Not Fade Away

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! -- Psalms 90:17

In this psalm, Moses contemplates the transient nature of human existence in contrast to the immutability of God.  We will return to the dust after a few short years while to God the passage of a thousand years is as the handful of hours in a night watch.  Yet it is in this brief sojourning that we may, if we consider God, if we look at what angers Him and invokes His wrath, find understanding and gain insight:  So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom (v.12).

All of us come to an end because of sin – not so much our individual foibles; rather, it is the corrupted, fallen nature with which we are all born.  That must come to an end.  We sing that this world is not our home and we are just passing through.  That’s true, but it doesn’t mean that the body is not important or that what we do here on this journey is pointless and devoid of meaning.

If we live the truth, God’s favor will rest upon us, and what our hands find to do will be truthful  -- thus beautiful and everlasting.  Someday, all of Michelangelo’s statues will be broken stones and gravel, and his paintings will have faded away, yet the beauty he created will live on.   

Any time the human and the Divine meet, there is creation.  Our creative acts and works may not be visible to the natural eye.  It may not be a picture painted on canvas but on the soul of another.  Our words may not be recorded in a book or turned into a poem.  Instead they may be imprinted on a human heart.  The one we help to find beauty and who is transformed by a vision of truth will live forever, and that will be one of those works that will endure.  

When we work to make our lives -- however humble and insignificant by worldly standards -- conduits for light, life, hope, and love, we are building for eternity.  We are creating works of gold, silver, and precious stones that will pass undamaged and whole through the refining fires of time (1 Corinthians 3:10-14).  

Yes, establish the work of our hands.

Pet peeves, beauty, beasts and fairies -- FNFFA

I did my patriotic duty and went down to Wal-Mart to buy some Murikan stuff -- steak, ham, pork and beans, toilet brushes, and Co'Cola. I think my bill was about $170 all told. In front of me was an older lady (even older than me -- at least she'd looked worse) with a few items. I was laying stuff up on the belt when I realized that there was a discussion taking place between the young man checking and the lady. Her bill was $27 and some change. All she had was $24. I actually started to reach into my pocket and pull out enough to make up the difference when I saw that she had a big box of Busch in the cart. She was also buying a Red Baron frozen pizza. It's been a while since I bought beer and even longer since I bought Busch, so I'm not sure how that worked out, but it was obviously quite a bit of beer. I might have still ponied up the difference if had been Coors -- at least it would have been American lawnmower beer. Instead I waited patiently while the lady decided that she didn't really want the pizza. I then unburdened my overloaded cart, paid cash, and got back more change than she had just spent on beer.

Not that I am unsympathetic -- I've had to do some fast mental calculations to make the money cover the meat a few times myself. I'd like to think, however, that if I were a little tight at the end of the week, I might have sense enough to go for a six-pack or a twelve-pack instead of a case or whatever it was.

The prettiest people are supposed to be here. Having never been there I can't say, but it could have something to do with thong bikinis.

I’m no expert on what women consider good-looking in a male, but it is a fact acknowledged worldwide that the best looking women are from Texas.

In case you missed the link in my One Cosmos comment here is an article from a couple of years ago in which a feminist discusses 'oh, the horror' fairy tales.

At least she likes Shrek, even if she doesn't quite understand it. Shrek is reminiscent the old "Fractured Fairy Tales" from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. It is very much tongue-in-cheek and uses some of the fairy tale tropes to amusingly satirize society as a whole.

Perhaps the most appalling statement the author makes it this one: “I do believe these fairy tales do have negative psychological effects as they sometimes stimulate the imagination more than is necessary or in the wrong direction altogether.” What’s the point of being a kid if you can’t have an over-active imagination? My complaint about most children’s television is that it is not fantastic enough.

There are plenty of mistakes you can make with kids. One is to infantilize them, do not allow them to develop a sense of responsibility, shield them from the consequence of their actions. There are plenty of AINO’s (Adults In Name Only) out and about. Another common mistake, seemingly contradictory can be made at the same time: not allowing a kid to be a kid. Parents want children to think “sensibly” like adults, to avoid flights of fancy, to be well-grounded, dull, soccer-playing midgets. Check out the kids on sitcoms. They are usually the sensible ones. The father figure, especially, is an overgrown child, mocked for his ineptitude.

The goal with children is to encourage fantasy and imagination while gently teaching the skills necessary to navigate in a sometimes rough world. One of my favorite examples of this was on the old Andy Griffith Show where Opie killed a mother bird with his slingshot then dutifully raised the orphan babies.

On the other hand I'd be willing to bet that Ms. Anti-Imagination was a fan of Sex and the City. Fairy tales, indeed.