Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Remember looking in one of your books from childhood and seeing a picture something like this one? The image may not have been the same, but the instructions under it were similar. The question posed was “What’s wrong with this picture?” And you would look carefully to determine what was amiss. Maybe the duck had a dog’s tail, or maybe the table was missing a leg. Or perhaps, try as you might, you weren’t able to discover what was wrong. So, now we repeat the question, what’s wrong with this picture?
The simple answer is that it’s upside down, it’s inverted. Maybe our first clue is that the proportions just don’t seem right. Or maybe you recognize that gravity isn’t working as it’s supposed to. To some it may be appealing; it may have a certain attraction, but that doesn’t mean it is as it should be.
Paul warns us against being misled. “Don’t let yourselves be deceived. Talking about things that are not true is bound to be reflected in practical conduct. Come back to your senses, and don’t dabble in sinful doubts.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 J.B. Phillips New Testament) That sound advice could be applied to many situations besides the one he was specifically addressing. Good advice that may require us looking more carefully.