The News:
An autistic 18-year-old lost in the wilderness for four days was found alive… weak but apparently fine, and reunited with his family… "To the best of our knowledge, he was just hungry and thirsty and fatigued," said Jim Reneau, one of the nine searchers who found Jacob Allen… Allen, who wandered away from his parents while hiking, was found lying in a clearing… The teen, who has the mental capacity of a 3- or 4-year-old, opened his eyes and rolled over to meet his rescuers… “He was very quiet, he was nonverbal," said Jeremy Reneau, 25, the first to spot Allen. "But you could tell by his body language he was hungry"… "The family is all together," search group spokesman Chris Stadelman said. "As soon as they heard the report he was alive and doing fairly well, they gathered in a prayer circle"… (cnn.com)
Comment:
I can’t hide the fact that I like very much happy endings. And we have so few news with happy endings that we should worry about but the sad reality is that this type of news doesn’t sell. The day I found this news, they were others with greater headings like: "Suicidal bomb attempt against Prime Minister in Pakistan; 135 deaths," "Assassin cannibal also killed his homosexual couple," "Powerful storms are moving in the Atlantic," "Britney Spears…"
A family that lost for four days their son, recuperates him unharmed and join to give thanks to God because of it. It’s really charming!
I recognize that if not for the fact that the young man was autist, supposedly with the “mental capacity of a boy of 3 ó 4 years old,” this news have never reached the press. This young man survived the cold nights in the forest during four days, resisted the thirst and the hunger during that time, as well as the solitude and the distance of his parents. Not even when he saw the rescue team asked for aid or asked them if they have something to eat. I don’t understand a great deal about autism, but I know that God loves them and protects them and I also know that they are among His favorite people, because they are like children.
What does the Bible says:
An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great."
(Luke 9:46-48)
Forget Presidents, Prime Ministers, CEOs, etc. There we have one of the greatest among us.
lunes, 5 de noviembre de 2007
viernes, 21 de septiembre de 2007
Sincerity
I hate, like at the doors of death, the man that says a thing, ¡but hides another in his heart! (Achilles in Homer’s Iliad)
If we consider that Homer wrote The Iliad around the VIII Century before Christ, we can realize that sincerity is appreciated since old times and that hypocrisy is not an invention of our days.
In the old Rome, potters did their best trying to imitate the high quality of their Greek counterparts, but they couldn’t achieve it because they utilized materials of inferior quality. When placed in the furnace, many pots cracked. Roman potters, instead of rejecting such vessels, filled the cracks with wax and then painted them. The faulty pots were placed alongside the good ones as if they were of a good quality and the clients bought them without suspecting. When the pots were put to the fire, however, the wax melted and the bad quality of the job was discovered. As consequence, the people selling pots began to use the expression sin cere ("without wax" in latin) to distinguish quality pots from the faulty ones.
According to the dictionary, the word sincerity has three meanings, that rather than independent, are complementary: 1. Frankness of mind and intention. 2. Freedom of hypocrisy. 3. Authenticity.
Have you noticed that there are persons that seem to have forgotten us, and that one day they visit us or call us just “to say hello”? After some casual chat we discover that besides "saying hello," they needed money, they wanted to sell a product, or required something special of ourselves. Independently of how that particular conversation ends, we remain with a feeling of discomfort by the lack of frankness of such persons.
Sincerity is to go to the central point in order to express clearly the essence of the matter without manipulative or dishonest argumentations, avoiding detours and excess of words that intend to convince by sheer quantity. Granted, to speak sincerely is not a mere question of word reduction in a conversation, but to promote a clear and assertive communication. Neither should we confuse frankness with cruelty or roughness. We must be able, for example, to use euphemisms for delicate situations. An euphemism is a way to express with care an uncomfortable thought. Some would say of whom passed away: "he is already resting." Such an expression shows sensibility, which is an adequate balance for sincerity.
The sincerity should also be balanced with deference. Deference is "to limit our liberty in order to not offend the senses of those around us." Instead of letting our opinions be an unnecessary fountain of irritation for others, we should be aware of how to express our points of view in relation to those of the others. The deference isn’t about forfeiting the truth, neither to use “little white lies”, but to go as far as possible to live in peace with the ones that surround us.
When was the last time that you bought a product that didn’t turn out to be like the one promoted by a specific ad? How did you feel? When we aren’t sincere, we are guilty of the same thing: we raise a false expectation, an attractive exterior appearance of a negative situation, product or fact. Sincerity is to use the precise words to expose all (visible or hidden) of what we want to say or promote.
Sincerity is also to practice what is preached. Either at home, at our neighborhood, or at the office, sincerity is to faithfully act in agreement to what we speak and to live accordingly in all areas of our life. Nothing exhibits more clearly the insincere motives like to say one thing and do another. For example, if we are trying to advise our teenager upon the risks of the alcohol and he sees us arriving home drunken, we are denying the validity of our words.
Julius Caesar was very brilliant in many areas of his life: administration, statesmanship, military, etc.., but he had also many ambitions and lacked scruples when selecting the ways to achieve promotions. For example, he got married for political connections and got divorced when new families arrived to power. He did many alliances, but many were insincere. At the end, the deceitful methods of Julius Caesar were used against him because he was stabbed to death among acquaintances and "friends."
Perhaps if Julius Caesar would have been authentic, sincere, most of his life, would have been in the position to say that was unfair the treason he was object. Going through life with a mask has the inconvenience that people relates to the mask and doesn’t know the person behind it. That’s what happens when we aren’t sincere: we remain isolated or even worse, we are betrayed, because the people around us never related to the real person.
Perhaps we don’t have the answer to all the questions, all the conflicts, or all the problems, but, following Elihu´s (the friend of Job) example, we should always be sincere: My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely (Job 33:3).
Sincerity, at the end, is to reveal with words and works what is in the heart.
If we consider that Homer wrote The Iliad around the VIII Century before Christ, we can realize that sincerity is appreciated since old times and that hypocrisy is not an invention of our days.
In the old Rome, potters did their best trying to imitate the high quality of their Greek counterparts, but they couldn’t achieve it because they utilized materials of inferior quality. When placed in the furnace, many pots cracked. Roman potters, instead of rejecting such vessels, filled the cracks with wax and then painted them. The faulty pots were placed alongside the good ones as if they were of a good quality and the clients bought them without suspecting. When the pots were put to the fire, however, the wax melted and the bad quality of the job was discovered. As consequence, the people selling pots began to use the expression sin cere ("without wax" in latin) to distinguish quality pots from the faulty ones.
According to the dictionary, the word sincerity has three meanings, that rather than independent, are complementary: 1. Frankness of mind and intention. 2. Freedom of hypocrisy. 3. Authenticity.
Have you noticed that there are persons that seem to have forgotten us, and that one day they visit us or call us just “to say hello”? After some casual chat we discover that besides "saying hello," they needed money, they wanted to sell a product, or required something special of ourselves. Independently of how that particular conversation ends, we remain with a feeling of discomfort by the lack of frankness of such persons.
Sincerity is to go to the central point in order to express clearly the essence of the matter without manipulative or dishonest argumentations, avoiding detours and excess of words that intend to convince by sheer quantity. Granted, to speak sincerely is not a mere question of word reduction in a conversation, but to promote a clear and assertive communication. Neither should we confuse frankness with cruelty or roughness. We must be able, for example, to use euphemisms for delicate situations. An euphemism is a way to express with care an uncomfortable thought. Some would say of whom passed away: "he is already resting." Such an expression shows sensibility, which is an adequate balance for sincerity.
The sincerity should also be balanced with deference. Deference is "to limit our liberty in order to not offend the senses of those around us." Instead of letting our opinions be an unnecessary fountain of irritation for others, we should be aware of how to express our points of view in relation to those of the others. The deference isn’t about forfeiting the truth, neither to use “little white lies”, but to go as far as possible to live in peace with the ones that surround us.
When was the last time that you bought a product that didn’t turn out to be like the one promoted by a specific ad? How did you feel? When we aren’t sincere, we are guilty of the same thing: we raise a false expectation, an attractive exterior appearance of a negative situation, product or fact. Sincerity is to use the precise words to expose all (visible or hidden) of what we want to say or promote.
Sincerity is also to practice what is preached. Either at home, at our neighborhood, or at the office, sincerity is to faithfully act in agreement to what we speak and to live accordingly in all areas of our life. Nothing exhibits more clearly the insincere motives like to say one thing and do another. For example, if we are trying to advise our teenager upon the risks of the alcohol and he sees us arriving home drunken, we are denying the validity of our words.
Julius Caesar was very brilliant in many areas of his life: administration, statesmanship, military, etc.., but he had also many ambitions and lacked scruples when selecting the ways to achieve promotions. For example, he got married for political connections and got divorced when new families arrived to power. He did many alliances, but many were insincere. At the end, the deceitful methods of Julius Caesar were used against him because he was stabbed to death among acquaintances and "friends."
Perhaps if Julius Caesar would have been authentic, sincere, most of his life, would have been in the position to say that was unfair the treason he was object. Going through life with a mask has the inconvenience that people relates to the mask and doesn’t know the person behind it. That’s what happens when we aren’t sincere: we remain isolated or even worse, we are betrayed, because the people around us never related to the real person.
Perhaps we don’t have the answer to all the questions, all the conflicts, or all the problems, but, following Elihu´s (the friend of Job) example, we should always be sincere: My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely (Job 33:3).
Sincerity, at the end, is to reveal with words and works what is in the heart.
lunes, 10 de septiembre de 2007
Fines to Unfaithful Colombians
The News:
Colombians that after got married seek to have an affaire should think it twice, because could be expensive if a legislative proposal advances in Congress… Senator Edgar Espindola presented a government bill that seeks to punish with fines and common sanctions to unfaithful spouses, in order to recuperate marriage values and to avoid broken homes that affect children. "I aspire that… this project will motivate to a great reflection to everybody… of the importance of marriage, of the importance of home, of the importance of family"… The project contemplates fines of… about four thousand dollars, to the passionate lawbreaker … Also it would be sanctions as working during weekends in social homes of abandoned children and in rest clinics where find help those who have been affected by a loving treason… Espindola said that persons affected will be able to denounce their unfaithful couples with evidences such as photographs… But the legislator considered that offenders will be able to escape from punishment if they are forgiven by their spouse. (reforma.com)
Comment:
Perhaps I shouldn’t be asking irrelevant questions in this case because could lead to a morbid situation, but there is a couple of them that I can’t resist. Please promise not to get distracted from the central point that is the criticism of adultery. Who pays the four thousand dollars? Because there isn’t a single lawbreaker, but two. Half and half? How much it would remain to the victim (after paying the detective that obtained the photos, the lawyer that presented the case, the therapist, and other expenses incurred during the process)? I doubt that would remain any quantity at all.
The idea is praiseworthy (to protect the marriage), but I’m not sure about the way to do it. Fines for the adulterer! Although the quantity can be substantial for the medium citizen, the format degrades the concept of the marital union. Let’s consider the case of Roberto (a married Colombian citizen with Mary) that is being attracted by Lily (a secretary at his office). Mary at the house calls Roberto’s attention toward the economic needs of the home, the conflicts with the small children, bad attitudes of the teenager, etc. Mary loves Roberto, but the pressures at home, the excess activities, the conflicts with the family, the lack of a proper budget for new clothes, etc.., make her not to dress beautifully for Roberto when he arrives from work every night. On the other hand, the young Lily arrives at the office every day with a perfect make-up, provocatively dressed, nicely scented and with a smile in the lips that betrays the natural lack of worries among single people.
Roberto begins to elaborate ideas of adultery. His attentions to the young Lily make her turn her head toward him. Having lived many years with Mary, Roberto knows some aspects that can impress women and employs them "only" to see how the young lady responds. One good day, Roberto it’s onthe brink to complete the adultery. And what has he in mind?
