Truth Through the Centuries // Moriah Nelson
While all of the selected writings
were interesting to me (though some were definitely stranger than the rest), I
saw so much practical truth and advice in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Truth: Balade de Bon Conseil. Chaucer
starts his poem with,
“Flee from the crowd, and dwell with
fidelity,”.
Here I am encouraged to see the
(Biblical) idea of not following the world was still strong, even in the
1300’s. When we are in a situation that goes against God, we should be fleeing.
We are called to “be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16), to be set apart
as Christ was. Chaucer also encourages his readers to “dwell with fidelity”. We
are to live in faithfulness. This reminds me of how often the Bible commands
that Christians “abide” with Christ. As 1 John 2:6 says,
“whoever says he abides in Him ought
to walk in the same way in which He walked.”
That verse
goes along beautifully with this poem’s line because if we are living like
Christ, we won’t live like the world and will faithfully abide in Him.
My favorite line from this poem is:
“And truth shall deliver you, have
no dread.”
Regardless of what life brings, if
we hold onto “…the hope we profess…” (Hebrews 10:23), we will be able to stand
firm and keep our eyes fixed on eternity and on Christ. Since Jesus is “…the
Way, the Truth, and the Life…”, we can trust that He will deliver us from our
sins and earthly suffering and will spend eternity in heaven with Him.
Anyone
else think it was interesting to see how some truths have stayed the same
throughout the centuries and some ideas were created that strayed from
Scripture? This was honestly what made this week's reading selection interesting to me...some writings appeared to be outright heretical while others showed a simple and beautiful image of following Christ and loving Him.
I commented on Joshua and Will's posts.
I commented on Joshua and Will's posts.
I love how you set your blog post up, by the way... The split text with your intersession makes for a very personal perspective. I love it! I do believe it is interesting how certain truths stay the same throughout time, like, Benjamin Franklin said, “Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” I honestly use old quotes a lot in my speech, whether it is the entirety of the text or just a snippet in a sentence - because if you hold onto the truths, they just become a part of who you are. What you look at and listen to becomes your thoughts, what you think about becomes your words, and what you speak about becomes what your actions are based off of.... It is a slippery slope that only has two outcomes: good or bad. I feel like within the readings, there were both sides of the coin being flipped.... Ya know?
ReplyDeleteMuch of the writings do give me the confidence that many biblical ideas were enforced in a somewhat beneficial manner to Christianity. The idea of not following the world has been around for ages, as seen in the writings, but I question if the general population applied it properly or not. Much of the famous individuals in each time period are known for their qualities that set them apart, contrasting them from the crowds. The urge to be a celebrity in this day and age is probably stronger than ever as people seek to show off their amazing talent. Apart from scripture, many of these important truths are just empty ideas that are unable to fully grasp the truth that lies in God. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point. Many people like to think of themselves as more learned than people of the past because they are more "evolved" and this simply isn't true. if they were ever to read the ideas spreading around and see the meaning in everything being said it could be said that the opposite is true. I love how you took this poem and turned it into a possible sermon that many people need to hear. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI love this so much! Thank you for comparing those bible verses to some lines in poem because I love to see that comparison. Like you, I also loved this poem because I was able to gather so much personal truth to apply to my own life and just simple reminders we lose sight of! "And truth shall deliver you, have no dread!" God's got us and we don't need to worry about tomorrow! Thank you for your blog post! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDelete^Sorry! That was my comment! - Anna Grace Gay
DeleteYou brought to mind a verse: "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This whole thing sounded like a proverb to me, and I could almost picture wisdom saying this on the street corners. "simple minded, come to me and learn from me."
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting how throughout history, the desires and agendas of others often influence and distort history. It is sometimes very difficult to know if history to truly accurate, or if it has been twisted to fit the agenda of the winners or owners of the texts in their own time.
ReplyDelete