God is God over my time too.
--
Grace
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Why liberty is good for human functioning…
6 years ago
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Pain, pain, pain........
At this point in time, having been awake for about two hours in the wee hours in the morn, I think the logical question on everyone's mind is: "Why don't you just pop a few pills and go back to sleep, you idiot??!?"
[Yes, Grace is going back to the subject of PMS, hormones, and period cramps. She might regret her frankness tomorrow when she's had more sleep, but as for this moment here, there is no shame. So if you're a male, get over your squeamishness - this is a reality for more than half the world. And if you're getting really squeamish, hold on to your hat, I'm only going to touch on it briefly.]
So why not pop some pain-killers that'll help me ignore the period cramps, you ask? Well, this is going to sound a bit weird in a society that tries to avoid pain at all costs, but I actually enjoy being able to feel pain. Not in the SM (sado-masochistic) sense that I take pleasure in pain and seek it consciously (some who know my chilli-eating habits might want to differ on this point), but rather because I view pain as arrows pointing us to important things:
Pain is the body/mind's way of saying 'Hey, HOLD ON! Something's wrong!'.
Think of the way your toe throbs black and blue and you want to jump up and down and shout a little when you hit your foot against the door.
Physical pain is particularly helpful for someone like me who goes full steam ahead even when symptoms of illness hit. As long as the pain persists, I am reminded to take better care of myself. If I were to take something for my symptoms, I'd promptly ignore the issues and carry on full steam again. Take for example the issue of my foot. Four months ago, I went on a spontaneous but epic beach-hike of more than 24k, with the last hour and a half spent scrambling over rocks... all this done barefoot. Unbeknownst to me, I strained the arch muscles severely of my left foot during this time, but I carried on regardless for the next two months until the pain became too much and I could hardly walk. At this point I finally went to the foot doctor, and discovered that this was one injury that would not disappear without human intervention - I now have to wear special insoles for the next year and a half. At least.
What about mental pain? Think of the way your heart feels absolutely gutted at the loss of a friend. Sure it sucks, but it always comforts me to know that they meant something. I think here that God also uses pain to tell us that SOMETHING'S wrong with the state of a world where death and betrayal and painful experiences are a regular occurence.. C.S.Lewis offers the following two thoughts in his book on pain The Problem of Pain:
So is pain bad? Well, it definitely sucks and hurts a lot. But I think there's also a place for pain in a sinful world. Hmm. And, an added advantage for you guys today especially is that you get to hear some more of my rambling thoughts 'cause now I'm awake :)
[Yes, Grace is going back to the subject of PMS, hormones, and period cramps. She might regret her frankness tomorrow when she's had more sleep, but as for this moment here, there is no shame. So if you're a male, get over your squeamishness - this is a reality for more than half the world. And if you're getting really squeamish, hold on to your hat, I'm only going to touch on it briefly.]
So why not pop some pain-killers that'll help me ignore the period cramps, you ask? Well, this is going to sound a bit weird in a society that tries to avoid pain at all costs, but I actually enjoy being able to feel pain. Not in the SM (sado-masochistic) sense that I take pleasure in pain and seek it consciously (some who know my chilli-eating habits might want to differ on this point), but rather because I view pain as arrows pointing us to important things:
Pain is the body/mind's way of saying 'Hey, HOLD ON! Something's wrong!'.
Think of the way your toe throbs black and blue and you want to jump up and down and shout a little when you hit your foot against the door.
Physical pain is particularly helpful for someone like me who goes full steam ahead even when symptoms of illness hit. As long as the pain persists, I am reminded to take better care of myself. If I were to take something for my symptoms, I'd promptly ignore the issues and carry on full steam again. Take for example the issue of my foot. Four months ago, I went on a spontaneous but epic beach-hike of more than 24k, with the last hour and a half spent scrambling over rocks... all this done barefoot. Unbeknownst to me, I strained the arch muscles severely of my left foot during this time, but I carried on regardless for the next two months until the pain became too much and I could hardly walk. At this point I finally went to the foot doctor, and discovered that this was one injury that would not disappear without human intervention - I now have to wear special insoles for the next year and a half. At least.
