“I’m going to put that where I’ll know where to find it”

Well, it’s taken me a long time, but I’ve finally come to a realization… wait, let’s start at the top…

Pulled out my trusty weed-eater the other day…. and in less than 10 seconds after starting I ran out of trimmer line. No problem, I’ll just disassemble the head and put on more. Took out the small pin holding it together and proceeded with the task. Now, where was that extra line I had? Of course it was years and a state ago that I last used it, so there was no hope of finding it. But, that’s no problem, I needed to go to the hardware store anyway, so I carefully laid the parts out where “I’ll know where to find it”. Took me a day or two before I got to the store, but finally I had my line. Wound it on the reel, no problem…. now where was that tiny pin that held it all together… I know it was right here where “I’ll know where to find it”. No dice. How could it disappear, it was “right there”.

Oh, well, no problem. I have a pouch containing a large variety of different sizes of cotter pins, I’ll just get a new one and all will be good. Now where was that pouch. I know I had seen it for the first time since our move (three years ago) the other day, and I had put it right where “I’ll know where to find it.” Crap.

Made a temporary pin using a wire, and the problem was solved… but then the realization finally set in.

If you ever have something that you know you’ll need later, save yourself the trouble and just throw it away. You’ll never find it again anyway… well, not until such time as you no longer have a need for it.

Saw some wise quotes recently that I liked. I’ll share them here in lieu of having any thoughts of my own.

Do you even think that maybe if people aren’t laughing at your ideas, you aren’t dreaming big enough? - Steven Furtick

If, at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. - Albert Einstein

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it. – Winnie the Pooh

Chain mail is a wonderful thing. It’s a light, flexible armor, and protects the wearer from many types of attacks… that’s why they used to wear it in medieval times during battles. However it wasn’t that comfortable so it wasn’t worn all the time, and we’ve moved on from it today.

Hold that thought….

Chain mail is a wonderful thing. It usually is an email you get from some friend, relative, or acquaintance that is designed to make you feel all mushy, gushy and overall warm and loved. However, when you get a lot of them, it becomes a waste of time.

You see, in both cases the designer (first case), and the sender (second case) have your best in mind, they want you to feel secure and safe (and/or loved and important)…. but really, if you get too much of it, it just chafes your butt.

Join me in a thought exercise.

Background:
People like to say the God is omnipotent. In other words “all powerful”. Without realizing it, I believe that this actually reduces God. How? Because we use our little brains to assign “all power” to God…. more clearly, all of the power that we know and understand. Of course, just by the fact that there are discoveries in physics/science made daily, it is obvious that we have no clue as to what “all power” encompasses. In fact, even though the term infinite is used to describe something that has no end, but we “little-brains” like to even encapsulate that as “understandable”. So, how can we realize just how big God is???

Considering:
1 - God is the creator/maintainer of the universe.
2 - God is everywhere (all and in all).
3 - The universe, for all intents and purposes is infinite in size and mass.
4 - God does not exist in a time-limited dimension as we do (his name = “I AM”).
5 - Whether you are a believer that the Universe is only 8000 years old, or that God created things billions of years ago, the fact that an “instance in time” is infinately small, means that there are infinite snapshots of time from the beginning to the end of the universe.
6 - The “bubble theory” states that there are an infinite number of universes
7 - If God created one universe that runs on the laws of physics that says there are other universes, then he also created the other “bubble” universes.

Then:
- Based on 1, 2 and 3: God is infinite in size and power (non-ending, no-limit, no comprehension possible, no definition can hold Him) if measured at any instance. Thus God = infinity
- Using 4 and 5: God is infinite in size and power at an infinite number of moments in time (since He exists in all simultaneously). Thus God = infinity x infinity or infinity²
- Using 6 and 7: God is infinite in size and power at an infinite number of moments in time in an infinite number of universes simultaneously. Thus God = infinity x infinity x infinity or infinity³

Result:
There is no end to the awe, fear and wonder we should have when we think of God. He is so incredibly beyond anything we could even imagine. There is no box or definition that can hold him.

