A BLAZE engulfs a barn on a Suffolk farm in 1944. While her horrified family look on, Lucy Felwood is lost to the flames. What no one at the scene could imagine is that the suspicious death of the 17-year-old would haunt the farm for decades.
That was the explosive start to the new ITV drama series 'Lightfields' on Wednesday (27 February). Viewers were taken forward from the fire to 1975, when the Lightfields farmhouse was rented by a mother and her daughter, and then to 2012, when Lucy’s younger brother Pip - now a pensioner - returned to the place of his sister’s untimely death. As Pip (Michael Byrne) went back to the farm, he was aware of an eerie presence, something which his great-grandson also noticed when he stayed there.
It had been a similar experience in the Seventies for mother and daughter Vivien and Clare. Vivien (Lucy Coho) had been evacuated as an eight-year-old to the area during the Second World War. As an adult, she could barely remember those times, but on a visit to the farm her memories started to stir - and so did some ghostly experiences.
As the drama’s action jumps between decades, viewers may begin to wonder whether the young Vivien and Pip knew something about the events of the fire. They may also want to know how Vivien and Pip will cope when they see the effects the events of the past have on their families.
There can be times in our own lives when our past comes back to haunt us. It may even be that something we have done wrong seems to follow us. A bad decision from years ago can have an impact on our lives today. An uncaring action can cause what seemed a strong friendship to go up in smoke. A moment of selfishness can ruin trust.
The Bible tells us that once our life on earth is over, we will have to give an account to God of our actions - good and bad.
If that sounds a daunting prospect, it does not have to be. Jesus took the consequences for all the wrong things we do when he was crucified on a cross. However chequered our past, if we believe and trust in Jesus, God will forgive us and forget our wrongdoing. Bible writer Paul put it like this: ‘We put our faith in Christ Jesus, and God accepted us because of our faith’ (Galatians 2:16 Contemporary English Version).
In the past, Paul had been violent and aggressive. Yet by believing and trusting in Jesus, he was made right with God and provided with a new start.
It can be the same for us. By following Jesus, we can put our past behind us, have a new beginning here on earth and be ready to move into a heavenly future.
UK & Ireland War Cry March 2013
Pictures: ITV
