"The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear."
-Socrates-
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. What I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
-1 Corinthians 13:11 & 12-
2 comments:
I like the Socrates quote. Various aspects of life condition us to appear in certain positive ways, but true alignment and integrity are found in actually learning and living out those positive attributes. Striving hard to have the appearance of certain traits on the outside but not really experiencing those traits on the inside can have a chronic cancerous effect on your soul. The Bible speaks in several places about division and double-mindedness. Especially when it comes to godliness - striving to appear godly without actually being godly is one of the main poisons we have to fight against as human beings, as individuals and in organizations like the church.
The passage from I Cor is almost the reverse. The Socrates quote is about having your being match your appearance, whereas the I Cor passage is about having your actions match what is already true of you. Note the word "put." When I was a child, I automatically acted and thought like a child, because I was a child. But when I became a man, I didn't automatically begin acting and thinking like a man. I had to take actions, "putting" my childish ways behind me. I think there's a lot about discipleship and dying to self in that little 3-letter word.
Wow, I love your mind, hubby 'o' mine. I had been chewing on the concepts of internal/external alignment pertaining to each quote in itself. Then, weighing the two quotes against one another for areas their concepts were similar and also, in this case, not so aligned. Thanks for 'chewing' with me, and taking a deeper look. You 'get' me.
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