Sky!

God spoke:

Sky!

"In the middle of the waters; separate water from water!" 

He separated the water under the sky from the water

above the sky.  And there it was;

He named sky the Heavens;

It was evening - it was morning - 

Day Two.

Genesis 1:6-8

If I were to name my favorite part of this world in which I live, it would have to be the sky.  First of all, it is blue - most of the time!!  Some people believe that green is the most prominent color on earth.  I disagree.  Adding all the waters to the great expanse of the sky - I believe that blue is the predominant color!  The sky holds the clouds, the sun, the moon, the stars.  The sky is the aerodrome for the birds.  It is beautiful on a sunny day and can be terrifying during a storm.  I do not like to fly in the sky, but I do love to look at it.

On the second day of creation, God parted the waters from the sky, creating two landscapes on which to paint with His creative brush.  From the sky would emerge the suns, moons, planets and stars - the vast expanse of galaxies near and far.  From the water would emerge the land that would house the plants and animals to come.

God has to have something of the dramatic in Him, because He certainly did not tire from saying the word, "Sky!,"  just as He did not tire from saying the word "Light" the day before [He did, you know, speak everything into being (Psalm 33:9)].  No - being somewhat dramatic myself, I appreciate God taking His time - calling out one basic element, then standing back to admire His work and plan His next step. After all, when Day Three arrived, the pace would be duly accelerated.     

Light!

National Botanical Gardens, Washington, DC  Copyright 2012:  singeronthesand

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth - 

all you see, all you don't see.  Earth was a soup of nothingness,.

a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness.  God spoke:

Light!

and light appeared!  God saw that the light was good

and separated light from darkness.

God named the light Day, He named the darkness Night.

It was evening, it was morning--

Day One.

Genesis 1:1-5

I have a dear friend who becomes very depressed, starting in the late autumn and carrying into the winter.  Why?  Her distress is brought on by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - a form of depression that strikes during the winter months.  At least a portion of the blame for this condition rests with her inability to get enough light - or enough of the right kind of light.  Part of her therapy is a daily light treatment utilizing a special lamp with a very bright light (10,000 lux) that mimics light from the sun.  During the grey, cold months, she sits with her lamp for 30 minutes or so a day, and it makes a tremendous difference in her well-being.

When God faced the shapeless darkness that was the area of earth, He knew that the first thing needed was light - piercing, bright - able to cut through the darkness and illuminate our world.  So He said it, and it was so.  The light was everywhere!  Where did it come from?  Certainly not the sun, moon or stars!  Those were not created until the fourth day.  No, that all-encompassing light must have had its source in God Himself.  

When Jesus came to this earth, He called himself the Light of the World, intent on breaking up the darkness of sin and death, revealing beams of grace, beauty and truth.  Jesus came to shine the light of His truth into the deep shadows of our world - confronting evil head on and, eventually, giving His life in order to banish all darkness forever.  

In the beginning was the Word; 

the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  

In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 1:1,4, 

Zero Tolerance

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 12:31

Florida A & M University has finally adopted a zero-tolerance policy for hazing by any group on campus.  The latest group to try a hazing - an all-female Torque Dance Team, has been booted from campus amidst allegations of hazing involving alcohol.  This is the school that is still dealing with the aftermath of the death of a member of the school's famed marching band in November of 2011.  The young man felt that he had to subject himself to the hazing in order to keep the respect of the other band members.  After surviving one round of beatings, he was dragged back into the fray by force.  His death led to the arrest of 14 students - most of them facing felony hazing charges.

I have never understood the concept of hurting another human being in the name of "fun."  What is there in watching another person suffer that gives some people a rush?  What kind of person would get a kick out of beating a young man to death as he tries to walk down the aisle of a tour bus?  Where does such savagery come from?  What is its source in the human psyche? 

There are people on this earth that I do not like.  For whatever reason, they rub me the wrong way and I avoid them at all cost.  God does not require me to like them, but He does ask me to love them - and there is a big difference between the two.  Liking or not liking an individual is based on many different factors: their personality, actions, background and tastes, as well as my personality, actions, background and tastes. Loving an individual is based on one thing and one thing only: every person is a child of God and deserves my regard and respect on that basis alone.  Although I may not like you, I would not dream of raising a hand to harm you.  And certainly, I would never inflict pain on anyone for the sake of entertainment.