Saved from the Monsters We Have Made

   

 

  Last week, I read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. To say the least, it was fascinating. All Victorian Gothic thrills aside, Shelley presents some interesting philosophical points in her famed novel.

  Victor Frankenstein, the story's protagonist, is a young scientist. In his studies, he becomes obsessed with the idea of creating life. So much so, that he devotes two years to the work of creating a being that becomes his ruin. At the end of his labors, Frankenstein is horrified by his work and abandons the creature he strived so long to make. Being a finite creation himself, Frankenstein is unable to govern his creation, first as it seeks his help and then again as it exacts vengeance upon him for refusing to assist it.

  When Frankenstein made his monster, he was appalled by it. In the end, he worked to destroy it as it wrought havoc and horror on his life and loved ones. Victor Frankenstein tried to play God, and in doing so, discovered his own limitations. He could not control the work of his own hands.  The physical strength and ugliness of his monster terrified Frankenstein. As an imperfect creator, the being he made in his own image was gruesome.

  God who made all life is a perfect Creator:  Holy, righteous, loving and benevolent. Mankind, the creatures He made in His image, are free-willed and are consequentially broken by their own doing, not by any miss-step of their Creator. Because of His holiness, God has every right and all the ability to destroy the broken and rebellious work of His hands. Yet He chooses not to. He chooses instead to save man.

  Man is far more evil than Frankenstein’s monster. Humanity does not seek the help of their Creator as Frankenstein’s monster sought his. Man rejects the benevolent Creator by who they exist and pursue their own lusts. They disobey the commands of God who made them. Still, God calls mankind to come to Him. He went so far as to give up the life of His Son to pay the due punishment for the sin man has committed.

  The monsters in men’s lives are the ones we have made. And unlike Frankenstein’s monster, we the created have a Maker who desires to lift us out of our wretchedness and destroy the monster’s we have made for ourselves.

What I did this Week: a graduation, promotion, and a reunion.

  This past week my the first week of summer vacation for my younger brothers. And it was a busy week.

  Monday I finished my cousin's graduation dress; which I would dare say is the greatest thing I have ever sewn.

 

  Wednesday, I decided to try this concoction after working out, and it was not bad.

 

  Thursday, most of my family and I drove up to Denton for my cousin's graduation. Her and one of my brothers recreated an old photo in the front yard. Sadly, I do not have the original, but the recreation is still funny.

 

  Then, in the evening, we went to her graduation.

 

  A body has to admit, we are a pretty super looking bunch. ;)

 

  On Friday, we drove to ALERT to my brother's promotion from Basic Training. After nine weeks of him being gone, it was great to see him again.

And so went my week!

 





What I did this Week: bookish

  This year my New Year's resolution is to read a book a week, as I believe I have stated before. In the past few weeks I have gotten behind, so this week I made a courageous effort to try and catch up. Maybe I should read some shorter book later so I can get ahead.

  Anyways, on Monday I made quite a bit of progress on my cousin's graduation dress.

 

 Tuesday, I finished Hamlet.

 

  Wednesday, I finished Riders of the Purple Sage.

 

  And Friday I started Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxas.

 
  Today I woke up early (for a Saturday) and made hash for breakfast, and it was good.

 

  This afternoon brought a lot more progress on my cousin's dress. Here is the inside of it. All that is left is for my to hem it and sew in a hook and eye.

 

And so went my week!

 

   Oh, and my favorite band just happened to announce the title of their upcoming album and release two new tracks. So I will leave you with 'Float' by Switchfoot.



Talking to a Donkey

  A few weeks ago, I read through Leviticus and Numbers. In between the chapters about regulations regarding sacrifices and laws the children of Israel were to follow, there is the story of Balaam and his donkey.
  Balaam is an interesting character, only appearing in the Bible for these few chapters in Numbers. Other mentions of him in the Bible denote him as an enemy of God and of the people of Israel. Balaam was not a good person. He was not a hero, he was not a saint. Balaam was a gentile and a sorcerer. He knew of God, he even spoke to God, but he did not respect God enough to live his life in honor of his Creator. He was too busy pursuing his own selfish ends to be bothered with obeying God's law. In his career as a sorcerer, God apparently blessed Balaam. Those on whom Balaam pronounced curses were cursed, and those whom Balaam blessed were blessed.
  Because of this power Balaam apparently possessed, the king of Moab called upon Balaam for help. In their journey to the promised land, the people of Israel passed near Moab. Tales of the havoc God had wrought on the Egyptians while Israel was there spread all over the land. Balak feared what might happen to his nation, so he called on Balaam to pronounce curses on the people of Israel so they would be driven from his land. Here is where the story gets interesting. When Balak's men first came to retrieve Balaam, the Lord told Balaam not to go, and Balaam obeyed the Lord. When the first set of Balak's men went back to him, he sent more men to Balaam. And this time he offered Balaam a handsome reward to come and curse Israel. At first Balaam refused Balak's offer, but the moment the Lord told Balaam he could go, he hit the road.
  The Lord put a condition on Balaam before he left: he could only do as the Lord told him. It would seem that Balaam did not set off with the best of intentions, because an angel of the Lord came to speak to Balaam on his journey to the king of the Moabites. Balaam did not see the angel of the Lord. Three times. His donkey did though, and every time the dumb animal saw the angel, it fled. Balaam did not understand the donkey's action and so when his donkey would flee he would beat it. After the third beating, the Lord took pity on Balaam's donkey and let it speak its mind. So Balaam's donkey asked him why he had beaten him three times.
  Here the story becomes funny. Balaam was so intent on pursuing his own selfish ends, and so frustrated with his donkey, he did not stop to think about the fact his animal was talking to him, or that he was talking to an animal. He told his donkey how frustrated he was, saying, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand I would kill you now."
  His donkey replied, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"
  Balaam told his donkey, "No." And then it clicked: he was talking to a donkey. Then he saw the angel of the Lord. The angel confronted him about his actions towards his donkey and warned him against the reckless path he was pursuing. Balaam offered to go back the way he came, but the angel told him he could continue on his way to the king of the Moabites, only he must do as the Lord told him.
  The story goes on, and Balaam is commanded by the Lord to bless the nation of Israel, which he does. As I read the story though, the thought struck me, Balaam was so busy pursing his own selfish ambition, he failed to see the incredible things the Lord was doing around him. First an angel of the Lord appeared to him and he was blind to it. Then an animal spoke to him, and he was so angry he did not see the wonder of a talking animal. He just started arguing with a donkey. I can be like that too though. I get so busy pursuing my own self ends and disobeying that I fail to see just how incredible the works of the Lord are. It is important to obey God, not only because it honors and glorifies Him, but because I get to see His wonders when I do so.

What I did this Week: geek week

  Okay, maybe my week was not geeky so much as it was nerdy. Nerd does not rhyme with week though, and geek does.

 This Wednesday was Star Wars day, so I had a lot of fun telling people, "May the 4th be with you."

 

  Thursday, my Dad and I fixed the display on my laptop because it went out. That was geeky I guess.

 

  Friday, my brother Daniel and I went to see Captain America: Civil War. It was good, and it was intense.

 

   I also started working on my cousin's graduation dress. My cousins are nerds too.

 



  Finally, I made cinnamon rolls today because Mother's day is tomorrow. I will cook them in the morning.

 

And so went my week!

One of the Things I Never Planned to Write

  There are very few things I have planned to never write about. Politics have always held a prominent place on that short list. When I was younger, I found them interesting, but as I grew older they lost their appeal. They are ugly and disgusting and personal. More often than not, I view them as a joke. This current election cycle, more so than others. It is hard to see Donald Trump running for president as anything but funny, that is until people who will actually vote for him make their presences in the United States known.
  It seems now, that I learned long ago not to put my faith in men. All the same, there are certainly times I hope that people will make the world a little less miserable. I did not think Ted Cruz would in anyway lead the country to greatness, I just wanted him to help it maintain the comfortable mediocrity it holds. When he dropped out of the election on Tuesday, I was surprised at how disappointed I was. That is probably because the thought that a human being as animal-like as Donald Trump exists make me want to throw-up. There is not a good word that deserves to be sullied by being attached to his name. In the face of his seemingly unavoidable presidency, I adopted the cynicism I so often hold when contemplating my country's fate. When you live on planet earth it is easy to just see life here.
  Then I listened to "After the Last Tear Falls" by Andrew Peterson that evening, and as so many of his songs do, it reminded me that there is more to life than politics, and that life is temporary. My hope is not here on earth in my country or government, or even in my family and friends. It is in the fact that God holds this broken, messy world in the palm of His hand. I cannot see what He is doing, but no matter how bad it may look to me, I know He is doing it for a reason. I can always trust that His reason is good. And one day, the brokenness will be mended, and God in all his goodness will reign supreme.