Yes, with two teens in the house, 15 and 13, I can closely identify with the struggle to explain a world to them that very often doesn't make sense to my wife and me. We see so many nauseating things being done in Jesus' name, and they are only moments in time of repeated history. I was reading recently about the Wehrmacht soldiers of Nazi Germany in WWII, who had "Gott mit uns" inscribed on their belt buckles, in English "God is with us." It made my skin crawl.
And then, like you, I see or remember those flashes of lightning which expose everything in the dark. I remember the many who placed themselves in harms way to rescue Jews from the holocaust. I remember a recent Minneapolis man who died using himself as a shield for a woman who had been assaulted. There are many moments of tear-filled beauty, made all the brighter amidst an ever-darkening backdrop. I remember to be thankful for those moments, and I remember the wisdom found in Pirkei Avot, "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it"
a good quote, and a good time to remember and reflect on psalm 73: When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God..
Really enjoyed reading. "A Line Runs Through" definitely started playing in the back of my mind, I think that song really speaks to the dichotomy you were talking about here between Babel and Christ!
Thanks for sharing these thoughts, felt like a warm cup of tea for someone also on pilgrimage on a stretch of road that feels dreary at times, pushing onward to reach Eden...
Yes, with two teens in the house, 15 and 13, I can closely identify with the struggle to explain a world to them that very often doesn't make sense to my wife and me. We see so many nauseating things being done in Jesus' name, and they are only moments in time of repeated history. I was reading recently about the Wehrmacht soldiers of Nazi Germany in WWII, who had "Gott mit uns" inscribed on their belt buckles, in English "God is with us." It made my skin crawl.
And then, like you, I see or remember those flashes of lightning which expose everything in the dark. I remember the many who placed themselves in harms way to rescue Jews from the holocaust. I remember a recent Minneapolis man who died using himself as a shield for a woman who had been assaulted. There are many moments of tear-filled beauty, made all the brighter amidst an ever-darkening backdrop. I remember to be thankful for those moments, and I remember the wisdom found in Pirkei Avot, "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it"
a good quote, and a good time to remember and reflect on psalm 73: When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God..
Really enjoyed reading. "A Line Runs Through" definitely started playing in the back of my mind, I think that song really speaks to the dichotomy you were talking about here between Babel and Christ!
Thanks for sharing these thoughts, felt like a warm cup of tea for someone also on pilgrimage on a stretch of road that feels dreary at times, pushing onward to reach Eden...
hear hear! I just finished writing the introduction to the new collection of poetry and it mirrors some of your exact wording. thank you Isabel.