What about mental pain? Think of the way your heart feels absolutely gutted at the loss of a friend. Sure it sucks, but it always comforts me to know that they meant something. I think here that God also uses pain to tell us that SOMETHING'S wrong with the state of a world where death and betrayal and painful experiences are a regular occurence.. C.S.Lewis offers the following two thoughts in his book on pain The Problem of Pain:
"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
"[Pain] removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul."
So is pain bad? Well, it definitely sucks and hurts a lot. But I think there's also a place for pain in a sinful world. Hmm. And, an added advantage for you guys today especially is that you get to hear some more of my rambling thoughts 'cause now I'm awake :)
I'm a brick, you're a brick, let's get together and be a wall!
[I found a draft I meant to post when I was still writing about our Bible studies in Ephesians. Click here http://whataboutgrace.blogspot.com/2009/03/excited-by-roadkill.html to see the last one I'd written]
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22).
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22).
We were going through Ephesians last night, and I was struck by how cool an analogy it is that we're all built together as a building. Used to visualizing things, I immediately pictured myself as a brick, which led to some interesting observations.
To point out the obvious: A brick by itself is just a brick. A brick needs other bricks to become a wall. And when one is a wall, one cannot escape other bricks, as bricks are laid next to and on top of other bricks to form that wall.
And, a wall is just a wall. It is not a building. To be called a building, it needs other walls, and a roof. etc.etc.
So do you see what a great reminder it is of how as Christians we work together, seperate units becoming one. It's also a reminder how necessary we all are - we aren't independent, but rather interdependent. This illustration also highlights the importance of keeping unity and peace, cause bricks are kinda close to each other.. Imagine if all your neighbouring bricks were fighting with each other! What an awful wall you'd all make together!
So let's get together, lalalala, and base our wall on Jesus :)To point out the obvious: A brick by itself is just a brick. A brick needs other bricks to become a wall. And when one is a wall, one cannot escape other bricks, as bricks are laid next to and on top of other bricks to form that wall.
And, a wall is just a wall. It is not a building. To be called a building, it needs other walls, and a roof. etc.etc.
So do you see what a great reminder it is of how as Christians we work together, seperate units becoming one. It's also a reminder how necessary we all are - we aren't independent, but rather interdependent. This illustration also highlights the importance of keeping unity and peace, cause bricks are kinda close to each other.. Imagine if all your neighbouring bricks were fighting with each other! What an awful wall you'd all make together!
Lalalalalalala, it's only one more hour before I have to be awake :(
On that note, I was quite amused when I walked past some Yoga society posters the other day, and realized that I'd be less sceptical of their promise to lead me to Enlightenment, if they hadn't spelt it 'Enligtenment'. I haven't heard of that place before, but I'm not quite sure if I want to go there!
I'm studying a BA... HELP!
I think more than other courses, BAs (Bachelor of Arts - with this, I mean Humanities and Social Sciences) are challenged with different ideas and theories and I've had quite a few existential crises (at least one a year) where I doubt God, the Bible, the world, myself, Christ. But each time I am reminded by empirical historical evidence and personal experience that Jesus is the only way to true life.
But why don't I just stop studying my BA, you might ask? For two reasons really:
1) We shouldn't be scared of confronting their believes with other ideas, afraid that Christianity might fall flat. If Christianity is true, it will be able to stand its ground.
2) We also need to remember God is a truth-loving God, and therefore it is right that we learn how to discern the truth and use our critical thinking faculties. Therefore I think it can be good practice for us come into contact with other theories.
If you're struggling, I hope this reminder helps.
--
Grace
But why don't I just stop studying my BA, you might ask? For two reasons really:
1) We shouldn't be scared of confronting their believes with other ideas, afraid that Christianity might fall flat. If Christianity is true, it will be able to stand its ground.
2) We also need to remember God is a truth-loving God, and therefore it is right that we learn how to discern the truth and use our critical thinking faculties. Therefore I think it can be good practice for us come into contact with other theories.
If you're struggling, I hope this reminder helps.
--
Grace
Facts versus feelings?
