Wednesday, October 22, 2008

illustration: People are both good and bad

Most things and people in our lives are not entirely good or entirely bad, they are both.
Recently when i travelled through the country I noticed a beautiful purple plant in the paddocks and enquired with those whom I was travelling with what it was.
One person called it Salvation Jane, another said it was called Patterson's curse.
One name sounded quite good, the other something you didn't want much to do with.
It's real name is Echium plantagineumm and ironically it is believed that the two nicknames given are derived from the one person Jane Patterson, who planted the 'beautiful flower' in her garden, only to infest paddocks around the place and cause havoc to the farming community.
So why the two names...
well in Australia it is generally seen as a weed that overtakes paddocks and when eaten in large quantities it can kill livestock.
However there are some people who are very thankful for the plant. Not only does it look attractive, but when used in small quantities and in a controlled environment it can be used for cattlefeed and is especially benefical during droughts.
Now this got me thinking....
every person I know, including myself are a little like Patterson's curse,
we are both good and bad, or as the church puts it saint and sinner.
We have the potential to cause havoc and be seen as only bad, yet Jesus did something about this by committing himself to His father's will, that resulted in his suffering, dieing and coming to life again.
So sinners we are by nature, and saints because of the efforts of Jesus.
So how do you view others as a sinner, a saint or both?

No comments: