We're reading The Odyssey in my World Literature class right now, and the assignment for tomorrow is to write about how one of the episodes in books 9-12 relates to something that has happened during our time at Bethel. "Think carefully about what each episode is really about in terms of a test, trial, temptation, or obstacle to/for Odysseus’ homecoming. Who is your Circe, Cyclops, or Sirens? What’s your underworld?"
I was at the designer run for "Jane Eyre" tonight.
"For as sirens call the sailors/ She calls me now."
This line is sung several times through the show, and I love the allusion.
So, when I read the assignment, which I am currently avoiding, I got excited.
a few brief character descriptions and plot summaries:
Circe: lives on an island, turns people into swine (I played her in 8th grade.)
Odysseus tricks her, convinces her to let him and his sailors leave. She is helpful.
Cyclops (Polyphemus): kills and eats two of Odysseus' men. plans to kill and eat all of them. Odysseus blinds him, tricks him, escapes. Polyphemus happens to be Poseidon's son. Poseidon is angry and causes Odysseus to be delayed in his return to Ithaca. Odysseus is pretty much at fault for his troubles.
Sirens: sing beautiful songs to attract sailors. Odysseus wants to hear them, so he makes his sailors tie him up, stuff wax in their ears, and row past them. no matter how much Odysseus shouted at the men and struggled at his bindings, the sailors do not hear him and leave him tied up.
The story of what happened in the land of the Lotus-Eaters is only about fifteen lines long, but I find it to be a significant metaphor. After nine days of bad winds, Odysseus and his men arrive at the land of the Lotus-Eaters. They go ashore and three of the men are sent to meet the locals. the Lotus-Eaters are a harmless people, but they give the men some of their delicious fruit. Those who ate the fruit "Lost the will to report back, preferring instead/ To stay there, munching lotus, oblivious of home." They must be dragged back to the ships and tied up. Odysseus hurries the rest of the men to leave the land.
As I thought about what to write, I began to realize how much this relates to our daily struggles with sin. it is so easy to be stuck in a rut, lacking any desire to escape. We can lose sight of the glory that is waiting for us when this life is over. this realization terrifies me. As I read Homer's epic, I tend to think of the characters as foolish. Their struggles are often the results of their own choices and actions. I'm not a fan of comparing myself to fools and finding that we are similar.
What can I do to avoid making the same mistakes?
First of all, I only believe in one God.
Along that line of thinking, the God I believe in is not much like the gods of the Greeks. He forgives me; He loves me; He desires a relationship with me. How cool is that? He gives me strength.
When God created humans, He created them in His image. I know that this is a complicated and controversial topic, but I'm not going to talk about physical appearance or anything like that. It's not worth it. No, I'm talking about free will. God can do anything He wants. (I do remember the series on Things That Are Impossible For God that we did with the Junior High last year, but I think that those were not things that God would want to do.) My point is, God gave mankind the ability to choose. He did not operate Adam and Eve like machines. They were allowed to give in to temptation. We have this choice, too. We can decide what to do when faced with the temptation to sin. We don't have to take the lotus that we are given. Homer doesn't tell us how much the sailors knew about what they were eating, so we don't know whether or not they knew what they were getting into. Did Eve know what she was doing? I wasn't there, so I can't be sure, but I do know that the Devil is a liar. He knows a lot about human nature, and has a way with words. Eve had a choice. She didn't have to eat the fruit, but she did. Adam did, too. And for that, mankind is cursed.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
We've all tasted the lotus and we know that it is delicious. Let's be real, it's fun to sin. The fun doesn't always last, but for a while it feels great to do things our own way. It's no good to be content with sinning.
What do we do next? How do we get out of the rut?
Surround yourself with people who are going to show you some tough love. The sailors had Odysseus to help them out. It's important to have a trusted friend or group of friends to keep you accountable, even if you don't always want to hear what they have to say. Make sure they are willing to bind you under the benches.
Educate yourself. Understand sin. Figure out ways to identify it and avoid it. Learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit's prompts. If you're not sure about whether or not something is sin, DON'T DO IT!! Ask someone you know to be spiritually mature.
Spend time with God. He gives you every second of every day. He deserves your attention. If a Father is willing to send His Son to be slaughtered so that we can live with Him forever, you can give up some of "your" precious time.
Friends, I'm writing these things to myself, too. I don't have it all figured out, and I fully acknowledge that. But I hope that we can learn together.
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