I think as a more rational person (as opposed to a more feeling-based person), I tend to ignore my feelings sometimes as they seem irrational. That's why the following two sentences were of such interest to me, as they place feelings as not-separate from facts:
"Faith follows facts. Feelings follow faith."
"Faith follows facts. Feelings follow faith."
Politics, or rather: The Church and injustice
The previous musings about politics reminded me of a talk a friend recently did on the Church and injustices. Now for those of you unfamiliar with world history, one thing often held against the Church as an institution is the way that it is associated with many injustices in the world. Just think of the Crusades, the Inquisition, the use of biblical backing for apartheid (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, then Wikipedia is YOUR friend).
But as my friend pointed out, there're two extremely valid reasons why the Church messes up time and time again.
1) The Church is made up of immature Christians.
As Christians, we recognise that we are not perfect, and that we are sinful. Sometimes we get it wrong - extremely horribly badly wrong with dire consequences. This is because although we are constantly growing to be more and more Christlike, we aren't always quite there yet. But sometimes we get it right - where we realize our errors and try correct them. Think about the fact that many charity organizations have been started by Christians. A friend of mine recently told me that in Ancient Rome, during times of plague, Christians would be the only ones caring for plague victims, to the point where Nero got so irritated by this that he started his own charity that would do the same. Only thing is, cause the members of his charity didn't really have the same motivation as the Christians, they kinda didn't compare.
2) The Church is made up of non-Christians
Funny point, you might say. But true. There are many people who claim to be Christians, but this doesn't show in their way of thinking or the way of acting. So it's quite easy to just point out the Church as the baddy here, but think about the people that make up the Church.
--
Grace
But as my friend pointed out, there're two extremely valid reasons why the Church messes up time and time again.
1) The Church is made up of immature Christians.
As Christians, we recognise that we are not perfect, and that we are sinful. Sometimes we get it wrong - extremely horribly badly wrong with dire consequences. This is because although we are constantly growing to be more and more Christlike, we aren't always quite there yet. But sometimes we get it right - where we realize our errors and try correct them. Think about the fact that many charity organizations have been started by Christians. A friend of mine recently told me that in Ancient Rome, during times of plague, Christians would be the only ones caring for plague victims, to the point where Nero got so irritated by this that he started his own charity that would do the same. Only thing is, cause the members of his charity didn't really have the same motivation as the Christians, they kinda didn't compare.
2) The Church is made up of non-Christians
Funny point, you might say. But true. There are many people who claim to be Christians, but this doesn't show in their way of thinking or the way of acting. So it's quite easy to just point out the Church as the baddy here, but think about the people that make up the Church.
--
Grace
Confessions of a midnight blogger Part II... aka politics?
On the other hand, being awake this early/ late/ which-ever-way-you-want-to-see-it means that now all of a sudden, I have time to blog, which I evidently haven't done in a while.
'What amazing thoughts has Grace had recently', might be the thought going through the eager reader's mind... Hmmm.. now I'm going to have to think up something profound.
Okay, here goes:
It was Voting Day yesterday in South Africa (YAYAYAYAYAY). Very exciting, especially 'cause this is the first elections in yeeeeeaaaaaaarrrrrrssssss where there's been some interesting opposition parties. I would've loved to vote, but I don't have voting rights, so I did the next best thing: stayed at home and slept. And after a nice long nap, I went for a drive and checked out all the action at the local polling stations - just to see South Africans line up to use their democratic right to make a difference :) Terribly geeky, but it made my heart happy :)
But then it got me thinking about Christians and politics, and whether I would vote for a Christian party to be in charge of a state. And I came to the conclusion, that I might NOT, actually.
This is not to say that Christianity and politics shouldn't mix. I very much think that as Christians it is our duty to act responsibly, be concerned about and actively involved in the society we have been placed in. However, I'm not quite sure if I would want a Christian party to be numero uno, top dog, big cheese, honcho poncho (I have no idea where that last phrase came from). This is my train of thought:
1) As a Christian ruling party, they would have to place legislation that would meet up with God's Word, which would be awesome in a perfect world, but in a fallen world, I'm not quite sure if it is fair to call non-Christians to a standard they do not uphold to - even if we know that God's Word isn't about petty rules, but ways of living that are actually best for us. I came to this conclusion, as I was again thinking through the fact that God doesn't give us random rules just to be a killjoy - He acts in a way that befits His character, and thus we are given guidelines on how to act in a manner that is reflective of that character. Therefore, if God has given us the freedom to make a choice in the way we live, are we not to give others the option to be free to choose their own lifestyle?
