Hats off to Australia

What a sad way to go Totti scored on a penalty during extra time in th 95th minute, securing Italy the 1-0 win and sending the Socceroos back home to Australia after a magnificent performance in the World Cup.

The same can’t be said of the referee’s performance. There should have been no penalty. Arguably, the expulsion of Italy’s Materazzi was a harsh sentence, as well. But faking your way to a penalty in the last minute is no honourable way to win a match.

Anyway, the Australian team can certainly feel proud. Nobody expected them to get beyond the first round, but they made their way to the quarter finals, and put up a very good fight all the way. Hopefully this isn’t the last time we see the Socceroos make a difference in the World Cup.

(Incidently, the team is sponsored by Sanitarium, a food company affiliated with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.)

I, for one, feel more like an aussie than I have for a long time.

Bouts of Narcissism

To the core, human beings are selfish. Yes, people can be well-behaved and treat each other nicely. People do put other people before themself in their lives, and some are better at this than others. But even those people whom you put in the highest regard will eventually let you down. No one is perfect.

This can frustrate and disappoint me immensely, but that very fact shows that I am no better than any of them. When I am bothered by people who do not live up to my expectations, I am putting myself first instead of being a friend for them.

Other people will from time to time disappoint. I will most certainly disappoint. There is only One who will not. What a friend we have in Jesus!

Being Ill

I have never been seriously ill or had any physical conditions worth mentioning. I guess I’m pretty lucky to be overall healthy (we can always discuss fitness). But of course I do get sick from time to time, and as I write I’m recovering from some kind of stomach condition which set me out of order for about a day.

What always gives me cause to wonder is how much the mind is affected by the body. My reasoning becomes tainted, and logic gives way to feelings and despair. I know with my mind that the condition of illness is temporary, but I don’t truly believe it–all there’s room for is one thought: “This does not feel good.” As soon as you start to feel better your mind returns to its regular state, and physiology is no longer an issue.

The human body is an amazing feat of engineering. I probably know too little about it, but it still amazes me how the body is created with the ability to fix itself. Paul tells us that our “body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God.” (1 Cor 6:19) It makes sense to strive for physical well-being, so that the body does not render the mind in a less-than-fit state.

On the other hand, I think in a way that physical well-being can be seen as an image of faith. Not in the sense that Christians are never sick–au contraire, the experience of illness illustrates that we cannot trust our feelings alone. Sure, feelings can be helpful, but faith is more than a feeling. We need a trust in the Lord that permeates our very being so our faith can stay alive even when our feelings tell us otherwise.