{"id":4931,"date":"2019-04-07T09:00:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-07T14:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=4931"},"modified":"2019-02-27T19:48:55","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T01:48:55","slug":"choose-to-explore-contradictory-concepts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=4931","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Explore Contradictory Concepts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Choices change our lives\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>By Barbara Dahlgren<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4935 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Oxymoron-definition...-churchartsub-300x212.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"239\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Oxymoron-definition...-churchartsub-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Oxymoron-definition...-churchartsub-768x542.jpg 768w, https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Oxymoron-definition...-churchartsub-1024x722.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Oxymoron-definition...-churchartsub-600x423.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 239px) 100vw, 239px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There is no denying we live in a world where something good is referred to as bad and something can be so hot it\u2019s considered cool. We have become adept in accepting things that sound illogical. That\u2019s why the oxymoron is so common today.<\/p>\n<p>Oxymora are phrases where words that seem to have opposite meanings are used together for a special effect. It\u2019s a contradiction in terms. One example would be \u201cpretty ugly.\u201d How can something be \u201cpretty\u201d and \u201cugly\u201d at the same time? Who knows? But in the English language, it is commonly accepted.<\/p>\n<p>The word \u201coxymoron\u201d is an oxymoron in itself. It comes from the ancient Greek. \u201cOxus\u201d means sharp or keen; \u201cMoros\u201d means dull or foolish. Therefore, we have a word which means sharp dullness or as some like to say, \u201ca foolish wise.\u201d I guess some things we\u2019ll never understand, but in all its incongruousness, the oxymoron permeates everyday communication.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few and I\u2019m sure you could come up with many more. The list is endless.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>same difference<\/li>\n<li>living dead<\/li>\n<li>virtual reality<\/li>\n<li>sweet sorrow<\/li>\n<li>limited lifetime warranty<\/li>\n<li>original copy<\/li>\n<li>authentic reproduction<\/li>\n<li>definite maybe<\/li>\n<li>local long distance<\/li>\n<li>genuine imitation<\/li>\n<li>pail volunteers<\/li>\n<li>non-dairy creamer<\/li>\n<li>new classic<\/li>\n<li>honest thief<\/li>\n<li>quiet noise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Some oxymora have become so laughable you rarely see them anymore. Who can say <em>honest politician<\/em> without smirking? Anyone using those words together must be <em>terribly nice<\/em> or <em>standing fast<\/em> on <em>bittersweet<\/em> memories of days gone by and unaware of the <em>constant changes<\/em> in our society. <em>Good grief<\/em>! But I digress\u2026<\/p>\n<p>So adept have we become at accepting this way of communicating that I\u2019m amazed people have trouble believing the Bible. For at first glance, it appears to have many contradictory concepts as well. We have the virgin birth which many would consider an oxymoron. We have the long awaited Messiah, Jesus Christ, coming to earth as a baby not a warrior. After He convinces everyone He is the Savior, He is crucified and dies. Then He is resurrected and goes off to heaven. God just doesn\u2019t seem to do things in what we humans would call a logical way.<\/p>\n<p>There are other things God mentions that may seem illogical to us:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jesus is the beginning and the end. (Revelation 1:8)<\/li>\n<li>God became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14)<\/li>\n<li>If we want to get, we must give. (Ecclesiastes 11:1; Luke 6:38)<\/li>\n<li>We must forgive others even if they don\u2019t forgive us. (Matthew 6:15)<\/li>\n<li>If we want to live forever, we must die. (Matthew 16:25)<\/li>\n<li>Freedom means serving others. (Galatians 5:13)<\/li>\n<li>God uses the foolish to confound the wise. (I Corinthians 1:27)<\/li>\n<li>To be exalted, we must humble ourselves. (Matthew 18:14; 1 Peter 5:6)<\/li>\n<li>God loved the world so much He sent His Son to die for it. (John 3:16,17)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4936\" src=\"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Beginning-and-end...Rev_.-1.8-churchartsub-207x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"207\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Beginning-and-end...Rev_.-1.8-churchartsub-207x300.jpg 207w, https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Beginning-and-end...Rev_.-1.8-churchartsub-768x1110.jpg 768w, https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Beginning-and-end...Rev_.-1.8-churchartsub-708x1024.jpg 708w, https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Beginning-and-end...Rev_.-1.8-churchartsub-600x868.jpg 600w, https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Beginning-and-end...Rev_.-1.8-churchartsub.jpg 1350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Consider this\u2026 On the surface this list may seem like a contradiction of concepts. However, just like oxymora are used for special effects, God uses Biblical phraseology in the same way. It deepens our understanding of salvation and enhances our relationship with God.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps if we gave the Bible the same consideration we give our everyday language, these concepts would not seem so foreign to us. In a world where good can be bad but really be good, it should be easier to accept the concept that Jesus lived and died but can really be alive!<\/p>\n<p><strong>One final thought\u2026<\/strong> Just because we can\u2019t see a physical image of God, doesn\u2019t mean He doesn\u2019t exist. And that\u2019s the <em>long and short<\/em> of it!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choices change our lives\u2026 By Barbara Dahlgren &nbsp; There is no denying we live in a world where something good is referred to as bad and something can be so hot it\u2019s considered cool. We have become adept in accepting &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=4931\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4931\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}