Living in a Mayberry full of scratches
My late brother-in-law Jerry never had an easy life. Born into a poor family in Mississippi, he and his sister – my wife – were both disadvantaged by congenital hearing loss. Throughout his life, he struggled with vision problems, illness, and countless surgeries. Life for him was a series of successive injustices.
And yet, when talking about Jerry, people cannot forget one thing: he loved The Andy Griffith Show as a consolation. He watched all 249 episodes over and over again, remembering every line, every quirky character of Mayberry. Perhaps it was because they – Goober, Gomer, Barney or Otis – were people “beaten down by life” like him. They were imperfect, often considered “out of place”, but were still loved, patient and accepted.
Andy Taylor – the gentle and tolerant sheriff – is a model of a shepherd in a community full of “characters”. He does not erase differences, does not try to fix everything, but he nurtures, guides, and loves them with a heart full of grace.
Today, many of us are living in our own “Mayberry” – full of eccentric personalities, difficult people, broken lives. How can we not become part of that chaotic crowd, but be an “Andy” – a leader with patience, gentleness, and forgiveness?
I learned to see the strength hidden in weaknesses: Pride can be a form of overconfidence, laziness can be a desire to live slowly, and compulsion can be too proactive. Not all weaknesses can be transformed, but many can – if we look with the eyes of compassion.
Perhaps what makes people love Mayberry is not that it is perfect, but that it is a place filled with tolerance, kindness, and the fruits of the Spirit. If today’s church lacks these things, perhaps people will look for “Mayberry” elsewhere.
And if so, isn’t it time we all sang together, “Come, Holy Spirit…”
