What is the price of a quiet moment at work? For me, it is to bear the cold morning chill by sitting out on the patio with a hot cup of coffee. I have to sit in the shade so I can see the computer screen. Brr.
Reading more about Solomon. I love this line from 1 Kings: "The people of Israel and Judah were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, drank, and were happy." Yeah, except those that are under Adoniram's watch. He's the dude that Solomon put in charge of "forced labor" (1 Kings 4:6). Slavery is in full swing, prostitution is in full swing, and soon Solomon will get himself a ton of women to sleep with. Life is wonderful. Sigh.
Sometimes I hate being an idealist, because all my heroes always turn out to be duds. Any time I find someone that I want to believe in and follow after, I find that there's a horrifying flaw or characteristic that leaves me feeling disappointed. Take Martin Luther King, Jr., for instance. Great guy, right? Fought for equality and freedom, right? Did you also know that he was an adulterer, who confessed his years of unfaithfulness to his wife WHILE SHE WAS ON HER OWN DEATHBED? Rest in peace, Mrs. King.
So, I've given up on heroes. In fact, in my eyes, heroes are just average people that have been put up on pedestals because other people don't want to know the whole truth about them. Call me a cynic.
But on a lighter note. I'm excited about this weekend. Julie and I are going to take a short roadtrip somewhere. I love it when she surprises me with stuff like this!
Tim
You know, it's interesting that you have these thoughts. I find myself considering these same things, but I usually have the very opposite reaction. Finding out about people's flaws makes them more real to me. Like King David. Effed. Up. Man. Yet, a man after God's own heart. He was human, just like me. Innumerable mistakes, maybe more and bigger than I've ever made. And yet he is a man after God's own heart. That makes me feel better about the mistakes I make.
ReplyDeleteYour own beautiful wife is a hero of mine. When I was in high school she gave a talk in church outlining some flaws of her own, and with each word she spoke I breathed a sigh of relief. Her perfection was one I couldn't aspire to until I realized that she wasn't perfection. Still a stunning, amazing person worth admiring, but something real.
My two cents. :) I love you guys.
I think I agree with you, Lilli (especially about Julie being my hero), but I would use different terminology. I like that the Bible records men and women making huge mistakes along with their successes- it makes them seem more real. My point is that when we over "hero-ize" people we ignore the life lessons that their flaws taught them and live in a dream world. Americans love to have a "hero" but maybe if we learned how to just admire certain qualities in people instead of put them up on pedestals we wouldn't keep making the same mistakes.
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