They're wrong, of course.
The oldest profession is story telling. From the beginnings of time, folks have told stories. Shared stories. Imagined stories.
Villages, tribes and communities assigned a listener, or a story keeper, or a "teller". And so it began, a time when stories, both fact and fiction, began their patterns long before cotton or linen or flax weaving existed. When early man-- and woman-- drew charcoal patterns within caves. When rudimentary counting by slashes of burned stick... or four-legged figures depicted fierce predators. A time of few words, but still stories.
I love being a teller of stories. I love taking Biblical precepts and bringing them to life in contemporary works. I love seeing that while time marches on, people are still people. They're good, they're bad, they're strong and weak, they're tempted... oh, so tempted!
"Yet man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward." Job 5:7, KJV
Modern times swim with temptation. It surrounds us. It's there on the street, in the subways, in the signage, in the music, on the television, in the arts, and in our homes. We are like those of old, picking our way through the difficulties, except we're so much better off than our forebears.
We have medical help, schooling, clothing, food, and shelter. We have programs that help so many... so very many.
But with all of this, all the good fortune or plain and simple fortune, or even simply getting by, we give in to temptations all the time. Because without God... without faith... without that light of Jesus guiding our hearts and lighting up our souls... nothing is enough.
In the 17th century, Blase Pascal described a phenomena we still hear today. He described a vacancy within the human spirit, a vacancy so special, a hole so gaping inside us, that only God could fill it, although man tries valiantly to fill it every other possible way.
But it's a God-shaped hole, and try as we might, it's meant for him. For that faith, that inner strength, the beauty of believing in times of trouble and moments of joy.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son..."
And there it is.
The Master Storyteller.
The Eternal Weaver.
The One, The Only, The Alpha and the Omega.
As we weave our way through this beautiful Wednesday, as we celebrate the joy and satisfaction of successful work by wonderful women, as we bond together in prayer and peace, let's thank God the Father Almighty for the gift of story telling, the beauty of faith and fiction, the delicacy of woven words.
For this gift, freely given, should always be appreciated. As we sculpt our stories, as we pare our words, as we bless others tales of happiness and woe, let us share the joys and pangs within us, as Christ did in his life... and on that cross.
"For greater love hath no man..."
We search for joy and satisfaction in the physical world, when the truest faith, hope and love surrounds us in the spiritual realm. The wonderfulness that fills that God-shaped hole to bursting.
Happy birthday, lovely ladies! We share a birthday this week... your blog is young.
I am not.
But I'm not old, either, and I'll blast anyone who dares say otherwise!
Let's have cake and coffee (or sweet tea!), and share our stories. And for this month, let's remember each and every one of those blessings, not by what others have that we covet... but by what we hold in our hearts, every single day.
And to make our hearts beat a little faster, Ruthy is offering a copy of her newest book (and FIRST MYSTERY!) "A Light in the Darkness", the delightful first book of the Mysteries of Martha's Vineyard series, published through Guideposts. Leave a comment and Ruthy will put your name in her prettiest chipped candy dish! :)
And here's the brochure (and the link) for this wonderful series...
LINK TO "A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS"
