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| Irene Cahen D'Anvers by Renoir |
Look, that's a bit too dark even for me, but you know, life does carry a great deal of pain. In the pampered world of American suburbia it's easy to pretend that it doesn't-- or that it's not supposed to-- that pain is something extraordinary, to be surprised at, bewailed, and forgotten as soon as possible.
The Bible says, though, that creation groans under the curse. Creation includes us. It includes mosquitoes and influenza and lying politicians and abusive husbands and torture chambers. That's what sin does: it makes a mess. Pain deserves bewailing, and if God gives us a way we should heal creation's wounds, but we shouldn't be shocked when things fall apart.
Though I don't believe in rubbing my child's face in evil, I don't want her to believe that a basket of kittens and sunbursts ought to await her around every corner, either. Here is an interesting read along those lines: "Must Every Kid's Movie Reinforce the Cult of Self-Esteem?"
Well said. Those kittens tend to scratch, and sunbursts tend to be the wrong flavor-- unless they get stolen by someone else.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing that redemption is also part of it all!