Will You Pass or Fail the Test?

Something Big: The Potential of Man.
There have been times in my life when I feel quite small and felt that I was just an insignificant and average person. I have come to learn two things since then. One is that each one of us truly is a child of God, and that has infinite implications. This means that we can come to be like him! That is about as big as big can get. A second thing I have come to understand is that every single person has the potential to do great things in this life as well. I never fail to be amazed by the goodness in the people. I also never fail to be amazed at how bad some people are/were in the past. Men and women are very much in control of their destiny. You can be what and who you want to be, you can do what you want to do. The only thing that is holding you back is yourself.

Something Broken: Sprezzatura in Religion.
As has been discussed in previous blog posts, sprezzatura is all about being your best self and being well learned in all topics of life. While I firmly believe that this can be constructive and help push us to be better, I feel that if we go about it in the wrong way it can be discouraging, especially within religion. I am sure all of us have felt the pressure to do what is expected of us and act a certain way so that we can please those around us. Sometimes we compare ourselves to others and when we see what we perceive as their spirituality and perfection, we feel inadequate. Religion shouldn't be about trying to make others think you are righteous. Christ himself said that we should offer our alms in secret and pray in private places. Sprezzatura may have a place in religion, but I think it is currently broken and needs to be fixed.

Something Artistic: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

1) Boromir fails the test

The most beautiful art is that which makes someone feel a special emotion or connect with something on a deep level. For me, The Lord of the Rings is true art because it is so applicable to life as we know it, but helps us view it from a new perspective. One example of this is the internal struggle and "test" that many of the characters must pass when they have the opportunity to take the ring. When Frodo as Gandalf to take the ring, Gandalf exclaims "Don't tempt me further!" Later on, Galadriel sees the powerful sorceress she could become with the power of the ring, but then stops herself, and says "I pass the test." Boromir fails the test of the ring when he tries to steal it from Frodo and use it to regain the favor of his father, the steward of Gondor. As I see each of these characters, I see myself. I see a struggle with sin or selfishness, and the goodness that also can be stronger than the lusts of the natural man.


Something Mysterious: The Depth of the Universe.
As time progresses and science moves forward, we will only make more discoveries about not only how big the universe is, but how small the elements are that make up the universe. If we start at the human body, we know that these are made up of organs, bones, flesh, etc. Going smaller, our organs are made up of cells. These cells are made up of atoms, which are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Recently humans have discovered an even smaller element called the quark! I have no doubt that the quark is not the end of the road in therms of discoveries. Thinking about the size of the universe is incomprehensible as well! Truly this is one of the greatest mysteries because there is no end to creation, and no end to learning.

Images:
1) https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS767US767&biw=1242&bih=569&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=vbHfW97AGcjojwT-6I6YBg&q=frodo+offers+aragorn+the+ring&oq=frodo+offers+&gs_l=img.3.2.35i39l2j0i24.19695.21419..23585...0.0..0.199.1866.3j10......1....1..gws-wiz-img.FtFYAd3liqc#imgrc=MoZQn1bFw3j2pM: