Tick tock goes the clock
We wake up from dreams we thought
Would have long ago been resolved
But this one is odd
It's recurring over
Over the past few nights
Of a divided four lane road
And sodium street lights
She looks like she did then,
Floors upon floors up
I remember this place from years before
Only this is west, not east
Not the same, different
4 years thence
Strange I think
I have freedom
Of movement, of will
Instead of molasses
In this place
We joke, we talk
I embrace, you falter
I insist, you resist
This is resolution that does not subsist
What's surprising is that it's not surprising
That you would show up at this time
This place, with this freedom, and
Pass the test I give myself by proxy
As all dreams of mine do
They work things out
Sorry, Clarince.
This Lord's day eve, consider the deep things observed by physics and astronomy.
We live on a very unique blue dot that's like a grain of sand in an unfathomably-sized ocean containing innumerable other grains of sand, all of which we've found so far being incapable of sustaining anything like human life. These grains of sand revolve around other glowing grains of sand, that revolve together in clusters that further flow in a delicate dance, all set in motion just so according to very precise tolerances. If even one of the many physical constants we've measured were off by just a small fraction, it's likely that there would not be the order we see amidst the constant march of entropy through time. There would be chaos. There would most likely be no us.
Ponder the vastness. Ponder the probabilities. If you've performed an earnest reflection of it all, you'll be scooping up your melted brain off the floor and have a much healthier perspective of just how much we actually matter in the grand scheme of things, and how very, very special we are, all at the same time.
Important things in the Bible are often repeated or rephrased throughout as a means to emphasize their importance. The latter half of Ephesians 4 is no different.
Ephesians 4:17-32 generally expresses similar sentiments and critiques as Romans 1 - describing the condition of Gentiles whilst in paganism. While Romans tends to look at it from God's perspective, Ephesians reiterates this same condition from a more man-centered perspective. We're exhorted to put off our old self (v.22) and put on our new self, washed in the blood of Christ and renewed by the grace of God (v.23-24).
I'd like to put some extra emphasis on the latter half, verses 25-32. This is a significant problem that I have had over the years, understanding the nature of this passage and how to rightly apply it even amongst the outpouring of sinfulness in my own heart. It is a good reminder to all of us that we are to be above the pettiness that we see exhibited by the world.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and give no opportunity to the devil.
28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.