First, that he should be sufficiently smart not to be discovered. That is, he should plan everything carefully (although we already saw in a previous delivery that is very complicated to hide an affaire: "Florist Betrays Unfaithful Husband").
Second, what would be the consequences of his actions? If he doesn’t have a good knowledge of God, which seems feasible upon having arrived to this point, the only consideration remaining is if he would be able to pay the fine, that is, a mere economic thought.
And that’s the risk, to reduce the matter of a sin to God to a material issue measured in dollars. It shouldn’t work like that. The fear of God is priceless. Yes I know that the last phrase sounds like the famous promotional credit card campaign:
"Adultery: $4,000 dollars,
"fornication: $3,000 dollars,
"lust: $1,000 dollars,
"gluttony: $500 dollars, etc.."
We simply can’t establish a scale of prices.
What Does the Bible Says:
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
(John 8:3-11)
Note that Jesus didn’t say: "Pay four thousand silver coins!" He didn’t come to abrogate the Law, but to fulfill it.
According to the news "… offenders will be able to escape from punishment if they are forgiven by their spouse." I love this part, but it’s incomplete. It should add: after being repented and being forgiven by Jesus. Only Jesus is able to restore a damaged marriage. It would be better of course if we add Jesus to the marriage on time. A marriage with Jesus has more probabilities to be stable, to last, and to be happy. Though divorces among Christian marriages exist, those tend to be the exception, as are also the exception the happy marriages among couples that have not invited Jesus to their lives.
If you are married, don’t try to prove that your marriage is one of those few that can survive without Jesus. Go for sure and invite Him to your life!
Colombians that after got married seek to have an affaire should think it twice, because could be expensive if a legislative proposal advances in Congress… Senator Edgar Espindola presented a government bill that seeks to punish with fines and common sanctions to unfaithful spouses, in order to recuperate marriage values and to avoid broken homes that affect children. "I aspire that… this project will motivate to a great reflection to everybody… of the importance of marriage, of the importance of home, of the importance of family"… The project contemplates fines of… about four thousand dollars, to the passionate lawbreaker … Also it would be sanctions as working during weekends in social homes of abandoned children and in rest clinics where find help those who have been affected by a loving treason… Espindola said that persons affected will be able to denounce their unfaithful couples with evidences such as photographs… But the legislator considered that offenders will be able to escape from punishment if they are forgiven by their spouse. (reforma.com)
Comment:
Perhaps I shouldn’t be asking irrelevant questions in this case because could lead to a morbid situation, but there is a couple of them that I can’t resist. Please promise not to get distracted from the central point that is the criticism of adultery. Who pays the four thousand dollars? Because there isn’t a single lawbreaker, but two. Half and half? How much it would remain to the victim (after paying the detective that obtained the photos, the lawyer that presented the case, the therapist, and other expenses incurred during the process)? I doubt that would remain any quantity at all.
The idea is praiseworthy (to protect the marriage), but I’m not sure about the way to do it. Fines for the adulterer! Although the quantity can be substantial for the medium citizen, the format degrades the concept of the marital union. Let’s consider the case of Roberto (a married Colombian citizen with Mary) that is being attracted by Lily (a secretary at his office). Mary at the house calls Roberto’s attention toward the economic needs of the home, the conflicts with the small children, bad attitudes of the teenager, etc. Mary loves Roberto, but the pressures at home, the excess activities, the conflicts with the family, the lack of a proper budget for new clothes, etc.., make her not to dress beautifully for Roberto when he arrives from work every night. On the other hand, the young Lily arrives at the office every day with a perfect make-up, provocatively dressed, nicely scented and with a smile in the lips that betrays the natural lack of worries among single people.
Roberto begins to elaborate ideas of adultery. His attentions to the young Lily make her turn her head toward him. Having lived many years with Mary, Roberto knows some aspects that can impress women and employs them "only" to see how the young lady responds. One good day, Roberto it’s onthe brink to complete the adultery. And what has he in mind?
First, that he should be sufficiently smart not to be discovered. That is, he should plan everything carefully (although we already saw in a previous delivery that is very complicated to hide an affaire: "Florist Betrays Unfaithful Husband").
Second, what would be the consequences of his actions? If he doesn’t have a good knowledge of God, which seems feasible upon having arrived to this point, the only consideration remaining is if he would be able to pay the fine, that is, a mere economic thought.
And that’s the risk, to reduce the matter of a sin to God to a material issue measured in dollars. It shouldn’t work like that. The fear of God is priceless. Yes I know that the last phrase sounds like the famous promotional credit card campaign:
"Adultery: $4,000 dollars,
"fornication: $3,000 dollars,
"lust: $1,000 dollars,
"gluttony: $500 dollars, etc.."
We simply can’t establish a scale of prices.
What Does the Bible Says:
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
(John 8:3-11)
Note that Jesus didn’t say: "Pay four thousand silver coins!" He didn’t come to abrogate the Law, but to fulfill it.
According to the news "… offenders will be able to escape from punishment if they are forgiven by their spouse." I love this part, but it’s incomplete. It should add: after being repented and being forgiven by Jesus. Only Jesus is able to restore a damaged marriage. It would be better of course if we add Jesus to the marriage on time. A marriage with Jesus has more probabilities to be stable, to last, and to be happy. Though divorces among Christian marriages exist, those tend to be the exception, as are also the exception the happy marriages among couples that have not invited Jesus to their lives.
If you are married, don’t try to prove that your marriage is one of those few that can survive without Jesus. Go for sure and invite Him to your life!
lunes, 3 de septiembre de 2007
Small Dog Inherits Millions
The News:
The small Maltese of the polemic real state mogul Leona Helmsley, who passed away… will continue living an opulent life, while two of the four grandchildren of the woman, whose avarice was proverbial, did not receive anything as inheritance… Helmsley, who was the owner of a luxury hotel chain, imprisoned by fiscal evasion and nicknamed "the queen of the wickedness" because her famous arrogant and insensitive statements, left to her beloved white Maltese called Trouble a fund of 12 million dollars… her will establishes that when Trouble pass away, be placed next to her in the mausoleum… Helmsley and her husband, Harry, controlled a real state emporium valued in 5,000 million dollars including the Empire State Building. She had a lawsuit in 1989 for fiscal evasion in a famous process in which former employees described her like a tyrant that tormented both workers and executives. In a certain moment one of the former employees mentioned that she once declared: "People like us don’t pay taxes. Only the low class pays taxes"… (reforma.com)
Comment:
It happens to be that in our home we have a Maltese (I don’t think that it’s pure, and never we will know for sure, because one day it just appeared at the door and we adopt it in order to save it from the doghouse, but according to photos, it’s the race that resembles the most), and although we love it, is not going to receive a single dollar of inheritance. In any case, what is going to do a millionaire puppy? To buy imported dog food? To buy a collar with diamond incrustations? To buy bones of Argentinian veal?
The small dog already lost what were the most important things for it, assuming that it’s like any other dog: the walks with its owner and the caresses that surely she provided. Why would want a dog 12 million dollars?
Nobody of course is envying the small animal (I hope). Still sometimes the humans feel a certain secret desire for inheriting that quantity (even a million dollars could do), but when we think it twice, it isn’t important. To dare inherit her dog, this lady evidently had conflicts with her relatives and she chastised them with her testament. The money served as a source of conflict. And that seems to be a tragic constant.
The news says that she was a "… tyrant that tormented both workers and executives." It seems that her relatives were not the only ones that didn’t loved her. Is it worth to forge a fortune that way? Generating so many grudges around her, could she be happy?
And the jewel of her statements: "People as us don’t pay taxes. Only the low class pays taxes." For her information, that perhaps she doesn’t need anymore, the King of Kings paid taxes. Fair or unfair, we cannot go through life evading taxes or any other obligation established by the authorities.
What does the Bible says:
When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”
He said, “Yes.”
And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”
Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”
Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” (Matthew 17:24-27)
Jesus emphasized that He didn’t have to pay (unfair tax), however He did it. So we don’t have to seek for excuses or speak badly of the authorities, if Jesus paid, it doesn’t matter how aristocratic or low social class we feel, we should pay our obligations.
And besides, based on the story of the news, the part that we take away from our fellow citizens by not paying taxes is going to be eaten by a puppy as dog food and fine bones.
The small Maltese of the polemic real state mogul Leona Helmsley, who passed away… will continue living an opulent life, while two of the four grandchildren of the woman, whose avarice was proverbial, did not receive anything as inheritance… Helmsley, who was the owner of a luxury hotel chain, imprisoned by fiscal evasion and nicknamed "the queen of the wickedness" because her famous arrogant and insensitive statements, left to her beloved white Maltese called Trouble a fund of 12 million dollars… her will establishes that when Trouble pass away, be placed next to her in the mausoleum… Helmsley and her husband, Harry, controlled a real state emporium valued in 5,000 million dollars including the Empire State Building. She had a lawsuit in 1989 for fiscal evasion in a famous process in which former employees described her like a tyrant that tormented both workers and executives. In a certain moment one of the former employees mentioned that she once declared: "People like us don’t pay taxes. Only the low class pays taxes"… (reforma.com)
Comment:
It happens to be that in our home we have a Maltese (I don’t think that it’s pure, and never we will know for sure, because one day it just appeared at the door and we adopt it in order to save it from the doghouse, but according to photos, it’s the race that resembles the most), and although we love it, is not going to receive a single dollar of inheritance. In any case, what is going to do a millionaire puppy? To buy imported dog food? To buy a collar with diamond incrustations? To buy bones of Argentinian veal?
The small dog already lost what were the most important things for it, assuming that it’s like any other dog: the walks with its owner and the caresses that surely she provided. Why would want a dog 12 million dollars?
Nobody of course is envying the small animal (I hope). Still sometimes the humans feel a certain secret desire for inheriting that quantity (even a million dollars could do), but when we think it twice, it isn’t important. To dare inherit her dog, this lady evidently had conflicts with her relatives and she chastised them with her testament. The money served as a source of conflict. And that seems to be a tragic constant.
The news says that she was a "… tyrant that tormented both workers and executives." It seems that her relatives were not the only ones that didn’t loved her. Is it worth to forge a fortune that way? Generating so many grudges around her, could she be happy?
And the jewel of her statements: "People as us don’t pay taxes. Only the low class pays taxes." For her information, that perhaps she doesn’t need anymore, the King of Kings paid taxes. Fair or unfair, we cannot go through life evading taxes or any other obligation established by the authorities.
What does the Bible says:
When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”
He said, “Yes.”
And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”
Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”
Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” (Matthew 17:24-27)
Jesus emphasized that He didn’t have to pay (unfair tax), however He did it. So we don’t have to seek for excuses or speak badly of the authorities, if Jesus paid, it doesn’t matter how aristocratic or low social class we feel, we should pay our obligations.
And besides, based on the story of the news, the part that we take away from our fellow citizens by not paying taxes is going to be eaten by a puppy as dog food and fine bones.
viernes, 24 de agosto de 2007
Betrays Florist to Unfaithful Husband
The News:
An American claims a million dollars to a florist because it sent to his home a letter of gratitude by a shipment of a dozen roses... destined to his lover… The problem was that the wife of the petitioner discovered the gift and the existence of the lover… The client and now petitioner, Leroy Greer, affirms that the message of the florist broke his marriage. The florist sent a message to the residence of Greer to thank him the purchase and to propose him a discount upon future purchases. That letter was found for his wife who called the florist to obtain details about the shipment. The business sent then a copy of the receipt, accompanied of the note directed by her husband to his lover, as well as the name and direction of the last… "I only want to tell you that I love you and that you are very important to me", was the message of the unfaithful husband… The wife of Greer asked for divorce using the message as proof of the infidelity of her husband… (reform.com)
Comment:
First some irrelevant questions: How much would be the discount offered by the florist? The news doesn’t say, but in order to save a million dollars, this shameless man probably would have to consume a "lot" of roses. Would this guy be capable to ask his secretary to order the roses? In what time of the year orchids flourish? Would this guy be capable to deduct the roses from his taxes? On what basis, did this guy calculate the amount of the lawsuit? Did he really consider that one million dollars is worth his marriage? What a terrible testimony! Whoever values himself a little bit, never would change a marriage for such a handful of money.
