Don't Turn Your Back on the Manger
SAD AND USELESS, a "humor in the news" blog site, reports:
Photographer Oliver Curtis has spent several years going to famous tourism objects and landmarks and pointing his camera in the opposite direction, therefore purposefully capturing the famous landmarks without the actual landmark.
*The above pic is The Wailing Wall, looking the other way. Follow the "Link to Source" above for reverse pics of The Great Wall of Chin, The Mona Lisa, Stonehenge, and many more.
The locations of the world’s most famous landmarks are pretty mundane without the presence of the landmark itself. So why would anyone want to turn their back on a landmark? Who is interested in a world of the mundane, the ordinary, absent of any obvious object of import or significance?
That same question could be asked of those who live their lives without God. To turn your back on God is to reject the One who adds true meaning and significance to an otherwise meaningless life.
But when we allow God His proper place in our lives, spectacular things happen, even in the midst of the ordinary.
In fact, it is the ordinary that provides the backdrop for the truly important landmarks of life—things like the New Birth, a rededication, a moment of grace, or an act of forgiveness.
The spectacular can and does happen anywhere—even among the ordinary—even in a stable—even in a feeding trough. Turn your back on the "babe" and the manger scene is just another barn.
"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12).
Intrinsically Good
Is a gun good or evil? Isn't it true that it's just a molded piece of steel that in and of itself is neither good or evil? But it does have the potential to be used for either good or evil. The same gun can be used to take a life or to save a life. It can be used to commit a crime or to stop a crime. It can be used to harm or to protect. In either case, it's the same gun, but what makes the difference is the hand in which the gun is held.
In Romans 12:9 we are told to, "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." The word "good" is a translation of the Greek word "agothos." According to Strong's it means, "intrinsically good, good in nature, good whether it be seen to be so or not" (see also BAG p. 3). Here, this word is used of the Christian virtues. Things like the fruits of the Spirit are good because they are intrinsically good, not because of the person who holds them. They are good because God is good and they come to us from His hand.
Donning True Beauty
Despite being mistakenly declared the winner of the 2015 Miss Universe contest, having the crown placed on her head, and accepting the adulation of the crowd for almost four minutes, Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, had to give it all back. In arguably the most awkward moment in beauty contest history, the host, Steve Harvey, came on stage as Miss Colombia was about to begin her victory walk, to apologize to the audience for mistakenly announcing the wrong winner.
In a brief interview as she exited the stage, Miss Gutierrez thanked her supporters and said, "Everything happens for a reason. So I'm happy. I'm happy for all of what I did for becoming this … I'm so happy. Thank you for all. Thank you for voting for me."
If you tuned in to see a beauty contest you weren't disappointed. That's because more than seeing the 80 most beautiful women in the world, you witnessed the inner beauty of one very disappointed contestant by the gracious way she responded to being de-crowned. It just goes to show that no matter what has just happened, real beauty dons the crown of a grateful attitude!
Additional Application:
Few things in life are as disappointing as falling just short of a lifetime goal. But something far worse happened to Miss Colombia. She actually seemed to achieve her dream, only to have it snatched away moments later. But rather than respond as one might expect, in anger or in bitterness, she expressed nothing but gratitude for the opportunity and the support, winning an outpouring of love and respect from around the world. Miss Ariadna Gutierrez showed the world that it isn't what happens to us, but how we respond that really matters.
"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT).