Job 8:11

Can papyrus sprout where there is no marsh?

   Can reeds grow grand without water?

(Written 5/13, Posted 5/20)

When I first read papyrus, I thought of paper and how they used to write on papyrus paper. I bought a book titled The Timetables of History long ago and I keep wanting to pull it out and learn when people first started writing or printing Bibles or other useful facts. But mainly I see lists of things that happened in 500-year periods that teach me next to nothing. As a group, we know the winners write history and keep only what they like or what creates a positive self-image for themselves. If Napoleon had won, we might not think of little, short bullies every time we hear his name.

“Papyrus” was also called “rush”; “sprout” was also “grow”, “grow tall”, and “thrive”; and “marsh” was also “mire”. Papyrus and marsh were chosen for clarity, and while “grow tall” and “thrive” seem to match “grow grand” from the second stitch, I just liked “sprout” better.

“Reeds” was also “rushes” or “flag” (I have no idea why “flag” was used) and “grow grand” was also “flourish”, “thrive”, and “grow”. Grow grand just had a better feel for me.

For me this verse reminds us that God set the order of things and no matter how greatly we want to, we cannot change physics or nature or anything along the lines of the divine. Whether it is the natural benefits of the “man, woman, and kids” family unit or the evil that causes rape, murder, and substance abuse.

For whatever reason, I am reminded of my paradigm of a great Chinese fallacy. While China produces enormous amounts of steel, they do not seem to do so to meet the standards required by most normal uses of the material. Apparently, the same is true of generic drugs and many technical items, but that is hearsay for me. And it is not that they cannot, as our new dell computer (like the last three) is a quality machine, but often they give the impression that they do not spend the money to do things properly. This characteristic is generally of people or organizations and not countries, but the volume and quantity of inferior, low-quality items coming out of China paints the entire output with a bad reputation. Do people not understand that statistics apply to them as well as to us? My industry has a seemingly unending list of failures strictly due to substandard material produced in China. Maybe it is simply their criminal element acting inappropriately, but “made in Japan” still carries a hint of high quality that one is willing to pay more for.

Reality. That is the common denominator. If we want papyrus, we need water and nutrients. If we want thriving anything, we have to put in all the right ingredients, which sometimes cost money and effort. If we want Godly lives, then we have to learn about God. If we want to serve others, then we need to learn about their needs. If we want others to produce high quality products, then we cannot settle for less. My nice new shirt on my back says made in Sri Lanka. It may not be as great as something made in Texas or made in America, but I feel like I have at least tried to make a difference as my pastor calls me to be a Difference Maker.