Wednesday, August 30, 2006

now as then in Galilee...

“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.”
-psychologist William Stekel, quoted in The Catcher in the Rye


"Are ye able," said the Master,
"to be crucified with me?"
"Yea," the sturdy dreamers answered,
"to the death we follow thee."

2 Comments:

Blogger Motokeb said...

The disciples all swore they would stand by Jesus even to the death, yet they all fled. I do not believe, as some do, that they were utterly prideful and foolish to make such boasts. Their faith and love for Jesus was sincere, but in the moment of trial, they were too weak to do what they'd promised.

I am often frustrated at my lack of success at being a Christian. I am filled with high ideals of service to God and good conduct (and these are not all insincere) but I find that I am too weak and immature to live as I ought in even the most basic ways. I wish I could just go out with a bang, and make that one noble choice that would attone for all of my bad choices, and show God that I'm not a failure of a Christian and that I do love Him. It's a foolish, immature thought, but there is some sincerity an faith in it.

When James and John asked Jesus (though their mother) to sit at His right and left in the kingdom, He questioned them, "Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They assured Him they were and Jesus responded, "You will indeed drink My cup..." and they did. All of the disciples did. They all gave their lives, some after years of humble service.

Though the song calls the disciples sturdy dreamers, it identifies us with them, singing in the chorus, "Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine. Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine." It is by God's spirit that we grow from immature dreamers to wise, mature Christians. I am relieved to know that God has had His sturdy dreamers in the past and is not angry with them, but knows exactly what to do with them and in them so that they, too, may drink the same cup and be baptised with the same baptism.

8:09 PM  
Blogger Motokeb said...

Oops, sorry Brianna, I totally ignored your comment. I was in a pretty bad mood when I wrote the original post, and to avoid blatting emotion all over the page I was intentially vague.

8:23 PM  

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