What happens when the hero doesn’t pull it off? 

With 400 Wilko shops now set to shut, Jo Trickey discusses what people can do when they cannot trust their leaders to support or stand up for them

This week Wilko went into administration. The family-run chain was offered a last-minute rescue deal by the billionaire owner of HMV, Doug Putnam, but then hopes were quickly dashed when rising associated costs took the deal off the table. 

With 400 stores now in the process of closing across the country, employees and their families find themselves facing uncertainty, worry, and disappointment. They feel let down. They feel that there are many who should have done more – the Wilkinson family, PwC (the administrators), and Doug Putnam, to name just three examples. 

We’re all living in uncertain times. We’ve all been let down by leaders. So, how do we find hope in when faced with constant uncertainty? How do we continue to put faith in leadership that seems to let us down time and again?

For me, the permacrisis encourages me to turn to the Bible. It’s full of stories of people who have been let down by leaders, of people living in uncertain times facing workplace insecurity and political instability. 

But it’s also full of stories of hope, of people sent by God to bring hope, speak out for truth and justice, and mould cultures that lead to holistic flourishing – because that is what God wants for each one of us. 

The whole Bible is the story of God’s commitment to us. So strong that he sent a perfect hero, Jesus, to pull off his perfect rescue plan.

It doesn’t make the uncertainty of the current situation go away, but it gives me reassurance that others can survive – and even flourish – in challenging times.

And it gives me someone trustworthy to look to every day. In this season, and in every season, that’s what I need. 

 

The Revd Jo Trickey is Church Advocate with The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity 

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