Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Monday September 22, 2008

Here I sit totally amazed yet again at the courage and insight of the Great Blonde who out of a deep pity married me 44 years ago. She knows how to really get inside my head.

As we watched yet another TV news show about Sarah Palin, Joyce handed me a statement falsely attributed to Hillary Clinton. At first glance I thought, "Hillary didn't say that, though she could have, at least on the looks part." Here is the statement:

"Not being beautiful forced me to develop my inner resources. The pretty girl has a handicap to overcome."

I kept my peace and said to the love of my youth and dotage: "Honey, that statement is off base. Sarah is pretty and smart, but you, my dear, are gorgeous and one of the finest people on the inside that I have ever met. You are a true Mother in Israel."

Now, please do NOT send this letter to Joyce as she need not know that the statement attributed to Hillary was actually said by a much wiser girl who spent a large part of her career as a school teacher in Milwaukee, and who by the way had a daughter named Sarah.

Golda Meir went from teaching school to become the first female Prime Minister of Israel. She never won the title of Miss Anything, but in her age she was affectionately known as the "Grand Mother of Israel."

Whatever you think of Golda, you must give assent to the truth of her statement for today's quote. When a person looks into the mirror and sees a "Plain Jane" or in the case of a man, "Quasimodo" it would be wise to really get with a program on inner development.

And for the physically blessed of either gender, remember that physical beauty does fade due to the ravages of time and the old adage becomes so glaringly true, "It is what is inside that counts."

Internal development is essential to growing in Christ. The principles spelled out in scripture are designed not only for personal development, but for the preservation of civilization. Denying self, putting others first, learning to live within your true means, are all issues of the spirit and they demand effort and courage to implement and practice over a lifetime.

As I write our nation came right up to the brink of disaster, our leaders are still working on a safe plan to pull us away from the precipice. Why did this happen. Certainly unbridled greed at and near the top. At lower levels, myriads of families are going head over heels in debt with no regard for reality. One couple confided to me that, "Going out regularly means more to us than keeping this house which we will never afford." A free society is dependent on a disciplined populace. An easy come easy go Christianity is foreign to biblical truth, and when biblical principles are abandoned by the church and its constituency, well, read today's paper.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2008 Use with credit.

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