The Imitation Game

Recognizing Giftedness

A few weeks ago I wrote a piece on ‘getting stuck and getting unstuck’ and it reminded me of a story Elizabeth and I related a few years back in our book Abba’s Whisper,

The film The Imitation Game instructs us in the experience of becoming stuck, telling the story of Alan Turing, who was hired by the British to crack the Nazi communication code during the Second World War. As a young boy at boarding school Alan was harassed by older students and abused in various ways. Alan and his one friend, Christopher Morcom, became students of cryptology and write secret messages to each other, which ultimately fuels Alan’s ability to break the Nazi code. Christopher recognizes his friend’s giftedness, saying, “Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one imagines.” Alan repeats this wonderful line later in life to one of the candidates when he is building the team to work on the Nazi code project, even while others dismiss this person because she is a woman. Years later when Alan has fallen on hard times, the candidate, Joan, searches him out and encourages him with his own words, “Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” (Alan and Elizabeth Davey, Abba’s Whisper)

Even as Alan Turing gave this advice, years later he still needed to receive it. It is a special gift to be able to see into a person’s life and perceive the divine gift that makes a person unique. To see that everyone is special. Everyone is unrepeatable. Everyone has something beautiful to offer. I believe we can do that for others.

In a similar way Abba sees into our hearts and sees the beauty that lies hidden beneath the scars we carry. Even more, the Divine Muse imagines what no one else imagines—a dream that can make our hearts fly upward with joy!

Let us perceive Her gift and receive it with gratitude and intention.

Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.