Paradox

"A most ingenious paradox!"

You might recognize this quote from The Pirates of Penzance. A paradoxical idea is what in the end saves the day, for someone who has a birthday on February 29th might be a certain number of years old, but he  has had only a small number of birthdays. A paradox -- two opposing truths.

Paradoxes are not limited to Gilbert and Sullivan musicals. Truths exist about the world that seem to be in opposition. For example, society at large says that a man should love his family above all else, but God says to love Him to the extent that one's love for his family appears to be hate. Society teaches you that one should respect everyone else's opinion and allow them to express what they think freely. God demands that His followers follow His commands only. In our minds, both of these idea systems seem to be right, but God demands almost the exact opposite. How can one, then, reconcile these ideas?

Here's the low-down. God created the world to run His way. It's not really meant to be run man's way. However, if we learn to truly love God, then we will learn to truly love our family. If we learn to commit to God's way of thinking, then we can truly understand how other people think, for God is the source of knowledge and understanding.

So, yes, the world and God hold similar values in certain areas, but the world will never be able to achieve its goals because the world's system of thought will never seek God as its primary source of truth. It will try to solve its problems without Him. Trying to do something right the wrong way is still wrong.

Do the right thing by seeking God first -- another star counted.