The Blue Church

From the living room window I can see a neighbor’s deck. Twenty years ago it looked great, but over the years it began to sag. The house has had three or four owners, but the sagging never stopped.

In a midwestern factory town, a man paused every morning in front of a corner jewelry store. He took note of the oversize clock in the window, set his watch, and went on his way. The jeweler noticed the man’s behavior, and when he no longer appeared, he wondered why.

The quote is attributed to Teddy Roosevelt: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” When I heard it the first time, it made me think, and the more I consider it, the clearer it is as to why and how it works.

We’ve often been encouraged to do right and persevere in our faith because “someone is watching.” We think of all of the people in Heaven looking down on us to approve or disapprove of our actions. But is that a biblical idea?

The injustices in the world are overwhelming, not just in number but in what they do to us. When the bad guys are winning, we become angry, perhaps depressed, and even cynical. Worst of all, seeing evil go unpunished, and liars getting away with their deception can even bring about a crisis of faith.

We would search the Scriptures in vain to discover whether Jesus was a dog or cat person, morning or night person, or even introvert or extrovert. We can guess, of course, and many will do so, but we don’t know what his favorite color was. Nor does it matter in the least.

One of the more difficult tasks in life is to find balance. We are such creatures of extremes, it’s easy to binge on what we like, spend time with only certain people, and justify our many excesses.

One of the advantages consumers have these days is the availability of online reviews. Whether you are choosing a computer, car, or caterer, usually you find ready assistance from those who own the object or have tried the service.

I’ve always enjoyed spending time in Philadelphia, and one of the highlights was a trip to the Rodin Museum. On display there is the bronze statue, “The Thinker,” by Sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). (For now, the museum is closed, but you can see and read about the statue here: https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Thinker-sculpture-by-Rodin.)

We’ve talked about aging well and some of the things we learn (if we’re wise) just by being alive so long. But there is another dimension to all of this, and that is the life of faith.