These boys are enjoying a couple of marshmallows around a campfire. Will there be scary stories? Will a coyote or owl disrupt their outing? Who knows what will unfold next?
This was part of a clip art assignment for Warner Press. I drew this back in 2009 to test an online clip-art service.
Over the years, I drew and submitted several assignments for an Illustration Friday competition. Too bad the competition appears to be a thing of the past. You just never know what will unfold next.
Has a loved one ever told such a good story that you suggested selling the movie rights? I’ve heard some wonderful stories about my family. That inspired me to draw and write this cartoon.
One of my fondest memories of my father-in-law was when we would drive all night to Florida. He would tell me stories about his childhood, his ancestors, and the lessons he learned through life’s struggles to keep us awake.
Each day, we have an opportunity to bring order from chaotic circumstances. If you leave things as is, chaos soon becomes the norm.
Some of us can deal with a little more chaos than others. But most of us can agree that all chaos, all the time is stressful and unproductive. There is something in all of us that wants to understand, categorize and order things.
We value systems that bring order. Language is a system that allows us to communicate. The written form of that language has a slightly different system. We like to turn on the TV and reliably get a channel that we like. It would be very disconcerting if everyone you knew began speaking differently or writing in some unknown code. If your favorite channel was on one number one day, and another the next, it would get frustrating.
We like systems. We like to categorize people and things. And we like to believe that everything that is good and bad can be understood. And if an answer doesn’t come easily, we like to manufacture a reason. We assume we know the motives of someone we don’t even know. We continually tell ourselves stories about people and actions out of our control.
As a result, I can assume the best about someone or the worst. I can make assumptions based on the stories I tell myself that may be correct or way off. It’s my little attempt to bring order out of chaos. But are those stories helpful if they assume the worst?
Our stories can assume the best or the worst in people and events. Sometimes, we need to realize our stories are just that—stories. We can assume the best or the worst. Both carried to the extreme can lead you astray. The challenge is to assume the best in others while keeping oneself from denying when something needs to change.
How does one bring order out of chaos in an accurate, realistic way even when we don’t have all the facts? Are the stories we tell ourselves accurate? That is the question I am pondering today.
Confession is good for the soul. But it occasionally backfires. I’ve been in a situation where I apologized to someone for an offense I was sure I committed so long ago. Then to my surprise, the person didn’t remember it. At least they didn’t until I brought it up again. Either they learned to forgive and forget, or my conscience betrayed me into confessing something no one remembers I did.
However, an altar call and some confession really is good for the soul. Too many people carry a heavy burden of guilt and shame. It is good to get it out there with a compassionate pastor. But if you keep having “one of those weeks,” perhaps it’s time to talk with your pastor about some ways to be led not into temptation!
I drew this for the July 2017, Church of God E-newsletter.
Cartoon of a dad reading a bedtime story to his son. The son says, “You can stop reading now. This story lacks depth.”