(Editor: Do you want me to send copy of the text to your wife?)
(Author: Thanks. It is not necessary. She always reads my Blog.)
(Editor: My admiration!)
No mister Greer, it wasn’t the letter of the florist what broke your marriage, it was you by not honoring your wife. The unfaithful husband is not the one that is discovered, but the one that seeks an alien woman even with just the mind. It is not a matter of not being caught, is a matter of not conceiving it. Adultery is not about a sudden moment, but a process that takes some time its development. Martin Luther said that: "I cannot impede that the birds fly upon my head, but I can impede that they nest on it."
In this particular occasion the secret was discovered because of the florist, but no infidelity remains hidden. By definition, any infidelity involves a minimum of two persons and thus, the lost of control. It is impossible to have guarantees that the other person is not going to say something. And even then, assuming that the other part remains quiet, there will be always a saddened and disappointed witness of the adventure: God.
This time it was the letter sent by the florist, but other mechanisms exist so that the truth will be known: detectives hired by the suspecting wife, the very same wife acting as a detective (I know a case in which the wife enclosed herself in the trunk of the car in order to surprise her husband), suspicious attitude of the husband, and even extortion from the lover.
What does it say the Bible:
Can a man take fire to his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever touches her shall not be innocent. (Proverbs 6:27-29)
Let’s no fool ourselves, never is going to remain secret such a thing as an act of infidelity.
An American claims a million dollars to a florist because it sent to his home a letter of gratitude by a shipment of a dozen roses... destined to his lover… The problem was that the wife of the petitioner discovered the gift and the existence of the lover… The client and now petitioner, Leroy Greer, affirms that the message of the florist broke his marriage. The florist sent a message to the residence of Greer to thank him the purchase and to propose him a discount upon future purchases. That letter was found for his wife who called the florist to obtain details about the shipment. The business sent then a copy of the receipt, accompanied of the note directed by her husband to his lover, as well as the name and direction of the last… "I only want to tell you that I love you and that you are very important to me", was the message of the unfaithful husband… The wife of Greer asked for divorce using the message as proof of the infidelity of her husband… (reform.com)
Comment:
First some irrelevant questions: How much would be the discount offered by the florist? The news doesn’t say, but in order to save a million dollars, this shameless man probably would have to consume a "lot" of roses. Would this guy be capable to ask his secretary to order the roses? In what time of the year orchids flourish? Would this guy be capable to deduct the roses from his taxes? On what basis, did this guy calculate the amount of the lawsuit? Did he really consider that one million dollars is worth his marriage? What a terrible testimony! Whoever values himself a little bit, never would change a marriage for such a handful of money.
(Editor: Do you want me to send copy of the text to your wife?)
(Author: Thanks. It is not necessary. She always reads my Blog.)
(Editor: My admiration!)
No mister Greer, it wasn’t the letter of the florist what broke your marriage, it was you by not honoring your wife. The unfaithful husband is not the one that is discovered, but the one that seeks an alien woman even with just the mind. It is not a matter of not being caught, is a matter of not conceiving it. Adultery is not about a sudden moment, but a process that takes some time its development. Martin Luther said that: "I cannot impede that the birds fly upon my head, but I can impede that they nest on it."
In this particular occasion the secret was discovered because of the florist, but no infidelity remains hidden. By definition, any infidelity involves a minimum of two persons and thus, the lost of control. It is impossible to have guarantees that the other person is not going to say something. And even then, assuming that the other part remains quiet, there will be always a saddened and disappointed witness of the adventure: God.
This time it was the letter sent by the florist, but other mechanisms exist so that the truth will be known: detectives hired by the suspecting wife, the very same wife acting as a detective (I know a case in which the wife enclosed herself in the trunk of the car in order to surprise her husband), suspicious attitude of the husband, and even extortion from the lover.
What does it say the Bible:
Can a man take fire to his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever touches her shall not be innocent. (Proverbs 6:27-29)
Let’s no fool ourselves, never is going to remain secret such a thing as an act of infidelity.
martes, 21 de agosto de 2007
Korean Missionaries Abducted in Afghanistan
The News:
One of the 23 South Koreans in the hands of the Taliban was murdered in the east of Afghanistan… "He was sick, he couldn’t walk and the Taliban members just shot him", related to the press Khowaja Sedeqi, one of the members of the delegation that carries out the negotiations with the insurgent Afghans that maintains abducted the Korean missionaries… (laverdad.es)
Comment:
Two missionaries have been executed, among them the shepherd and leader. Although two women have been freed, nineteen remain in captivity, among them 16 women. Several of them sick.
It seems that to carry the Word of God has its price. Since the death of Jesus, many missionaries along the history have died, some in deplorable conditions, but they have accepted martyrdom with a sense of pride, the pride that comes by obeying the call to spread the Gospel.
The first thing that is important to emphasize is that these missionaries were there, willing to follow the call of God. We read in Isaiah 6:8:
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Not less important is the courage they had in assuming a mission in a country so full of conflicts and as dangerous as Afghanistan. When they found the second Korean missionary body in that country, signs were found of physical torture. A thing that is outrageous, but certainly, God didn’t promise tourist destinations or leisure trips.
Even Paul suffered a great deal because of the Gospel and more than once he was close to die. He offers testimony of this in 2 Corinthians 11:25-27:
Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness.
Matthew 10:16-18 says: Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
Even though we can think that these words are dedicated to "the missionaries", peculiar persons that have the ability to sleep on the ground, to eat raw cereals with water only once a day, that do not shave (they have always long beards), that are capable to live with the same clothes during a month and that have an enormous facility to learn "tongue-twister" dialects, we better think twice. Maybe God is speaking to us all, not just to them.
Perhaps we should at least be so brave as to invite our neighbors to the Sunday service. Considering that the worst we will receive, if they don’t accept, is an ugly look or a shut door, how much courage is required? In America we have the freedom to preach Jesus and, to be sincere, little advantage we take from it.
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:13-15)
These missionaries were brave and we firmly believe that this will carry a result, if not in the short term, in the long-term regarding the spiritual fight that is developing in those countries. We should maintain unanimously in prayer for these missionaries.
What the Bible says:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)
The reward that they will receive should motivate us to place a little more effort in spreading the Gospel. Shouldn’t it?
One of the 23 South Koreans in the hands of the Taliban was murdered in the east of Afghanistan… "He was sick, he couldn’t walk and the Taliban members just shot him", related to the press Khowaja Sedeqi, one of the members of the delegation that carries out the negotiations with the insurgent Afghans that maintains abducted the Korean missionaries… (laverdad.es)
Comment:
Two missionaries have been executed, among them the shepherd and leader. Although two women have been freed, nineteen remain in captivity, among them 16 women. Several of them sick.
It seems that to carry the Word of God has its price. Since the death of Jesus, many missionaries along the history have died, some in deplorable conditions, but they have accepted martyrdom with a sense of pride, the pride that comes by obeying the call to spread the Gospel.
The first thing that is important to emphasize is that these missionaries were there, willing to follow the call of God. We read in Isaiah 6:8:
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Not less important is the courage they had in assuming a mission in a country so full of conflicts and as dangerous as Afghanistan. When they found the second Korean missionary body in that country, signs were found of physical torture. A thing that is outrageous, but certainly, God didn’t promise tourist destinations or leisure trips.
Even Paul suffered a great deal because of the Gospel and more than once he was close to die. He offers testimony of this in 2 Corinthians 11:25-27:
Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness.
Matthew 10:16-18 says: Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
Even though we can think that these words are dedicated to "the missionaries", peculiar persons that have the ability to sleep on the ground, to eat raw cereals with water only once a day, that do not shave (they have always long beards), that are capable to live with the same clothes during a month and that have an enormous facility to learn "tongue-twister" dialects, we better think twice. Maybe God is speaking to us all, not just to them.
Perhaps we should at least be so brave as to invite our neighbors to the Sunday service. Considering that the worst we will receive, if they don’t accept, is an ugly look or a shut door, how much courage is required? In America we have the freedom to preach Jesus and, to be sincere, little advantage we take from it.
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:13-15)
These missionaries were brave and we firmly believe that this will carry a result, if not in the short term, in the long-term regarding the spiritual fight that is developing in those countries. We should maintain unanimously in prayer for these missionaries.
What the Bible says:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)
The reward that they will receive should motivate us to place a little more effort in spreading the Gospel. Shouldn’t it?
martes, 14 de agosto de 2007
New Camp for Addicts to Internet
The News:
Thirteen percent of the 20 million Chinese people younger than 18 that use Internet are classified like addicts… China set in motion an experimental summer camp to help 40 youths to suppress their addiction to Internet… The program of 10 days will accept youths between 14 and 22 years old that previously answered to a questionnaire and to a psychological evaluation, indicated the newspaper China Daily… In the camp, the youths will receive treatment against depression, fear, low disposition to deal with others, panic and anguish… Because worries about murders and crimes of youths related to Internet, the Government is taking measures to diminish the number of addicts to the web prohibiting new cyber places and establishing restrictions for violent videogames … (reform.com)
Comment:
It is curious how even the positive things, like the existence and usefulness of the Internet, can be transformed in the hands of men in something negative. I don’t have to mention the thousand advantages of the Internet (this Blog wouldn’t exist without Internet and my friends at the office would be the only ones reading me), but now we must consider also that Internet could be as harmful, or more, than TV.
(Editor: It doesn’t seem very appropriate the explanation that you placed between parenthesis)
(Author: You take care if it is correct, I am in charge to decide if it is appropriate or not)
(Editor: Aren’t you going to ask me why do I think so?)
(Author: OK then, ¿why do you say that?)
(Editor: First, it is presumptuous to imply that is an advantage to publish your Blog, second, we don’t know if even your friends would read you, third, we don’t know if someone aside from your friends is reading you, fourth…)
(Author: Stop, stop… Jeez! I’ll never ask you again!)
(Editor: Do I remove it?)
(Author: ¡Mmghmh!)
(Editor: Is that a yes?)
The same Internet that serves to spread the Gospel can be used to create porn sites and communities of addicted web users. The same television that serves to carry news and events in real time to homes can be used to send messages (subliminal or direct) of consumption, dissatisfaction with one’s life and also as an alienation vehicle. The cell phone that serves for mobile communication can be used for blackmail and extortion. The cars that nowadays can reach astounding velocities and that serve to reduce the time of trips can also be the cause of premature death of a whole family upon incurring in an accident for lack of caution.
Where is the problem? It doesn’t seem to be in the technology by itself, but in the wrong use that some of us apply to it. It is not evil to desire a car that can transport us comfortably, but we fall in wickedness upon aspiring to a car that destroys the economy of the family and upon conducting it violating the speed limits. It is not evil to be connected to Internet and to check the electronic mail every morning, but we fall in wickedness upon get distracted with contents that take our minds to lust, envy, or gossip. It is not bad to communicate with another person through the computer, but it is the inability (or unwillingness) to go out and relate face to face with others.
What the Bible says:
Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. (Psalms 119:133)
Science, technology, medicine, etc.., are all part of human progress that man achieves thanks to the capacities that God gave him. It is something that we should never forget. Everything, after all, originates in God and will go back to Him. Let’s honor Him in everything.
