I have recently gotten hooked on the TV series starring the “little Belgian detective” Hercule Poirot, played by David Suchet. It was a long running series in the UK that eventually made it to the US, and is loved by millions. Surprisingly, I have not read a single Agatha Christie book, even though I love detective stories, particularly those written by British authors. It’s unusual for me to love the movie before the book, but there is a first for everything.
While the stories themselves are masterfully written, what has attracted me the most is the person of Poirot. David Suchet brilliantly portrays a character that captures the heart and mind, consistently, episode after episode. Whether or not you find Poirot endearing or irritating at any one moment, you will always find him being himself. That is what captivated me the most.
In recent months I have been pondering my craving for congruence. I think it has been a deep driving force behind much of my healing journey. And when I see a glimpse of it in some facet of life around me, my spirit thrills. In the character of Poirot, David Suchet achieves congruence in human form – one of the magical effects of the creative arts. We can achieve something that is so hard to attain in real life. Purity of expression. And even in the creative arts, it is rare to see it done so well and for so many years.
But the other day I was faced again with the limitations of our humanity. Some of the later shows are darker than the earlier versions, particularly their rendition of “Murder on the Orient Express”. It was like a dash of cold water in the face. The level at which I had to remind myself that it is all just a story serves to emphasize the depth at which I, and many others I am quite sure, long for eternal consistency.
I was lying in bed this morning, thinking about all of these things, when my thoughts turned to Jesus Christ. I know that He was sinless and perfect. But what did that really mean to me? Up until the moment, it mostly meant that He never did a moral wrong. He was tested, but never failed. But in the context of the things I was pondering, the picture expanded into a realm I had not fully comprehended. Jesus was not only sinless, He was infinitely, perfectly, utterly congruent, throughout His entire lifetime.
While we, as His followers, may endeavor to live righteously, our existence is perpetually clouded by some pain, some dark secret, some unholy alliance between ourselves and the darkness. We don’t process our pain well and it leaves a stain behind. We are unbelieving and unfaithful. Lies live quietly inside of us, distorting our visage. We may not be doing moral wrong, but we aren’t pure. Our essence shines forth in rays of blinding light from time to time. Jesus was the Light, all the time.
We have to accept the reality of our own fallen nature, though there is a part of me that will always grieve the letdown. In the real world outside of beloved fictional characters, the tendency to emulate has been a dangerous one. But now, I see it through a different lens. I can celebrate the clearing of the clouds when it happens in the human realm around me, and even, in myself. But my ultimate joy is in the only human who has ever walked and ever will walk this earth in complete congruence, the Son of God.
rimoftheworld7.com 
Dear Megan, I agree with what you have written and would add that one of the Church Fathers said, “The Glory of God is a man fully alive”. And in our day that would apply to women as well. So what you have described is part of this. Blessings, Ronald
What in this world is really real? Thank you Megan. You pin pointed my ache and corrected and directed my gaze toward the perfect realness of my big brother and King….Jesus of Nazareth
I often wonder about the day-to-day aspects of Jesus’s personality – maybe about what congruence looked like in someone who had a pretty spectacular birth scenario, that surely would have been told at family gatherings. Did they still have the vessels that the Frankincense, gold & myrrh were in? Jesus as an adult was as comfortable with the rich and important as He was with the poor and decrepit. It would be so interesting to see HOW His personality was congruent with the widely disparate aspects of His early years – having angels loudly announce your birth, stars moving to point you out, time spent in Egypt, along with being brought up in one of the poorest places in the middle East, as the firstborn of at least six siblings.
Thanks for the insightful comments! Much to ponder.
Yes, those are some great thoughts too. What a wild life to live, with all kinds of things making impressions on you, and all kinds of ways it could change you. I am looking forward to listening to the Gospels again, through this lens, trying to really wrap my head around what He lived through and how He stayed true to His design. And how does that translate to all parts of His humanity? What parts of it were internal, even if His external world didn’t show it? Goodness. A huge part of it HAD to be that way. He WAS GOD!!!
I take comfort in the words of St. Paul: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.”
An unusual treasure…
I bookmarked your blog post in my head when I first read it. Congruence is a big thing in my life and I loved how you joined the concept to Jesus’s life. I also sort of remembered the detective angle (loved the Hardy Boys as a child) and BOOM I decided I must watch that story you talked about. Enola Holmes of course (NOT). But she also didn’t know how not to be herself. Very life giving! Not to mention the giggle when I realized my faux pas…
Also realizing that I really love the whole searching detective, digging thing. Not sure it’s actually part of my essence or leads there, but it’s a joy filled adventure for sure.
So bringing together Congruence, Jesus and ‘Enola’, together with my design was a really great gift from our King, delivered by you. Thank you Megan!
Hi Jane,
Delighted that it landed in a sweet spot for you. I had to laugh at your mistaking “Elnora”! I hadn’t even heard of her, or that anyone had come up with the idea of giving Sherlock Holmes a younger sister. Looks like it would be a fun watch. :D) But if you had originally intended to watch Hercule Poirot, as I mentioned in the post, then I definitely recommend that you watch the earlier episodes first. If you want more thoughts on the topic, then send me an e-mail. Otherwise, it’s fun to have a kindred spirit! :D)