The Last Glass

Here is a story to illustrate a point to you:

In a third-world country, there had been a severe drought going on for five years. All the crops in the land had withered, all the animals had run off in hopes of food. All that remained of life was a little oasis with a few suffering vegetables and fruit-bearing shrubs.

A small village of about fifty people cautiously lived off the pond, knowing that their end was just around the corner. One morning, their chief looked at the pond, a puddle really, afraid of what he knew was true. Every villager had a simple glass; blown in times of prosperity. It had been months since any had drank a full glass, but today that would change.

Before anyone could take a sip from the water, the chief gathered his people and spoke to them, "Brothers and sisters, family and friends, we have been through much together. Times of joy and laughter. Times of danger and sorrow. We had all hoped that this too, would simply be a time, but there is no more denying that this is the end. We have done all that was possible, so we now know that this is God's will.

"Look friends, there is but a puddle remaining. We could all have a sip, and die in a few days. Or we could give the children one final bliss, and a small hope for a new future." The chief paused, dwelling in the bitter sweet moment. "Children, you may fill your glass one last time."

All the children ran to the pool, shrieking with delight, not quite understanding. All except for one boy who looked at his momma teary eyed. "Son, why do you cry?" she asked, "Enjoy that which has been given to you." So he filled up his glass. He was last, and his glass was really half mud.

Many children shared a little with an older sibling, some even half of their drink. All except the little boy. He couldn't stop watching this one old man die. One drink wouldn't save him, but it would ease his suffering. Filled with compassion, he filled the old man's glass full when he wasn't looking.

The little boy sat underneath a palm, trying to fall asleep for the last time. He took a final look at his glass, hopeful for a drop. What he saw almost made him shatter it. The glass was filled to the brim with crystal clear, cool water.

Why Do We Exist?

Why do we exist? Though I wasn't entirely aware of it, I have asked this question my whole life. And quite closely related is the question what is our purpose?

The answer I have always received is that God created us to worship Him. On the surface that seems accurate, however, that logic has some flaws: If God already had angels to worship Him, then why bother to create humans? God was already worshiped. Another thing, if that was our only purpose, God would be quite similar to Muslim Allah. Demanding obedience and severely punishing those who rebel. And finally, it seems quite the selfish act, following the reason the pagan gods created humans.

So why did God create us? The answer is simple. Why do people buy pets? Because they want something to love and (if applicable) cuddle with, in addition to being loved in return. Why do people get married? Because they are in love and they want their love to love them back.

Now, here is the key: we are created in God's image. So if we want to love and get love, it stands to reason that God loves and wants love.

Did and does God want love? Absolutely. But he also wanted to love. So he created innocent creatures in His image to love him and for Him to love.

Digging for Wisdom in Soils of Sin

What is this blog about? Well in essence my spiritual life. But why the title? Well the soils of sin is life. I don't care who you are, where you live, what you do, Christian, or not our world-wide culture is saturated in sin. It's not necessarily despicable evils (to us) but "little" things like lying without shame, gossip with thought, hatred as a reaction.

Digging? Yes. You may think reading the Bible is easy enough, and it is, but you have to go out of your way in order to read it. Christianity takes effort. You reap what you sow. You don't put any effort into your relationship with God? Much like a failing marriage you will slowly drift away. You can always go back, but don't set it aside till your deathbed because your life on this earth can vanish in a flash.

And finally, wisdom. It does not come easily as intelligence does; you don't take wisdom class in school. It comes with time. There are two ways to receive wisdom. The first way is the traditional way, digging. Digging involves success and failure. Learning what works and what doesn't. It comes as you pay attention to the roller coaster of life. The second way is a gift and a blessing. Free to you, but at great cost to another. It is receiving wise advice. Be it the book of Proverbs or advice from a mentor it is a gift. Easy, right? Easier, but it involves a great amount of trust and humility. Which is why so many people ignore it and re-learn what they have already been taught.

So this blog is about my search for wisdom in life. It is separate from my other blog, Book Reviews (http://gavinreviews.blogspot.com) because I don't want them to pollute each other. There you go, I hope this blog will inspire you.