Thirteen percent of the 20 million Chinese people younger than 18 that use Internet are classified like addicts… China set in motion an experimental summer camp to help 40 youths to suppress their addiction to Internet… The program of 10 days will accept youths between 14 and 22 years old that previously answered to a questionnaire and to a psychological evaluation, indicated the newspaper China Daily… In the camp, the youths will receive treatment against depression, fear, low disposition to deal with others, panic and anguish… Because worries about murders and crimes of youths related to Internet, the Government is taking measures to diminish the number of addicts to the web prohibiting new cyber places and establishing restrictions for violent videogames … (reform.com)
Comment:
It is curious how even the positive things, like the existence and usefulness of the Internet, can be transformed in the hands of men in something negative. I don’t have to mention the thousand advantages of the Internet (this Blog wouldn’t exist without Internet and my friends at the office would be the only ones reading me), but now we must consider also that Internet could be as harmful, or more, than TV.
(Editor: It doesn’t seem very appropriate the explanation that you placed between parenthesis)
(Author: You take care if it is correct, I am in charge to decide if it is appropriate or not)
(Editor: Aren’t you going to ask me why do I think so?)
(Author: OK then, ¿why do you say that?)
(Editor: First, it is presumptuous to imply that is an advantage to publish your Blog, second, we don’t know if even your friends would read you, third, we don’t know if someone aside from your friends is reading you, fourth…)
(Author: Stop, stop… Jeez! I’ll never ask you again!)
(Editor: Do I remove it?)
(Author: ¡Mmghmh!)
(Editor: Is that a yes?)
The same Internet that serves to spread the Gospel can be used to create porn sites and communities of addicted web users. The same television that serves to carry news and events in real time to homes can be used to send messages (subliminal or direct) of consumption, dissatisfaction with one’s life and also as an alienation vehicle. The cell phone that serves for mobile communication can be used for blackmail and extortion. The cars that nowadays can reach astounding velocities and that serve to reduce the time of trips can also be the cause of premature death of a whole family upon incurring in an accident for lack of caution.
Where is the problem? It doesn’t seem to be in the technology by itself, but in the wrong use that some of us apply to it. It is not evil to desire a car that can transport us comfortably, but we fall in wickedness upon aspiring to a car that destroys the economy of the family and upon conducting it violating the speed limits. It is not evil to be connected to Internet and to check the electronic mail every morning, but we fall in wickedness upon get distracted with contents that take our minds to lust, envy, or gossip. It is not bad to communicate with another person through the computer, but it is the inability (or unwillingness) to go out and relate face to face with others.
What the Bible says:
Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. (Psalms 119:133)
Science, technology, medicine, etc.., are all part of human progress that man achieves thanks to the capacities that God gave him. It is something that we should never forget. Everything, after all, originates in God and will go back to Him. Let’s honor Him in everything.
viernes, 3 de agosto de 2007
Former Champion of Formula One Loses Driving License
The News:
The Brazilian Nelson Piquet, former three-time world champion of Formula One, began this Monday to take a road course of education, after that got suspended his driving license for accumulating too many traffic infractions… The local press indicated that Piquet, one of the three Brazilians that have achieved the Formula One world championship, lost his license after receiving a huge quantity of infractions by excess of velocity and wrong parking… It was also suspended the driving license of his wife Viviane, who joined with Piquet in the road course of education… The Piquet marriage, whose son Nelson of 21 years is a test pilot with the team Renault of Formula One, should attend 30 hours of classes during eight days and to pass an exam before recovering their licenses… Piquet is one of the most renowned pilots arisen in Brazil and champion of the maximum car racing category in 1981, 1983 and 1987. (reforma.com)
Comment:
I Suppose that many of us dream of driving one of those F1 cars at maximum speed, of course before realizing that in the real world, a soda truck deliveryman will block our road and that if we try to pass, the mother of our neighbor will appear at the steering wheel conducting on the high speed lane at 30 mph.
In the races, if new tires are required, the pilot approaches the pit zone where a team of technicians will change the four tires in 20 seconds flat. In the real world, what happens if we require to change only one of the tires? We park, we open the vault, we remove all the junk that blocks us (including a bowling ball, an ice box still with remainders of food, etc.) and we put them aside. We seek the elevator and realize that the lever bar is missing. It’s useless to discuss with the spouse who took it to crack pecans without returning it to its place. While we think about a substitute, we remove the spare tire and realize that is almost flat… In short, everybody has his own story, but the twenty seconds convert into an hour, if we have enough creativity to solve all the problems. Not considering that we will forget the bowling ball on the side of the road.
Of course that it’s enticing to live in that special world where the driver is king, but the true thing is that we live in cities designed for a lot less cars of the ones that really circulate and that we must accept the rules, which if followed by all, would permit a fluid circulation and an easier location of parking spaces.
Neither the three championships of Piquet give him the right to skip the rules, neither should do political positions, personal influences, or famous names. We all must obey the traffic regulations.
What the Bible Says:
Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work. (Titus 3:1)
When the Bible was written, cars didn’t exist (if they did, I suspect that Paul would have written at least two more Letters), but the mandate is simple: to respect the authorities. Please, don’t be one of those who are transformed upon holding a steering wheel, remember that the grace of Jesus is capable to reach still those drivers that suddenly turn left in places where is prohibited. Pray for them.
The Brazilian Nelson Piquet, former three-time world champion of Formula One, began this Monday to take a road course of education, after that got suspended his driving license for accumulating too many traffic infractions… The local press indicated that Piquet, one of the three Brazilians that have achieved the Formula One world championship, lost his license after receiving a huge quantity of infractions by excess of velocity and wrong parking… It was also suspended the driving license of his wife Viviane, who joined with Piquet in the road course of education… The Piquet marriage, whose son Nelson of 21 years is a test pilot with the team Renault of Formula One, should attend 30 hours of classes during eight days and to pass an exam before recovering their licenses… Piquet is one of the most renowned pilots arisen in Brazil and champion of the maximum car racing category in 1981, 1983 and 1987. (reforma.com)
Comment:
I Suppose that many of us dream of driving one of those F1 cars at maximum speed, of course before realizing that in the real world, a soda truck deliveryman will block our road and that if we try to pass, the mother of our neighbor will appear at the steering wheel conducting on the high speed lane at 30 mph.
In the races, if new tires are required, the pilot approaches the pit zone where a team of technicians will change the four tires in 20 seconds flat. In the real world, what happens if we require to change only one of the tires? We park, we open the vault, we remove all the junk that blocks us (including a bowling ball, an ice box still with remainders of food, etc.) and we put them aside. We seek the elevator and realize that the lever bar is missing. It’s useless to discuss with the spouse who took it to crack pecans without returning it to its place. While we think about a substitute, we remove the spare tire and realize that is almost flat… In short, everybody has his own story, but the twenty seconds convert into an hour, if we have enough creativity to solve all the problems. Not considering that we will forget the bowling ball on the side of the road.
Of course that it’s enticing to live in that special world where the driver is king, but the true thing is that we live in cities designed for a lot less cars of the ones that really circulate and that we must accept the rules, which if followed by all, would permit a fluid circulation and an easier location of parking spaces.
Neither the three championships of Piquet give him the right to skip the rules, neither should do political positions, personal influences, or famous names. We all must obey the traffic regulations.
What the Bible Says:
Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work. (Titus 3:1)
When the Bible was written, cars didn’t exist (if they did, I suspect that Paul would have written at least two more Letters), but the mandate is simple: to respect the authorities. Please, don’t be one of those who are transformed upon holding a steering wheel, remember that the grace of Jesus is capable to reach still those drivers that suddenly turn left in places where is prohibited. Pray for them.
jueves, 12 de julio de 2007
domingo, 24 de junio de 2007
Supermán Outfit Sold in 16 Thousand Dollars
The News
The auction overcame the expectations… The suit that deceased actor Christopher Reeve dressed in the first movie of Superman, almost 30 years ago, was sold by 8,400 sterling pounds (12,500 Euros or 16,750 dollars) in an auction, in London… The famous tight blue suit of Reeve, with the S on the chest, the yellow belt, and the red boots, which he used in the movie of 1978, overcame the bidding expectations… (reforma.com)
Comment
I wonder how much will cost in a few years the Spider Man suit and also if the suit of Batman, after the corresponding 30 years, will overcome the price of Superman’s. Being already in the area of irrelevant questions, would the glasses of Clark Kent be included in the 16 thousand dollars price? Or are those going to sell apart together with the suit of the supposed journalist? I seem to remember (although I was not a faithful fan of this hero) that he was keeping the suit and the glasses of his secret identity in a pocket of the cape. I can understand that the cape had space for them, but always I questioned if the shoes would also fit since they had to be of a quite big size to contain Superman’s feet along with the boots. Or did lockers exist inside the telephone booths of Metropolis?
It is difficult to me to understand these eccentricities of the world. How can produce satisfaction the possession of a relic as that one? I cannot presume that I am an intelligent buyer; more than once I have given things that really I didn’t use and that I bought without needing, but certainly there weren’t things as expensive as a car. Anyhow, this is a good opportunity to reflect: can we live with fewer things in our houses so we can give the saved money to the poor?
Do you remember what Jesus said to the rich young man? “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” If He was saying that to us today, what would be the first thing in what we would think? I don’t know about you, but I have to confess that the first thing that would come to my mind would be my computer, my car and my pen collection. As if I could face the Lord and ask: “Can I keep my laptop?” No matter which objects came to your mind, it is a wrong attitude. The first thing that we should think about should be the great opportunity showing up to follow Jesus. Any object is disposable compared to that.
What the Bible Says
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mateo 6:19-21)
Our treasure cannot be a suit with one "S", or a house, or a painting, c’mon, not even a Bible signed by Jesus (by the way, if somebody offer you one, don’t buy it, trust me when I tell you that it would be false). To do treasures in heaven let's begin to act as the Lord and let's ponder if we are ready to do what He is asking us to do in order to follow Him
The auction overcame the expectations… The suit that deceased actor Christopher Reeve dressed in the first movie of Superman, almost 30 years ago, was sold by 8,400 sterling pounds (12,500 Euros or 16,750 dollars) in an auction, in London… The famous tight blue suit of Reeve, with the S on the chest, the yellow belt, and the red boots, which he used in the movie of 1978, overcame the bidding expectations… (reforma.com)
Comment
I wonder how much will cost in a few years the Spider Man suit and also if the suit of Batman, after the corresponding 30 years, will overcome the price of Superman’s. Being already in the area of irrelevant questions, would the glasses of Clark Kent be included in the 16 thousand dollars price? Or are those going to sell apart together with the suit of the supposed journalist? I seem to remember (although I was not a faithful fan of this hero) that he was keeping the suit and the glasses of his secret identity in a pocket of the cape. I can understand that the cape had space for them, but always I questioned if the shoes would also fit since they had to be of a quite big size to contain Superman’s feet along with the boots. Or did lockers exist inside the telephone booths of Metropolis?
It is difficult to me to understand these eccentricities of the world. How can produce satisfaction the possession of a relic as that one? I cannot presume that I am an intelligent buyer; more than once I have given things that really I didn’t use and that I bought without needing, but certainly there weren’t things as expensive as a car. Anyhow, this is a good opportunity to reflect: can we live with fewer things in our houses so we can give the saved money to the poor?
Do you remember what Jesus said to the rich young man? “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” If He was saying that to us today, what would be the first thing in what we would think? I don’t know about you, but I have to confess that the first thing that would come to my mind would be my computer, my car and my pen collection. As if I could face the Lord and ask: “Can I keep my laptop?” No matter which objects came to your mind, it is a wrong attitude. The first thing that we should think about should be the great opportunity showing up to follow Jesus. Any object is disposable compared to that.
What the Bible Says
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mateo 6:19-21)
Our treasure cannot be a suit with one "S", or a house, or a painting, c’mon, not even a Bible signed by Jesus (by the way, if somebody offer you one, don’t buy it, trust me when I tell you that it would be false). To do treasures in heaven let's begin to act as the Lord and let's ponder if we are ready to do what He is asking us to do in order to follow Him
viernes, 8 de junio de 2007
Returns Wallet with 2,700 Dollars
The News:
A homeless person found… a wallet with 2,700 dollars, checks and several credit cards in a square of the Argentine province of Salta and returned it to his owner… 42-year-old Ricardo Ismael Medina, a man who survives selling cardboards and plastic that finds in the streets, found the 'treasure' under a bench in a square… “The truth is that I did not hesitate a moment to return it because it was something that wasn’t mine and if my friends had found out that I keep something not mine, they would turn around their faces”, said to the press Medina, who lives in an improvised house to the side of a monument, along with a group of dogs and eleven cats… On having discovered that inside the wallet there were one thousand and 100 dollars and 5 thousand Argentine pesos (approximately one thousand 600 dollars), he went to a nearby police office to denounce the find, and soon there was located the lucky owner of the wallet, who granted to Medina a reward of 300 Argentine pesos (96.7 dollars). (reforma.com)
Comment:
Is still there someone who doubts that honest people exist? Ricardo Ismael not only is honest, but a real hero. Can you imagine the happiness of the owner when he recovered his wallet? It is not mentioned why he was carrying so much money, but unless he belongs to the Forbes richest men’s list, nobody can spare 2,700 dollars.
Many people, perhaps the majority, still believes that money brings happiness, or at least, facilitate it. False! Generally the people get entangled in vicious circles to obtain more money that will increase needs that will require more money, and so on, until everything ends in ruins, destruction, or bitterness. And please note that I said “generally.” There is no law that prohibits rich people to be happy; it’s only that they achieve it “no matter” the money.
Generally the people with a lot of money worry more about taking care of their patrimony, often they have to hire bodyguards for personal protection and that of their relatives, social commitments remove them from family life and the spouse and children suffer for it, they lose contact with the human side of their employees and normally sacrifice compassion in exchange for efficiency, they lose notion of the social reality and poverty of the world, etc., not for nothing Jesus said: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25).
The man in the news remained more satisfied with 97 reward dollars that if he had kept the wallet, which would produce in him nervousness, he would had to lie to his friends, hide from them and perhaps lose his friendship. Without doubt he chose his friends instead of a bunch of dollars. Wouldn’t you have done the same? Shouldn’t you do the same, in case of facing a similar dilemma?
Did you ever give money to a friend and he never returned it to you? And did the friendship cool down later? Mhh! I suppose that I am going in the wrong direction… I am guessing here, but I would be ready to bet that our hero Ricardo Ismael shared the 97 dollars of the reward with his dogs and cats and felt happy when they waged the tail and purred.
What the Bible Says:
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:8-10).
How can we be vaccinated against the love of money? Paul offers us some advice: (1) let’s be satisfied with what we possess. Although we can plan to change our car, that shouldn’t make us take decisions that overwhelm us. (2) Let’s be careful of the methods about which we are thinking to make more money. (3) Let’s love the people more that the money and (4) let’s look for God more.
And a fifth advice, not from Paul, but indirect from Ricardo Ismael: let's adopt dogs and cats.
A homeless person found… a wallet with 2,700 dollars, checks and several credit cards in a square of the Argentine province of Salta and returned it to his owner… 42-year-old Ricardo Ismael Medina, a man who survives selling cardboards and plastic that finds in the streets, found the 'treasure' under a bench in a square… “The truth is that I did not hesitate a moment to return it because it was something that wasn’t mine and if my friends had found out that I keep something not mine, they would turn around their faces”, said to the press Medina, who lives in an improvised house to the side of a monument, along with a group of dogs and eleven cats… On having discovered that inside the wallet there were one thousand and 100 dollars and 5 thousand Argentine pesos (approximately one thousand 600 dollars), he went to a nearby police office to denounce the find, and soon there was located the lucky owner of the wallet, who granted to Medina a reward of 300 Argentine pesos (96.7 dollars). (reforma.com)
Comment:
Is still there someone who doubts that honest people exist? Ricardo Ismael not only is honest, but a real hero. Can you imagine the happiness of the owner when he recovered his wallet? It is not mentioned why he was carrying so much money, but unless he belongs to the Forbes richest men’s list, nobody can spare 2,700 dollars.
Many people, perhaps the majority, still believes that money brings happiness, or at least, facilitate it. False! Generally the people get entangled in vicious circles to obtain more money that will increase needs that will require more money, and so on, until everything ends in ruins, destruction, or bitterness. And please note that I said “generally.” There is no law that prohibits rich people to be happy; it’s only that they achieve it “no matter” the money.
Generally the people with a lot of money worry more about taking care of their patrimony, often they have to hire bodyguards for personal protection and that of their relatives, social commitments remove them from family life and the spouse and children suffer for it, they lose contact with the human side of their employees and normally sacrifice compassion in exchange for efficiency, they lose notion of the social reality and poverty of the world, etc., not for nothing Jesus said: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25).
The man in the news remained more satisfied with 97 reward dollars that if he had kept the wallet, which would produce in him nervousness, he would had to lie to his friends, hide from them and perhaps lose his friendship. Without doubt he chose his friends instead of a bunch of dollars. Wouldn’t you have done the same? Shouldn’t you do the same, in case of facing a similar dilemma?
Did you ever give money to a friend and he never returned it to you? And did the friendship cool down later? Mhh! I suppose that I am going in the wrong direction… I am guessing here, but I would be ready to bet that our hero Ricardo Ismael shared the 97 dollars of the reward with his dogs and cats and felt happy when they waged the tail and purred.
What the Bible Says:
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:8-10).
How can we be vaccinated against the love of money? Paul offers us some advice: (1) let’s be satisfied with what we possess. Although we can plan to change our car, that shouldn’t make us take decisions that overwhelm us. (2) Let’s be careful of the methods about which we are thinking to make more money. (3) Let’s love the people more that the money and (4) let’s look for God more.
And a fifth advice, not from Paul, but indirect from Ricardo Ismael: let's adopt dogs and cats.
martes, 5 de junio de 2007
Babies Identify Languages
The News:
The babies between four and six months are capable of distinguishing visually between two languages just by observing the facial gestures of a speaker. After six months of age, only the babies who live in an environment in which the family speaks two languages support this skill, because they are forced to be more attentive … What is the importance of the visual perception in the baby and his comprehension of the world to which he has just arrived? It is known that they are capable of distinguishing faces and that they can appreciate in them the annoyance or the happiness. Now, a new investigation shows that, in spite of just looking at the gestures of the face of his speaker, a baby can distinguish if one speaks to him in a language or in other. According to Núria Sebastián, researcher …, this skill "is part of the set of capacities that the child has" … The results demonstrate that experience modifies the brain. (It appeared in El País)
Comment
Let’s start with some irrelevant questions: Could there be trilingual babies? Perhaps not, because the thing about to be bilingual comes from having parents that speak different languages, although I wonder… if one of them is bilingual and the other speaks a third language… Does some languages cost them more than others? For westerners, the Mandarin and the Japanese are quite difficult to learn. I suppose that it does not matter to babies. What would happen if a baby has a Mexican father and a Spanish mother? Would it count as bilingual? After all, accents and meanings, even if we are talking of a single language, vary among regions.
What is true is that if someone still doubted that babies are a marvel and a blessing for their parents, should be ashamed. Few things equal in tenderness, beauty and inspiration, to the laugh of a baby. And if the baby is the own one, the effect is magnified. Certainly there are moments of discomfort (night crying, change of diapers, etc.), but what father / mother does not overcome them with love?
Now, the babies come with the book empty and although they have an unknown kind of connection with their mother, they are going to be discovering their environment little by little. As the article mentions: they will be attentive. It is up to us, adults "wise persons," to produce for them an agreeable, positive, full of love world. Will we be able to do it?
The babies catch everything according to the study, even different languages. Then let’s be careful with the example that we offer them, let’s pay attention to the attitudes that we use in their closeness and of course, let’s observe the tone that we use, not when we speak to them (since I suspect that the majority of us play the innocent, smile at the point of hurting those muscles that we use very little and say foolish things as "beautiful little angel, how is my cherub doing? Cuchi-cu, baby!"), but when we speak to other members of the family. It happens sometimes that we speak to the babies in the tone of a fairy tale and we shout to our spouse and elder sons in a language and tone proper of a cheap bar. It’s wrong!
At the end, example, attitude, and tone, are types of languages for family communication. And as well as our babies identify the Korean, the Russian, or the Dutch, from the English, they are capable of identifying and of answering to the most sophisticated languages of love, anxiety, annoyance, or … hate.
What the Bible Says
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. (Psalm 127:3-4)
Do not give toys to your baby, give away words of affection, fondness and love to all members of the family in the environment near to the baby. Remember that loving your baby, is not about of just covering him with kisses and to speak to him in "babysh."
The babies between four and six months are capable of distinguishing visually between two languages just by observing the facial gestures of a speaker. After six months of age, only the babies who live in an environment in which the family speaks two languages support this skill, because they are forced to be more attentive … What is the importance of the visual perception in the baby and his comprehension of the world to which he has just arrived? It is known that they are capable of distinguishing faces and that they can appreciate in them the annoyance or the happiness. Now, a new investigation shows that, in spite of just looking at the gestures of the face of his speaker, a baby can distinguish if one speaks to him in a language or in other. According to Núria Sebastián, researcher …, this skill "is part of the set of capacities that the child has" … The results demonstrate that experience modifies the brain. (It appeared in El País)
Comment
Let’s start with some irrelevant questions: Could there be trilingual babies? Perhaps not, because the thing about to be bilingual comes from having parents that speak different languages, although I wonder… if one of them is bilingual and the other speaks a third language… Does some languages cost them more than others? For westerners, the Mandarin and the Japanese are quite difficult to learn. I suppose that it does not matter to babies. What would happen if a baby has a Mexican father and a Spanish mother? Would it count as bilingual? After all, accents and meanings, even if we are talking of a single language, vary among regions.
What is true is that if someone still doubted that babies are a marvel and a blessing for their parents, should be ashamed. Few things equal in tenderness, beauty and inspiration, to the laugh of a baby. And if the baby is the own one, the effect is magnified. Certainly there are moments of discomfort (night crying, change of diapers, etc.), but what father / mother does not overcome them with love?
Now, the babies come with the book empty and although they have an unknown kind of connection with their mother, they are going to be discovering their environment little by little. As the article mentions: they will be attentive. It is up to us, adults "wise persons," to produce for them an agreeable, positive, full of love world. Will we be able to do it?
The babies catch everything according to the study, even different languages. Then let’s be careful with the example that we offer them, let’s pay attention to the attitudes that we use in their closeness and of course, let’s observe the tone that we use, not when we speak to them (since I suspect that the majority of us play the innocent, smile at the point of hurting those muscles that we use very little and say foolish things as "beautiful little angel, how is my cherub doing? Cuchi-cu, baby!"), but when we speak to other members of the family. It happens sometimes that we speak to the babies in the tone of a fairy tale and we shout to our spouse and elder sons in a language and tone proper of a cheap bar. It’s wrong!
At the end, example, attitude, and tone, are types of languages for family communication. And as well as our babies identify the Korean, the Russian, or the Dutch, from the English, they are capable of identifying and of answering to the most sophisticated languages of love, anxiety, annoyance, or … hate.
What the Bible Says
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. (Psalm 127:3-4)
Do not give toys to your baby, give away words of affection, fondness and love to all members of the family in the environment near to the baby. Remember that loving your baby, is not about of just covering him with kisses and to speak to him in "babysh."
martes, 22 de mayo de 2007
Faith
The faith is a concept often attacked by intellectuals and overestimated by religious persons around the world. It is therefore convenient to try to understand more about it and to avoid, when we use it, that our faith is recounted like "blind faith."
According to the dictionary, faith is the reliable confidence in the truth, the validity or seriousness of a person, idea or thing. According to the Bible: It is, then, the faith the certainty of what is waited, the conviction of what is not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
In many situations we have no control, we cannot have control, of the future events, nevertheless we have to take decisions and act as if we knew what is going to happen. The majority of the people who flies in a plane do not know if each one of the elements that allow its correct functioning is in perfect condition, nevertheless they trusts, have faith, that the mechanical team of the air company realized correctly its maintenance task and acts consequently: doing plans on what it is going to do after a normal landing. Without faith, we would paralyze ourselves.
Now then, the faith is not a superstitious hope, the faith is a confidence derived from the truth, or at least, of our understanding of the truths that govern life, in the past, present, and future. In this sense, the faith is individual. Nobody can provide faith to other person, or transfer bottled faith.
Granted, truth is an evasive concept, especially when it is discussed what will happen in the future. As such, it is important to distinguish faith from presumption and from obstinacy. Let's suppose that the weather has been nice (sunny and without wind), but that the weather forecast speaks about a sudden change for the next day to rains and strong winds. Presumption would be to make plans for the next day based on how there has been the weather (sunny, without wind) in the previous days. If instead, we do plan for next day based on how we wish the climate to be, it would be obstinacy. In fact, if we like the snowfalls, we might acquire appropriate clothes, sleds, antifreezes, etc., without considering that it hasn’t snowed for years: obstinacy. On the other hand, faith is to trust that the meteorologists know what they are predicting based on the big number of accurate predictions in the past and to prepare wisely for the rains.
Faith is also to see what nobody else sees and to act consequently. All persons are different and each one visualizes the future in a particular way. Let's take as an example Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph. He was an artist, not an inventor or neither a scientist, not even an engineer, but when he listened by chance to a conversation about electricity and electromagnetism, barely in development by then (this happened at the beginning of the XIXth century), he visualized a way of distance communication based on the above mentioned concepts. And even more, confident that it would work, he left his painter's career and dedicated his life to develop his idea. He endured many rejections and 12 years pass by before the American Congress accepted to tend a telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore. The result: a way of communication that improved the world. This "vision" beyond the senses, is faith.
The faith is not "a blind jump in the darkness" as Soren Kierkegaard said at the beginning of the XIXth century and whose phrase was simplified later to "faith is blind." The real faith is based on something sure. There are those who say that faith in God is blind, but actually there is so many evidence that points out to the existence of a Creator, that the real blindness would be to have no faith in God. As well as the reason endorses the faith in God, it must endorse any person, work or idea in which we place our faith. It was the scientist Blaise Pascal who said: "The faith says to us with accuracy what the senses do not say, but it doesn’t contradict what the senses see; it is above them, not against them."
It is because the faith that we can trust the future. A study on stress and anxiety carried out by the University of Pennsylvania revealed that 15 per cent of the Americans spend more than half of their time (not counting sleep hours) worrying, either for health, finances, family issues, job security, violence, or relationships. Although a small dose of stress is healthy, we must counter the excess with a good endowment of faith.
Finally, faith must be reflected in our character. The confidence in God, in our family, in our coworkers, will allow us to concentrate on our own responsibilities without worrying excessively on issues out of our control, even if at one particular moment the results are adverse. We must always remember that a good character, with his dose of faith included, produces fruits in due time. And of course we must never forget the source of faith: So faith is by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).
According to the dictionary, faith is the reliable confidence in the truth, the validity or seriousness of a person, idea or thing. According to the Bible: It is, then, the faith the certainty of what is waited, the conviction of what is not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
In many situations we have no control, we cannot have control, of the future events, nevertheless we have to take decisions and act as if we knew what is going to happen. The majority of the people who flies in a plane do not know if each one of the elements that allow its correct functioning is in perfect condition, nevertheless they trusts, have faith, that the mechanical team of the air company realized correctly its maintenance task and acts consequently: doing plans on what it is going to do after a normal landing. Without faith, we would paralyze ourselves.
Now then, the faith is not a superstitious hope, the faith is a confidence derived from the truth, or at least, of our understanding of the truths that govern life, in the past, present, and future. In this sense, the faith is individual. Nobody can provide faith to other person, or transfer bottled faith.
Granted, truth is an evasive concept, especially when it is discussed what will happen in the future. As such, it is important to distinguish faith from presumption and from obstinacy. Let's suppose that the weather has been nice (sunny and without wind), but that the weather forecast speaks about a sudden change for the next day to rains and strong winds. Presumption would be to make plans for the next day based on how there has been the weather (sunny, without wind) in the previous days. If instead, we do plan for next day based on how we wish the climate to be, it would be obstinacy. In fact, if we like the snowfalls, we might acquire appropriate clothes, sleds, antifreezes, etc., without considering that it hasn’t snowed for years: obstinacy. On the other hand, faith is to trust that the meteorologists know what they are predicting based on the big number of accurate predictions in the past and to prepare wisely for the rains.
Faith is also to see what nobody else sees and to act consequently. All persons are different and each one visualizes the future in a particular way. Let's take as an example Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph. He was an artist, not an inventor or neither a scientist, not even an engineer, but when he listened by chance to a conversation about electricity and electromagnetism, barely in development by then (this happened at the beginning of the XIXth century), he visualized a way of distance communication based on the above mentioned concepts. And even more, confident that it would work, he left his painter's career and dedicated his life to develop his idea. He endured many rejections and 12 years pass by before the American Congress accepted to tend a telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore. The result: a way of communication that improved the world. This "vision" beyond the senses, is faith.
The faith is not "a blind jump in the darkness" as Soren Kierkegaard said at the beginning of the XIXth century and whose phrase was simplified later to "faith is blind." The real faith is based on something sure. There are those who say that faith in God is blind, but actually there is so many evidence that points out to the existence of a Creator, that the real blindness would be to have no faith in God. As well as the reason endorses the faith in God, it must endorse any person, work or idea in which we place our faith. It was the scientist Blaise Pascal who said: "The faith says to us with accuracy what the senses do not say, but it doesn’t contradict what the senses see; it is above them, not against them."
It is because the faith that we can trust the future. A study on stress and anxiety carried out by the University of Pennsylvania revealed that 15 per cent of the Americans spend more than half of their time (not counting sleep hours) worrying, either for health, finances, family issues, job security, violence, or relationships. Although a small dose of stress is healthy, we must counter the excess with a good endowment of faith.
Finally, faith must be reflected in our character. The confidence in God, in our family, in our coworkers, will allow us to concentrate on our own responsibilities without worrying excessively on issues out of our control, even if at one particular moment the results are adverse. We must always remember that a good character, with his dose of faith included, produces fruits in due time. And of course we must never forget the source of faith: So faith is by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).
miércoles, 16 de mayo de 2007
Man Spent Seven Years Dead in Bed
The News:
The decomposed body of a German man was found in his bed almost seven years after his death, said the Police of the German city of Essen… The Police said in a statement that the man was 59 years old and he was unemployed at the moment of his death… Probably he died of natural causes November 30, 2000… Near the bed of the deceased, the Police found cigarettes, an open TV guide and some German coins, that stopped circulating in 2002 after the introduction of the Euro… The apartment of the man was in a building with offices and residences, many of which are now uninhabited… "Nobody miss him. Nobody denounced his disappearance", the Police said (taken from reforma.com)
Comment:
Death is natural, what is not natural is to spend 7 years unnoticed. Even the most far away relatives take less time in trying to establish contact, but let’s assume that they had an argument and distance themselves. Didn’t a single neighbor try to complain about the bad smell (that I suppose spread when the body was decomposing)? Nobody went to ask him for a cup of sugar or to invite him to the typical meeting of neighbors? Didn’t he meet any friends to play golf with, dominoes, cards or Nintendo? And more surprising: Nobody went to cash some debt, services, taxes, interests or quotas And doubly surprising: Nobody went and tried to sell him long distance services, magazine subscriptions, scouts cookies, or discount coupons.
Death is natural, what is not natural is to smoke. The natural thing is to eat and to enjoy that delicious German food.
(Editor: The Germans drink a lot of beer and this Blog is against the alcohol)
(Author: But surely they also have other beverages, so instead of criticize, investigates a typical German beverage without alcohol and complete the previous paragraph)
(Editor: Why bother? Coke is universal)
(Author: Don’t be lazy! Investigate and complete the paragraph)
(Editor: "The natural thing is to drink water". There! Should I add it?)
Death is natural, what is not natural is to live watching television. Not because many people do it, makes it natural. The natural thing is to take a walk at the park, to greet the neighbors, to visit the friends, to communicate with relatives, to play chess, to pay taxes… (Well, please erase the last one before the editor sneaks in, at any rate, being unemployed and 59 years old, perhaps he received instead of paying). Anyway he should have contact with some social worker, his dentist or simply his doctor.
"Nobody miss him…" the sad thing is not so much his isolation but the form in which he spent the little time that we have in this life: smoking and watching television. Is there an alternative? Of course: to change the TV guide for a Bible and to switch the time in front of the screen for time in the congregation praising God. First, it would prepare him for eternal life and second, it would provide him with a new family in probable replacement of the carnal one that give up on him.
What the Bible Says
A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
We do not know the reason why the man of the news remained alone, but if we follow the Solomon’s advice to be friendly, that will not occur to us.
The decomposed body of a German man was found in his bed almost seven years after his death, said the Police of the German city of Essen… The Police said in a statement that the man was 59 years old and he was unemployed at the moment of his death… Probably he died of natural causes November 30, 2000… Near the bed of the deceased, the Police found cigarettes, an open TV guide and some German coins, that stopped circulating in 2002 after the introduction of the Euro… The apartment of the man was in a building with offices and residences, many of which are now uninhabited… "Nobody miss him. Nobody denounced his disappearance", the Police said (taken from reforma.com)
Comment:
Death is natural, what is not natural is to spend 7 years unnoticed. Even the most far away relatives take less time in trying to establish contact, but let’s assume that they had an argument and distance themselves. Didn’t a single neighbor try to complain about the bad smell (that I suppose spread when the body was decomposing)? Nobody went to ask him for a cup of sugar or to invite him to the typical meeting of neighbors? Didn’t he meet any friends to play golf with, dominoes, cards or Nintendo? And more surprising: Nobody went to cash some debt, services, taxes, interests or quotas And doubly surprising: Nobody went and tried to sell him long distance services, magazine subscriptions, scouts cookies, or discount coupons.
Death is natural, what is not natural is to smoke. The natural thing is to eat and to enjoy that delicious German food.
(Editor: The Germans drink a lot of beer and this Blog is against the alcohol)
(Author: But surely they also have other beverages, so instead of criticize, investigates a typical German beverage without alcohol and complete the previous paragraph)
(Editor: Why bother? Coke is universal)
(Author: Don’t be lazy! Investigate and complete the paragraph)
(Editor: "The natural thing is to drink water". There! Should I add it?)
Death is natural, what is not natural is to live watching television. Not because many people do it, makes it natural. The natural thing is to take a walk at the park, to greet the neighbors, to visit the friends, to communicate with relatives, to play chess, to pay taxes… (Well, please erase the last one before the editor sneaks in, at any rate, being unemployed and 59 years old, perhaps he received instead of paying). Anyway he should have contact with some social worker, his dentist or simply his doctor.
"Nobody miss him…" the sad thing is not so much his isolation but the form in which he spent the little time that we have in this life: smoking and watching television. Is there an alternative? Of course: to change the TV guide for a Bible and to switch the time in front of the screen for time in the congregation praising God. First, it would prepare him for eternal life and second, it would provide him with a new family in probable replacement of the carnal one that give up on him.
