responsibility. We believe that the cumulative effect of many people choosing to lead their lives, not wait to be rescued, will help make us better, as individuals, families, communities, and as a country.
