Many Things

Many things bother me, both trivial and not so trivial.

Being small myself, I’m often curious about the heights of pop stars. I used to think that they were all tall, but in recent years, thanks to the Web, I’ve managed to discover that a good many are my height or smaller.

• Willie Nelson – 5’6″
• Iggy Pop – 5’6″
• Johnny Rotten – 5’6″
• Frankie Valli – 5’5″
• David Byrne (Talking Heads) – 5’6″
• Ariana Grande – 5’0″
• Lady Gaga – 5’1″
• Kylie Minogue – 5’0″
• Shakira – 5’2″
• Paula Abdul – 5’0″
• Roger Daltrey – 5’6″
• Prince – 5’2″
• Bruno Mars – 5’5″
• Paul Simon – 5’3″
• Bono – 5’ft 5½”
• Thom Yorke – 5’5″
• Billy Joel – 5’5″
• Phil Collins – 5’6″
• Marc Bolan – 5’5″
• Madonna – 5’5″
• James Dean Bradfield – 5’5″

So, my height wouldn’t have stopped me from becoming a rock star. But something stopped me. 😀 Never mind! From reading autobiographies, I see that rock stars have all the problems that the rest of us have, and often more.

So, getting back to the question, seriously, all sorts of things bother me, particularly war and all other manifestations of sin. I watched the Live Aid DVD on Sunday, and it begins with reports on the famine in Ethiopia in 1984. It puts all our daily frustrations into perspective. What bothers me or appals me is how such things can be allowed to happen in the modern world. I think of all the money spent on wars and on housing illegal immigrants and think of how much better that money would be spent on those who are truly in need. But I’m encouraged that the people we once thought of as the bad guys are so concerned about those in need. Back in 1977, Irish people might have seen Bob Geldof as an Irish 1970s version of Mick Jagger, who had a bad boy image 😀. But he soon surprised everyone. And I just noticed on Facebook over the last view days that Mick Jagger went to visit a young child dying of cancer. And it seems that he’s leaving all his wealth to charity when he dies. I looked up Microsoft Copilot this morning to see which countries donate most in terms of foreign aid – and least.

list the 10 counties who donate most in terms of foreign aid

list the 10 counties who donate least in terms of foreign aid

It’s true that some countries can’t afford to, but you do get countries who spend millions on the military and on space exploration who donate very little to those in need – even in their own countries. You might have thought that communist or former communist counties would be putting everyone else to shame, but seemingly not.

And I should be bothered more about my own sin than anyone else’s sin. I think of the following verses.

Gal 5:22
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Verse 24 might suggest that when you commit your life to Christ, you don’t sin anymore, but if that were the case, why does he call people to live holy lives in 25 and 26? I think what verse 24 means is that you have taken a decision to say no to the flesh and its passions and desires. And because you’ve done that, and Christ died for your sins, you are forgiven. But bad influences, be it the world, the flesh, or the devil, continue to operate on you. You kill them, but they have a tendency to come back if you don’t subdue them on a continual basis. It bothers me that I have to face potential problems with my physical, mental and spiritual health for the rest of my life. But a day will come when I will be glorified in heaven, and we won’t need to worry about sin and suffering anymore. I think of Paul’s words in Romans:

Romans 8:29-32
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?