Soulshine

“One evening King David rose from his bed and strolled about on the roof of the king’s house. From the roof he saw a woman bathing; she was very beautiful. David sent people to inquire about the woman and was told, ‘She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, and wife of Uriah the Hittite .’   Then David sent messengers and took her. When she came to him, he took her to bed. ” 2 Samuel, The Hebrew Bible There are interesting parallels between the Hebrew story of King David and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story of Jay Gatsby. Both men see themselves as sons of God, destined for greatness. David conquers the Goliaths of his world and Gatsby conquers the Goliaths of his world. It seems easy for the two of them to conquer the men of their respective worlds. Maybe that’s because it’s part of God’s vision for their lives and the purpose that each one of them is meant to serve. But neither one of them is able to conquer the Goliaths they face of the opposite sex. In fac...

"His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people — his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island , sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that--   and he must be about His Father's business.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby How many of us see ourselves as a “son of God” or a daughter of God? If we are the average addictive person, who is struggling with believing in him or her self, then I would say we most likely have never really seen ourselves as a son or daughter of God; at least not in the truest sense of a character like Jay Gatsby. But aren’t we all truly sons and daughters of God? Yes we are. And aren’t we all created for a specific purpose to be fulfilled in this lifetime? Yes, we are. And what is that purpose? Primarily our purpose is to grow into being our unique selves 100 perc...