The Sky Is The Limit

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury.

- Macbeth

Act V, Scene V

These words from Shakespeare's Macbeth or even for younger readers, Simon & Garfunkel's 1974 hit, Slip Sliding Away will understand. Lady Macbeth, obsessive compulsive, washing her hands many times during the day trying to cleanse them from murder. The doctor in Macbeth said, “An infected mind is hard to cure.”

To the uninitiated everything is obscure, surely, the least informed of us should be paralyzed with concern over what has happened to America.

Several Christmas' ago, beautiful day, I was sitting in the sun on the front porch at my beach house right on the ocean. Evidently two young surfers had parked their cars on the street in front of my house. One said to the other, “What did you get for Christmas? The answer, “My old man gave me a check for $10,000.00.

My wonderful mother reminded us many times, the poverty of her home at Christmas. She and her sister Fannie so wanted a doll for Christmas. In their stocking, she found a small purse with a note, perhaps next year things will be better and you will get a doll.

Worldwide, a deep recession, now heading toward a deep depression. The eugenicists are made happy by the thoughts of population reduction, people starving. Not just Margaret Sanger who referred to the minorities and the unfortunates of the world as weeds, but the greedy. Just think, the golden parachutes of CEOs, the ex Sachs-governor-senator, Corzine losing $1.2 billion and, protected by his friends in high places, his ability to raise money for President Obama, lying , cheating, stealing from his investors did not bother him, nor does such bother the highest law official of the country, Eric Holder, as thousands of weapons were moved into the killing fields of Mexico.

In America, we have forgotten the genius of preparation and perspiration, the genius in the simplicity of Christianity, even the genius in the history and story of the advent Christmas celebration. Almost forgotten is the mystery of worship, even the mystery of the love of neighbor, the mystery in the challenge of mercy and forgiveness. It is so difficult to forgive and forget wrongdoers, especially those who have won life's lottery. Mercy is always showing something not deserved. We, chosen of God, live, move and have our being through His mercy. And, if we are to seek God, we must have the mercy to forgive. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

Crossing India by train, I met an Indian movie star. At that time, I had a shadow of vision in one eye, could tell that he was a suave, handsome, articulate young man. He said, “I have met many “Christians” from America. I do not understand how or why with such a “religion” you are such pygmys in your belief, He quoted Mahatma Gandhi, the man who could have led millions of Hindus to Christ who said, “I would have been a Christian if I had not known so many Christians.” I quoted to the young man, a better description of Christians from C.S. Lewis, “The Christian is the best witness for and against Christianity.”

One Christmas, my hard-working, god-fearing, tax-paying parents helped me buy my first car, an old 1941 Plymouth for $85.00. I needed the car for my summer work of selling books (mostly Bibles) door to door in eastern North Carolina. My country, my faith, had endowed me with the responsibility, from my opportunities as a Christian American, to earn enough money, over and above university expenses to buy a new 1952 Chevrolet to drive the next Christmas. Life is a matter of mind set. It is all in the mind, the sky is your limit.Dr.