2) As a Christian ruling party, it wouldn't be possible to make sure that everyone is a genuine Christian (as opposed to a nominal one), and because we leave in a fallen world, we'd probably mess up time and time again.................. But wait a second, Grace's other voice pipes up, this is pretty much true for any Christian organization, and discounts for God's power and grace in our lives. Good point. So it appears I actually only have that first point.
So who would've I voted for? Probably one of the three major opposition parties. The Christian parties here are too small to make a difference, I reckon, even if I do vote for them, so I'd rather use my vote to sway one of the big guns. But, on the other hand, my other voice says that if that were the way all Christians thought, no wonder the Christian parties are too small to make a difference!
Aaah. The voices in my head are enough to drive me mad. So let me know what your thoughts are: it's 4 in the morning now, I've got hormonal issues, and my foot is sore, so it's quite possible my thinking capabilities might be severely impaired...
Hmm.. I think I might blog a bit more about point 2... See next post.
'What amazing thoughts has Grace had recently', might be the thought going through the eager reader's mind... Hmmm.. now I'm going to have to think up something profound.
Okay, here goes:
It was Voting Day yesterday in South Africa (YAYAYAYAYAY). Very exciting, especially 'cause this is the first elections in yeeeeeaaaaaaarrrrrrssssss where there's been some interesting opposition parties. I would've loved to vote, but I don't have voting rights, so I did the next best thing: stayed at home and slept. And after a nice long nap, I went for a drive and checked out all the action at the local polling stations - just to see South Africans line up to use their democratic right to make a difference :) Terribly geeky, but it made my heart happy :)
But then it got me thinking about Christians and politics, and whether I would vote for a Christian party to be in charge of a state. And I came to the conclusion, that I might NOT, actually.
This is not to say that Christianity and politics shouldn't mix. I very much think that as Christians it is our duty to act responsibly, be concerned about and actively involved in the society we have been placed in. However, I'm not quite sure if I would want a Christian party to be numero uno, top dog, big cheese, honcho poncho (I have no idea where that last phrase came from). This is my train of thought:
1) As a Christian ruling party, they would have to place legislation that would meet up with God's Word, which would be awesome in a perfect world, but in a fallen world, I'm not quite sure if it is fair to call non-Christians to a standard they do not uphold to - even if we know that God's Word isn't about petty rules, but ways of living that are actually best for us. I came to this conclusion, as I was again thinking through the fact that God doesn't give us random rules just to be a killjoy - He acts in a way that befits His character, and thus we are given guidelines on how to act in a manner that is reflective of that character. Therefore, if God has given us the freedom to make a choice in the way we live, are we not to give others the option to be free to choose their own lifestyle?
2) As a Christian ruling party, it wouldn't be possible to make sure that everyone is a genuine Christian (as opposed to a nominal one), and because we leave in a fallen world, we'd probably mess up time and time again.................. But wait a second, Grace's other voice pipes up, this is pretty much true for any Christian organization, and discounts for God's power and grace in our lives. Good point. So it appears I actually only have that first point.
So who would've I voted for? Probably one of the three major opposition parties. The Christian parties here are too small to make a difference, I reckon, even if I do vote for them, so I'd rather use my vote to sway one of the big guns. But, on the other hand, my other voice says that if that were the way all Christians thought, no wonder the Christian parties are too small to make a difference!
Aaah. The voices in my head are enough to drive me mad. So let me know what your thoughts are: it's 4 in the morning now, I've got hormonal issues, and my foot is sore, so it's quite possible my thinking capabilities might be severely impaired...
Hmm.. I think I might blog a bit more about point 2... See next post.
Confessions of a midnight blogger
PMS sucks.
Not that you needed to know that.
Not that it's midnight either.
Blergh
Not that you needed to know that.
Not that it's midnight either.
Blergh
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