Issue 970 – The Myth and the Reality – January 30, 2023
The Myth
It seems that unicorns are everywhere. Stuffies, children’s books, girls’ clothing and art all seem to have depictions of these beautiful mythical creatures.
Unicorns are associated with affection, rainbows and fairy dust. Their horns are reputed to have many forms of magical powers, including purifying poisons.
They have been part of western literature since at least 400 BCE when Ctesias recorded tales from travellers from India about one-horned beasts. References in Chinese literature record single-horned beasts as early as 2700 BCE, although other than having a horn, they differed quite a bit from the modern idea of what unicorns look like.
The Reality
Thousands of years ago, the “real” unicorn, the “elasmotherium sibiricum,” wandered in the grasslands from Siberia to Kazakhstan. They looked more like sizeable horned rhinos than horses. I can’t imagine people assigning them colourful, romantic myth status at six feet tall and fifteen feet high, weighing up to three tons.
Despite the size of the horn, scientists believe this giant single-horned rhino could run at surprising speed.
I wouldn’t want to see one running at me. Even though these ancient rhinos were herbivores, and I would be safe from being eaten, the danger of trampling would be real.
While now extinct, they were still around long enough to have encountered humans. Some of our ancestors may have seen them in person.
The church has its share of myths as well. A common myth is that of the perfect Christian who has life altogether.
We can look at people in the church and believe they have the faith thing down pat. They know their Bibles and have good theology. We wish we could emulate their prayers; they seem to have their lives together.
The reality is that the perfect Christian doesn’t exist here on earth. Even lifelong believers who seem to have it all together face doubts, struggles and trials. We might not be aware of them, or their struggle might seem minor to us but may be overwhelming to them.
The perfect Christian will only exist in glory.
The good news is that while we are all still works in progress, God hasn’t finished with us yet. There is a couple of familiar passages that I sometimes cling to, especially when my faith walk isn’t what I think it should be.
We are His workmanship created for His glory.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:1-10
He isn’t done with us yet.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel. Philippians 1:6-7
We needn’t worry about how far others are along in their walk. Let us concentrate on our own and let Christ finish His work.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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