On Being Loved

I've been very tired lately. There's a lot of stuff to do for work and church and Bible studies and I've been very overwhelmed and wanting to stop all of it. And I saw the amount of work of the summer classes and it's a scary amount of stuff (and I needed to order books from 4 places to get all of them). At the same time, everything I do is necessary stuff and I want to do it; I just need more hours in the day (or to give up sleep). Anyway, it's been one of those weeks where everything just seemed like too much.

Thursday evening when I got home there was a parcel pick-up slip in my mailbox. I knew I hadn't ordered anything lately and I wasn't expecting any parcels, so I spent Thursday night and Friday wondering what was waiting for me. Friday after work I was able to pick up the parcel.

Baby Sister, who has been going through her own stuff, sent me a Valentine's parcel. She found a pretty heart-shaped tin and filled it with Valentine's Day stuff. On top were cards from the kids (on a side note: I know who the characters on two of the cards were and I can guess that the one from Keona is a Hannah Montana character, but I have no clue who the guys on Zachary's card are). Under them was a bag of M&M's and a pretty red-and-gold bag of chocloate hearts and a heart-shaped squishy stress ball. Under them was a heart-shaped pad of paper and under that was a light-up Valentine's pen (and it lights up well; the light is red and it's bright enough to write by in case I must make notes in a dark place). The real wonder is how she fit it all into the tin! Also, Zachary added some pictures he had drawn to the parcel (of Santa, Mrs. Claus, an elf, and a North Pole sign, oddly enough) and Keona decided that Auntie Dorothy needed two plastic rings that had come off the cupcakes (one in the shape of a football and one with a picture of a racecar).

I sat there surrounded by Valentine's Day (and Christmas) items and felt very loved. Not only by Baby Sister and the kidlets, but also by God who knew that I needed to be loved this week and who has given me a baby sister who puts aside her own busyness and stuff to send a parcel of love my way. And suddenly it's gone from being a Very Long Week to being a Very Good Week.

Why It Can't Be Done

I'm working on my World Religions course, and in the reading I've run into one particular author who seems to hold the view that all religions are valid, no one religion should claim to be the one right way, and we should all get along. The religions she speaks of most favourably are the ones that promote unity and that claim that essentially, in their core beliefs, all religions are really the same. She seems to want us to focus on what we have in common and confirm all beliefs as equally good and valid.

This why it can't be done: some religions say there's one God, some say there are many gods, and some say there is no God. When three people say three contradicting things, they can't all be right. Someone has to be wrong, and to say otherwise is to deny basic reality and to fool yourself; no properly thinking person can say that someone can exist and not exist at the same time.

Further, there seems to be a mistaken belief that the underlying principle that drives Christianity is love for all people. While love is important, it is not what makes Christianity what it is. Rather, it is this: that there is one God and one mediator between God and man, and that no one comes to God except through Christ.

And yes, there's a lot more that's important, including the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. All of which only confirms my point: we cannot say that all religions are basically alike in their core beliefs. It can't be done.

What I'm Overhearing Right Now

Someone in the waiting room is waiting for either the lawyer or the accountant. He's also talking on his phone. These are the most interesting sentences.


"I called the bank but I can't reach a live person."
Because at that bank they only hire dead people?

"I left a voice mail on her."
Seriously: the sentence ended there. I don't know how you would do that.