What the Bible Says
A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
We do not know the reason why the man of the news remained alone, but if we follow the Solomon’s advice to be friendly, that will not occur to us.
jueves, 10 de mayo de 2007
Rape of Girl; Decides Not To Abort
The News:
Lucila …, a 10-year-old girl and nine months, asked for help… so that they should offer to her medical attention during her pregnancy … The small one denounced that was violated by…, the landowner of the house that they rent and where she lives with her parents … Lucila said that her aggressor threatened her all the time so that she never denounced anything, otherwise, he said to her, he would kill her. For this reason, Lucila kept silence, until the growth of her belly denounced her. Lucila's parents …, indicated that the pregnancy of the girl is already 28 weeks old … The parents requested …, medical attention for their daughter, who decided not to abort … The aggressor was taking advantage of his absence and that of his wife to attack Lucila … The 65-year-old rapist is now in prison… The pregnancy of Lucila is of high risk, and for being the mother-to-be minor of age, her childbearing will be with Cesarean surgery… Yesterday, Not Governmental Organizations of Oaxaca were pronounced in favor of the decriminalization of the abortion in the entity, and demanded that the reform approved in the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District should have validity in the whole Country.
Comment:
She should be playing with dolls and nevertheless...
I doubt that anyone differs with me if I affirm that it is not fair. And if we let free our personality, we would be crying out loud that the author be raped, outraged and abused, if not lynched, in jail. Wouldn’t we feel some satisfaction if we find out that he is having a bad time in prison? What garbage of man! (And I don’t say worse things because this is a Christian Blog).
Regarding Lucila, wouldn’t we be advising to this small girl to abort? After all, the law allows it since it is a high risk pregnancy and also, consequence of a rape. What doctor in his healthy judgment would refuse to practice the abortion in this case? Undoubtedly it would be the advisable thing so much not to put in risk her life or her future, and nevertheless…
What a radical decision of this girl! She doesn’t wish the abortion, but wishes to have her son, even in so outlandish and risky conditions. What lesson she is giving us! Her baby is not guilty and she will provide him with innocent love and fondness that we, the rational and intelligent people who suggested her to abort, might not. Instead of ending with an unfair situation for others, Lucila accepts and forgives. The rapist is in the jail, while she, without microphones, without noise, with inaudible voice, with his actions, is saying to him: "Although you took advantage of me by force, I am going to have your son; I am going to take care of him and to love him very much, even more than Lily, my favorite doll…"
Lucila does not understand the legal language; she is unable to distinguish between "termination of the pregnancy" and "abort", or between “decriminalization" and "prohibition". Perhaps some day will understands it, but for the present moment, what she knows, based on her feelings, is that she loves his baby. Let the legislators, ethicists and scientists go on with their debates about when an embryo turns into a human being. She took a simple decision, that of loving…
And that must makes us to shut off and make us repent of the unhealthy advices that we gave her and repent of cursing the old man. Lucila is demonstrating us what would Jesus do and for that, she deserves not only our respect, but our admiration.
Some persons have said to me that they don’t like that I publish sad news, or tragedies or depressing ones. This is not one of them. This one is of life, of value and of love. Thank you Lucila! Persons like you are the ones who make us think that the human race has future.
What the Bible Says…
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44-45)
In Mexico a debate is going on about abortion. Lucila is saying that what it matters, all debates aside, is to love.
Lucila …, a 10-year-old girl and nine months, asked for help… so that they should offer to her medical attention during her pregnancy … The small one denounced that was violated by…, the landowner of the house that they rent and where she lives with her parents … Lucila said that her aggressor threatened her all the time so that she never denounced anything, otherwise, he said to her, he would kill her. For this reason, Lucila kept silence, until the growth of her belly denounced her. Lucila's parents …, indicated that the pregnancy of the girl is already 28 weeks old … The parents requested …, medical attention for their daughter, who decided not to abort … The aggressor was taking advantage of his absence and that of his wife to attack Lucila … The 65-year-old rapist is now in prison… The pregnancy of Lucila is of high risk, and for being the mother-to-be minor of age, her childbearing will be with Cesarean surgery… Yesterday, Not Governmental Organizations of Oaxaca were pronounced in favor of the decriminalization of the abortion in the entity, and demanded that the reform approved in the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District should have validity in the whole Country.
Comment:
She should be playing with dolls and nevertheless...
I doubt that anyone differs with me if I affirm that it is not fair. And if we let free our personality, we would be crying out loud that the author be raped, outraged and abused, if not lynched, in jail. Wouldn’t we feel some satisfaction if we find out that he is having a bad time in prison? What garbage of man! (And I don’t say worse things because this is a Christian Blog).
Regarding Lucila, wouldn’t we be advising to this small girl to abort? After all, the law allows it since it is a high risk pregnancy and also, consequence of a rape. What doctor in his healthy judgment would refuse to practice the abortion in this case? Undoubtedly it would be the advisable thing so much not to put in risk her life or her future, and nevertheless…
What a radical decision of this girl! She doesn’t wish the abortion, but wishes to have her son, even in so outlandish and risky conditions. What lesson she is giving us! Her baby is not guilty and she will provide him with innocent love and fondness that we, the rational and intelligent people who suggested her to abort, might not. Instead of ending with an unfair situation for others, Lucila accepts and forgives. The rapist is in the jail, while she, without microphones, without noise, with inaudible voice, with his actions, is saying to him: "Although you took advantage of me by force, I am going to have your son; I am going to take care of him and to love him very much, even more than Lily, my favorite doll…"
Lucila does not understand the legal language; she is unable to distinguish between "termination of the pregnancy" and "abort", or between “decriminalization" and "prohibition". Perhaps some day will understands it, but for the present moment, what she knows, based on her feelings, is that she loves his baby. Let the legislators, ethicists and scientists go on with their debates about when an embryo turns into a human being. She took a simple decision, that of loving…
And that must makes us to shut off and make us repent of the unhealthy advices that we gave her and repent of cursing the old man. Lucila is demonstrating us what would Jesus do and for that, she deserves not only our respect, but our admiration.
Some persons have said to me that they don’t like that I publish sad news, or tragedies or depressing ones. This is not one of them. This one is of life, of value and of love. Thank you Lucila! Persons like you are the ones who make us think that the human race has future.
What the Bible Says…
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44-45)
In Mexico a debate is going on about abortion. Lucila is saying that what it matters, all debates aside, is to love.
lunes, 7 de mayo de 2007
Hawking Enjoys Weightless Flight
"It was amazing... I would be able to keep going without stopping", said Hawking, of 65 years, after landing from a trip of two hours in a Boeing 727-200 modified and with padded walls that, flying in parables as a roller coaster, produces periods of weightlessness… The professor is almost completely paralyzed by a degenerative illness and can only speak by means of a computer and a synthesizer… Four doctors and two nurses accompanied the cosmologist, dress with a blue suit of flight, inside the airplane "G-FORCE One", popularly known as the "vomit comet" by the unpleasant effects that can feel on board those who are submitted to the experience… The Zero Gravity Corporation (Zero-G), operator of the airplane, usually charges 3,500 dollars per passenger for a flight of 90 minutes… The scientist traveled seated during the ascent and once the plane descended, was helped by two people that guided him in the air while he was floating freely… Hawking, author of the best seller "Brief history of the time", on the origin of the universe and the creation of space-time, where also refers to more extensive themes as metaphysics, said that the opportunity to experience the weightlessness was "marvelous" … "I believe that mankind does not have any future if does not go to space", said Hawking. "I believe that life on Earth is every time in more risk to disappear from a disaster like the global warming, a nuclear war, a genetically developed virus, or other dangers", added… Hawking, holder of the Lucasian Professor of Math at Cambridge, position once occupied by Sir Isaac Newton, suffers of a degenerative illness, lateral amyotrophic sclerosis that was diagnosed at the age of 22.
Comment
And to think that I complained that a ride on the small roller coaster of the local fair was expensive! I do not need to pay so much to feel dizzy and just knowing the nickname of the airplane, I guess I am going to stay in land. Once in my life I paid to ride on the big Mexico City Roller Coaster: It was once too many! Now, yeah, I know that there are some people happy experiencing strong emotions, addicts to the adrenaline, some practicing extreme sports, who feel that in order to be alive one must challenge the gravity: It’s their money! I suppose that there are a lot of people like that, or the business of this little plane, the "G-FORCE One," would go bankrupt. Don’t take wrong, I don’t have anything against them, that should be clear, but please, if are you one of them, before your following jump with parachute (or equivalent: bungee jumping, motorcycle jumping, even scooter jumping), be sure to have accepted Jesus as your personal lord and savior. Just in case.
I respect Dr. Stephen W. Hawking, the disabled scientist that did the trip and I am happy that, to him it represented a unique emotion to abandon his wheelchair and to float inside the airplane. But I have no reason to agree with his opinions. I know that it could be shocking for the scientific community: Dissenting with Dr. Hawking, holder of the Lucasian Professor of Math at Cambridge, position once occupied by Sir Isaac Newton? Blasphemy! I will try to explain myself, but I should clarify before hand, that no human being, even the most brilliant and intelligent (Me included), possess the truth concerning the future of mankind. Of course I am not going to debate with him the result of a series of complex differential equations (because I will lose), nevertheless, he is entering a ground where he challenges God and as such is earning this fight.
(Editor: There was no need to clarify who would be losing the debate. Do I erase the note?)
(Author: I wanted to emphasize my humility)
(Editor: Then, the note after “brilliant and…”)
(Author: Forget it! forget it!)
Dr. Hawking said: "I believe that mankind does not have a future if does not go to space." Also: "I believe that life in Earth is every time in more risk to disappear from a disaster like the global warming, a nuclear war, a genetically developed virus, or other dangers." In his web site, in a Conference titled "Life in the Universe," wrote: "One can define Life to be an ordered system that can sustain itself against the tendency to disorder, and can reproduce itself." "A living being usually has two elements: a set of instructions that tell the system how to sustain and reproduce itself, and a mechanism to carry out the instructions. In biology, these two parts are called genes and metabolism. But it is worth emphasizing that there need be nothing biological about them. For example, a computer virus is a program that will make copies of itself in the memory of a computer, and will transfer itself to other computers. Thus it fits the definition of a living system that I have given."
He also mentions in his article (I give up citing him literally because he is very prolific) that life in other worlds exists, but that we do not know about it because the probability of intelligent life is very low (he himself says so), or that life has not evolved enough, or that has not been bothered in visiting us. Actually, when I was reading his article, at least the first part, it seemed like he was going to defend the idea that a divine designer exists, because he argued about the low odds for basic elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen) to combine randomly in order to form the extremely complicated molecule of DNA. Instead he concluded that perhaps there couldn’t be a lot of intelligent life in the universe, perhaps just some. Then he moved to speculate that life can also be mechanic (according to him, a computer virus is a form of life) and that we can send mechanical elements to space in order to colonize other planets.
Honestly it is very peculiar his form to visualize the future of mankind: Mechanical ships (robots) with the ability to reproduce, carrying, imbedded in chips, the literary production of all terrestrial libraries (I expect that this Blog can go incorporated in some little robot; would that make it my great-great-great-grandson?) I love science-fiction, I even wrote some time ago some short stories, but always I was able to distinguish them from reality. It seems to me that Dr. Hawking is trying to erase the line a little bit forced.
In another part Dr. Hawking said: "We are such insignificant creatures, in a small planet, of a very average star in the exterior suburbs of a hundred billion galaxies. As such it is difficult to believe in a God that care for us or that even note our existence."
There’s the point! Perhaps it is the illness that bothers him, or the lack of sincere human contact, or the lack of love around him, or some other sad event in his life, that produced in him incapacity to believe in God. I’m sorry, but I have to rebuke him. We are not neither insignificant, nor we live in a minor planet. If Earth was prepared, in the best possible location of the Universe, by God for us, we cannot be insignificant. And if we interest him enough as to give us a comfortable home, is because His desire to have personal contact with each one of us. Someone that can create the Universe can have the power to attend us all as well. Dr. Hawking cannot believe in Him and because of it he lives without hope for the biological human beings.
God so cares for us that has given us the sunsets, the flowers, the fragrances, the beaches, the forests and of course endowed us with the senses to be able to enjoy them. It gave us also a soul, a spirit and a family (biological) to enjoy life together and that is enough proof of His existence.