And they chanted night and day, never taking a break: Holy, holy, holy Is God our Master, Sovereign-Strong, THE WAS, THE IS, THE COMING. Every time the Animals gave glory and honor and thanks to the One Seated on the Throne–the age-after-age Living One– the Twenty-four Elders would fall prostrate before the One Seated on the Throne. They worshiped the age-after-age Living One. They threw their crowns at the foot of the Throne, chanting, “Worthy, O Master! Yes, our God! Take the glory! the honor! the power! You created it all; It was created because you wanted it.” (Rev 4:8-11)

And yet, he cares for us??? A mere “smudge on a window”??? How amazing!!!

Look at him! GOD, the Master, comes in power, ready to go into action. He is going to pay back his enemies and reward those who have loved him. Like a shepherd, he will care for his flock, gathering the lambs in his arms, Hugging them as he carries them, leading the nursing ewes to good pasture. Who has scooped up the ocean in his two hands, or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger, Who has put all the earth’s dirt in one of his baskets, weighed each mountain and hill? Who could ever have told GOD what to do or taught him his business? What expert would he have gone to for advice, what school would he attend to learn justice? What god do you suppose might have taught him what he knows, showed him how things work? Why, the nations are but a drop in a bucket, a mere smudge on a window. Watch him sweep up the islands like so much dust off the floor! There aren’t enough trees in Lebanon nor enough animals in those vast forests to furnish adequate fuel and offerings for his worship. All the nations add up to simply nothing before him– less than nothing is more like it. A minus. So who even comes close to being like God? To whom or what can you compare him? Some no-god idol? Ridiculous! It’s made in a workshop, cast in bronze, Given a thin veneer of gold, and draped with silver filigree. Or, perhaps someone will select a fine wood– olive wood, say–that won’t rot, Then hire a woodcarver to make a no-god, giving special care to its base so it won’t tip over! Have you not been paying attention? Have you not been listening? Haven’t you heard these stories all your life? Don’t you understand the foundation of all things? God sits high above the round ball of earth. The people look like mere ants. He stretches out the skies like a canvas– yes, like a tent canvas to live under. He ignores what all the princes say and do. The rulers of the earth count for nothing. Princes and rulers don’t amount to much. Like seeds barely rooted, just sprouted, They shrivel when God blows on them. Like flecks of chaff, they’re gone with the wind. “So–who is like me? Who holds a candle to me?” says The Holy. Look at the night skies: Who do you think made all this? Who marches this army of stars out each night, counts them off, calls each by name –so magnificent! so powerful!– and never overlooks a single one? Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, “GOD has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? GOD doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. (Isa 40:10-28)

Since Donna’s cancer, we’ve met many kind, caring doctors, nurses, aides and techs. This is in no way a comment against any of them…. but if you go high enough above them in the organizations they work at, you find businesses. That is where this is directed.

I’ve been pondering a question for the last several months. If a cure for cancer was ever found, would anyone be told about it?

Since Donna’s cancer, I’ve noticed that there is an entire economy built up around cancer treatment. For one thing, I never realized how many people have, or have been treated for, cancer. Take the amazingly large bills we received (or are still receiving) for the surgeries, chemotherapy drugs, radiation, plus all the peripheral stuff (bed, room, time, etc. etc. etc.) …. and then multiply that by all the cancer patients. Getting the picture? If a cure was found, a LOT of money would be taken from the accounts receivable for many organizations (hospitals, drug companies, and a untold slew of supporting organizations/people).

Now, it’s quite possible that given the proper cure, we’d all know about it. Like, for example, one that cures a single type of existing cancerous condition at a time, does not prevent future cancer, has to be given in several treatments over time in a controlled environment, is patented by some company, and has an exorbitant price. Or, maybe, something like a costly yearly vaccine that everyone can take for prevention. These solutions have the side effect that much money will still change hands, keeping the Cancer Economy alive and kicking. Of course, they also have another side effect like current treatments….. unless you have reasonable insurance, or are independantly wealthy, you can’t afford treatment - and even then there is a good chance that you could end up filing for bankrupcy.

So, I’m back to wondering. If someone came up with a $50 pill or shot that would cure all cancer…. would we ever hear about it?