Thinking of Things I am Thankful for

Have you ever had a time where suddenly you are amazed by the Lord? You feel like you knew the answer all along, deep down inside somewhere, but finally it has surfaced, and it all makes sense. An epitome moment, some would call it. Suddenly your questions have been answered. Or maybe you are simply reminded of something you needed to recall. In class tuesday I had one of those moments.

Many times I question the way God set up the order for His creation. In grammar school kids wonder why there are so many rules. Even in our daily young adult lives we may question, in time of temptation, why we have to hold to standards and ethics. Why? Can’t we just, (fill in the blank). It’s easier to be selfish. Truly, it’s much easier to follow our momentary feelings, when we make daily decisions. However these feelings often lead us on a destructive path. My group discussed book 22, we talked about Hector’s death, Andromache, and Fate. But the role of emotion, the lack of standards, and self-control, in The Iliad as a whole, repeatedly popped up in our conversation. It led us to the question, “What would happen in our world if we had no basic ethics?" Things like “Do not kill,” and “Do not steal,” and, “Do not commit adultery.” Do these sound familiar to you? They’re from the Ten Commandments. There is also, sharing, being kind, and forgiving. Surprisingly, a lot of different cultures around the world have similar laws and ethics, even if they’re not Christian. Why is this? Think about it. When these ethics are broken they always inflict pain on either the victims or the one who committed the crime. These mess-ups, most of the time, hurt both parties. Then why? Why should you interrupt peace to replace it with mayhem? This is what I kept on asking myself as I read the Iliad. All the pain and suffering was caused by one single sin. Caused by an act of one person, who acted only upon what her feelings told her to do. A whole war stared from there. Pride and selfishness were the motives of a few people. War and suffering hit two whole nations because of it.

I can’t help but compare God and the life he has made for believers, to the mortals and the immortals in The Iliad, and their disorder. I am so thankful, that my God has set up standards for me, so that I don’t suffer pain, and so that I don’t cause pain. Now, just because there are standards, does that mean Christians always follow them? NO. We are humans too. Do I always follow them? NO. I am a human and a sinner. I have no intention to preach in this blog, or to make myself seem holier. But I do mean to praise God for setting a system of choices to make my life more stable and peaceful, and happier. The Iliad is a good example of what can happen when a powerful being has no justice, and when mortals have no rules. It proves to me, that our Lord has the best in mind for those He created. And for that I am so thankful. I can think of this fact, as I try to make the best choices, based upon the standards He made for me.

"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:5-8

P.S. I commented on Sarah Dye's post.