What the Bible Says
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6).
Wisdom is to understand that God formed us and that only in Him we can trust, even when the future could be perceived uncertain. Let’s be happy with the little things that we have today in this planet that He gave us, because tomorrow we will be with Him in spirit in a place where treasures are not based on heavy metals.
Comment
And to think that I complained that a ride on the small roller coaster of the local fair was expensive! I do not need to pay so much to feel dizzy and just knowing the nickname of the airplane, I guess I am going to stay in land. Once in my life I paid to ride on the big Mexico City Roller Coaster: It was once too many! Now, yeah, I know that there are some people happy experiencing strong emotions, addicts to the adrenaline, some practicing extreme sports, who feel that in order to be alive one must challenge the gravity: It’s their money! I suppose that there are a lot of people like that, or the business of this little plane, the "G-FORCE One," would go bankrupt. Don’t take wrong, I don’t have anything against them, that should be clear, but please, if are you one of them, before your following jump with parachute (or equivalent: bungee jumping, motorcycle jumping, even scooter jumping), be sure to have accepted Jesus as your personal lord and savior. Just in case.
I respect Dr. Stephen W. Hawking, the disabled scientist that did the trip and I am happy that, to him it represented a unique emotion to abandon his wheelchair and to float inside the airplane. But I have no reason to agree with his opinions. I know that it could be shocking for the scientific community: Dissenting with Dr. Hawking, holder of the Lucasian Professor of Math at Cambridge, position once occupied by Sir Isaac Newton? Blasphemy! I will try to explain myself, but I should clarify before hand, that no human being, even the most brilliant and intelligent (Me included), possess the truth concerning the future of mankind. Of course I am not going to debate with him the result of a series of complex differential equations (because I will lose), nevertheless, he is entering a ground where he challenges God and as such is earning this fight.
(Editor: There was no need to clarify who would be losing the debate. Do I erase the note?)
(Author: I wanted to emphasize my humility)
(Editor: Then, the note after “brilliant and…”)
(Author: Forget it! forget it!)
Dr. Hawking said: "I believe that mankind does not have a future if does not go to space." Also: "I believe that life in Earth is every time in more risk to disappear from a disaster like the global warming, a nuclear war, a genetically developed virus, or other dangers." In his web site, in a Conference titled "Life in the Universe," wrote: "One can define Life to be an ordered system that can sustain itself against the tendency to disorder, and can reproduce itself." "A living being usually has two elements: a set of instructions that tell the system how to sustain and reproduce itself, and a mechanism to carry out the instructions. In biology, these two parts are called genes and metabolism. But it is worth emphasizing that there need be nothing biological about them. For example, a computer virus is a program that will make copies of itself in the memory of a computer, and will transfer itself to other computers. Thus it fits the definition of a living system that I have given."
He also mentions in his article (I give up citing him literally because he is very prolific) that life in other worlds exists, but that we do not know about it because the probability of intelligent life is very low (he himself says so), or that life has not evolved enough, or that has not been bothered in visiting us. Actually, when I was reading his article, at least the first part, it seemed like he was going to defend the idea that a divine designer exists, because he argued about the low odds for basic elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen) to combine randomly in order to form the extremely complicated molecule of DNA. Instead he concluded that perhaps there couldn’t be a lot of intelligent life in the universe, perhaps just some. Then he moved to speculate that life can also be mechanic (according to him, a computer virus is a form of life) and that we can send mechanical elements to space in order to colonize other planets.
Honestly it is very peculiar his form to visualize the future of mankind: Mechanical ships (robots) with the ability to reproduce, carrying, imbedded in chips, the literary production of all terrestrial libraries (I expect that this Blog can go incorporated in some little robot; would that make it my great-great-great-grandson?) I love science-fiction, I even wrote some time ago some short stories, but always I was able to distinguish them from reality. It seems to me that Dr. Hawking is trying to erase the line a little bit forced.
In another part Dr. Hawking said: "We are such insignificant creatures, in a small planet, of a very average star in the exterior suburbs of a hundred billion galaxies. As such it is difficult to believe in a God that care for us or that even note our existence."
There’s the point! Perhaps it is the illness that bothers him, or the lack of sincere human contact, or the lack of love around him, or some other sad event in his life, that produced in him incapacity to believe in God. I’m sorry, but I have to rebuke him. We are not neither insignificant, nor we live in a minor planet. If Earth was prepared, in the best possible location of the Universe, by God for us, we cannot be insignificant. And if we interest him enough as to give us a comfortable home, is because His desire to have personal contact with each one of us. Someone that can create the Universe can have the power to attend us all as well. Dr. Hawking cannot believe in Him and because of it he lives without hope for the biological human beings.
God so cares for us that has given us the sunsets, the flowers, the fragrances, the beaches, the forests and of course endowed us with the senses to be able to enjoy them. It gave us also a soul, a spirit and a family (biological) to enjoy life together and that is enough proof of His existence.
What the Bible Says
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6).
Wisdom is to understand that God formed us and that only in Him we can trust, even when the future could be perceived uncertain. Let’s be happy with the little things that we have today in this planet that He gave us, because tomorrow we will be with Him in spirit in a place where treasures are not based on heavy metals.
Patience
The patience is a feature of character that allows us to go through chaotic situations without collapsing, allows us to educate our children without yelling and allows us to accept our coworkers without getting depressed, among many other things.
It is very interesting to know that the origin of the word patience is the Latin root pati that means to suffer. In fact the participle patiens was introduced into English as patient (in the hospitals) or "the one that suffers." Thus the same word recalls us that the patience implies suffering, though that suffering is accepted with dignity expecting a greater reward that will come, whether with the simple passage of time, with the perseverance, or with the correct activity at the correct moments.
It is important to notice that patience does not mean only to wait until the situation change or until somebody else does what it has to be done. It would be very easy, and a part of the human nature too, to blame someone else for everything negative that happens to us. Patience is the quality of tolerate or support pain or accept difficulties without complaints.
We will review the characteristic of patience in the three circumstances previously mentioned: the simple passing of time, the perseverance and to choose the correct activity at the correct moment.
Patience in slow moments
Have you ever been despaired with the bureaucracy of certain institutions? Have you ever had the "opportunity" to expect long time in lines in order to be attended? Have you ever had to attack your own boredom or that of your children in long trips? Those are all moments in which patience should defeat uneasiness.
We must understand that "bureaucracy" is not evil by itself, in fact was introduced in the administrative science as an element of organization and control. Without that uncomfortable "paperwork", an organization quickly would not know where its incomes came from, how to reproduce a particular process in absence of the actual leader, or how to control the expenses. We must understand then that the bureaucracy has a reason to exist and we must be kind when dealing with her.
Aside from understanding we also can use some creativity in order to convert the waiting moments into useful moments. Carry with you a book or some of your to-do issues (nowadays you can take a computer in a small briefcase) the next time that you have to face the bureaucracy, have to stay in line at the bank, have to expend some time at the waiting room of the doctor, to a trip, etc. Invent games with your children with words, numbers, etc.
The farmers know that the time between the sowing and the crop is not for laziness, it is a time to fertilize, to weed, to fix machinery, etc. One must take advantage of the apparent "dead time".
Patience as perseverance
It is said that Robert Bruce defeated England to free his country Scotland from its yoke, but only after many and painful defeats. He always had the patience to assimilate the blow, to raise a new army, to fight again, to be defeated, to assimilate the blow, etc. A cycle that was not interrupted until Bruce achieved the final victory and could reign in Scotland.
We can apply this, so much to this King, as to a football team that, after been blown out several times, perseveres until achieves the championship, to a student that finally gets his or her degree, or to an employee that finally is recognized as "faithful servant".
Patience as the correct activity at the correct moment.
When "we are at the nick of time" we tend to despair, to irritate, to shout and to generate a terrible chaos without reaching any meaningful results. This is also a moment for the patience. Again, it doesn’t have to be a matter of expecting for a solution to "fall from the sky", though we can pray and ask for divine help, we still also have to face the problem. Gideon, David, and other heroes from the Bible that received God’s help, still had to go to the battle.
The crew members of the Apollo 13th, when their ship suffered damage, could hit the walls with their heads, could curse the mission, could tear their suits and still have the same problem. They had the patience to request aid, to comment the alternatives and to work in a solution that could improve their odds even when time was scurrying among their hands. They did the correct thing with patience.
Source of the patience.
The good news is that to achieve this feature, we have the aid of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22 says that the patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We are not alone, we can pray that God provides us with His Spirit so we can be rewarded with this fabulous feature of Christ’s character: the Patience.
It is very interesting to know that the origin of the word patience is the Latin root pati that means to suffer. In fact the participle patiens was introduced into English as patient (in the hospitals) or "the one that suffers." Thus the same word recalls us that the patience implies suffering, though that suffering is accepted with dignity expecting a greater reward that will come, whether with the simple passage of time, with the perseverance, or with the correct activity at the correct moments.
It is important to notice that patience does not mean only to wait until the situation change or until somebody else does what it has to be done. It would be very easy, and a part of the human nature too, to blame someone else for everything negative that happens to us. Patience is the quality of tolerate or support pain or accept difficulties without complaints.
We will review the characteristic of patience in the three circumstances previously mentioned: the simple passing of time, the perseverance and to choose the correct activity at the correct moment.
Patience in slow moments
Have you ever been despaired with the bureaucracy of certain institutions? Have you ever had the "opportunity" to expect long time in lines in order to be attended? Have you ever had to attack your own boredom or that of your children in long trips? Those are all moments in which patience should defeat uneasiness.
We must understand that "bureaucracy" is not evil by itself, in fact was introduced in the administrative science as an element of organization and control. Without that uncomfortable "paperwork", an organization quickly would not know where its incomes came from, how to reproduce a particular process in absence of the actual leader, or how to control the expenses. We must understand then that the bureaucracy has a reason to exist and we must be kind when dealing with her.
Aside from understanding we also can use some creativity in order to convert the waiting moments into useful moments. Carry with you a book or some of your to-do issues (nowadays you can take a computer in a small briefcase) the next time that you have to face the bureaucracy, have to stay in line at the bank, have to expend some time at the waiting room of the doctor, to a trip, etc. Invent games with your children with words, numbers, etc.
The farmers know that the time between the sowing and the crop is not for laziness, it is a time to fertilize, to weed, to fix machinery, etc. One must take advantage of the apparent "dead time".
Patience as perseverance
It is said that Robert Bruce defeated England to free his country Scotland from its yoke, but only after many and painful defeats. He always had the patience to assimilate the blow, to raise a new army, to fight again, to be defeated, to assimilate the blow, etc. A cycle that was not interrupted until Bruce achieved the final victory and could reign in Scotland.
We can apply this, so much to this King, as to a football team that, after been blown out several times, perseveres until achieves the championship, to a student that finally gets his or her degree, or to an employee that finally is recognized as "faithful servant".
Patience as the correct activity at the correct moment.
When "we are at the nick of time" we tend to despair, to irritate, to shout and to generate a terrible chaos without reaching any meaningful results. This is also a moment for the patience. Again, it doesn’t have to be a matter of expecting for a solution to "fall from the sky", though we can pray and ask for divine help, we still also have to face the problem. Gideon, David, and other heroes from the Bible that received God’s help, still had to go to the battle.
The crew members of the Apollo 13th, when their ship suffered damage, could hit the walls with their heads, could curse the mission, could tear their suits and still have the same problem. They had the patience to request aid, to comment the alternatives and to work in a solution that could improve their odds even when time was scurrying among their hands. They did the correct thing with patience.
Source of the patience.
The good news is that to achieve this feature, we have the aid of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22 says that the patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We are not alone, we can pray that God provides us with His Spirit so we can be rewarded with this fabulous feature of Christ’s character: the Patience.
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