Sunday, January 19, 2014

καλός μόνος

Smooth sidewalks spread all over like cracks in an iced-over pond. Trees older than the brick buildings next to them stand with arms held open-wide in praise. The grass below and beside hasn't yet decided if its going to wear its winter or spring color, but I know. My flannel shirt is the top layer of my two-shirt combination and my scarf hangs on the chair next to me. My brown leather boots laced and tied to the top. It's winter. The world has chosen its attitude with the season and I look out these huge framed windows over its scene and find that my soul is still along with the world outside. This is good.

In Greek, the word for "good" is καλός (kalos). This word also means beautiful. Stop and think or meditate for a moment on the word "good." What sort of connotations, pictures, or emotions do you associate with this word? 

Often when I think of the word "good" I see pictures of places, people, or times when I see people or myself smiling. And the occasions with smiles aren't just anytime, but when the smile was derived from something pure like watching a sunset with a friend, sitting in the pew at vespers and hearing the Gospel spoken with new words, seeing good friends after months, making rice and lentils in fellowship, or having a child fall asleep in your arms during church. 

It's an incredible paradox that there is even καλός in our world. Adam and Eve chose to know the distinction between what was good and what wasn't. Before The Choice that shaped what our world looks like today, they knew only καλός. Only good. Only good. Can you imagine? And so we live in a world of the knowledge between what is good and what isn't. We now have the opposite choice to make. We have the choice to see only good. Only good. 

Καλός μόνος.

May we reach towards Jesus with the goal of becoming more like our original created being. May we see the contrast in our day and may we seek to see the good and move towards the wholeness of our creation.

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