endurance

I'm left wondering tonight how many times one has to get stabbed in the back before saying, "Enough! I'm done with this."

We got a call from a friend mid-afternoon asking for prayer, because she was going to have to fire someone. She discovered they had been stealing from the restaurant she managed. The kicker is, she works with an organization whose sole purpose is to create jobs for nationals here, where good jobs are hard to come by. And this guy was stealing from the people who were trying to help him.

Don't get me wrong. I don't expect gratitude— especially not the grovelly, snivelly subservient gratitude they seem to prefer here. No, I would just like some recognition of the opportunity that has come their way, and the blessing it is to have the chance to work. But no, instead, they typical mindset here is, "What's in it for me and how can I take advantage of the situation to get more?"

I fear Mr. and I reached that magic "enough" limit a while ago. Our friend, on the other hand, is still doggedly plugging away. More power to her. That's endurance.

Other than that, today was really good. Sorry for the gloomy intro; I'm really not in that bad of a mood. Enjoyed the beauty of the hotel where we're staying, had quiet time with God, jumped in the pool, did my exercises, rested, made birthday cards. All very enjoyable, except the exercise. Did you know it's really pretty impossible to do yoga without a yoga mat? Tile floors get awfully slippery when you sweat on them. Also, did you know that 15 seconds stretches on like an eternity when you're holding a "power position" like the warrior or plank pose? Ah, endurance.

I'm also still processing my trip to the ancient ruins yesterday. First of all, they aren't really ruined, just old. Really old. Second of all, they represent a strange mix of something I love and something I hate, so that I'm torn when I look at them. They were built to honor many different deities, none of them the One True God—and are still the site of active idol worship today. However, they are a testimony to the incredible creativity and ingenuity the human race is capable of. I give these edifices a grudging admiration.

I've come to resolve my dilemma with this thought: that in spite of himself, every human who creates brings glory to God simply through the act of creation, because it reflects a little bit of the image of God in him. God is Creator, and man, when he creates, reflects a tiny flicker of who God is. I know a lot of times it's hard to see, since the subject matter is often distorted and dark. But I do know that I can look at these totally pagan structures and worship God, because He made man, and He made man capable of making such amazing things.