They Perceived Jesus to be alive and Ascended into Heaven
Christopher Wren
In 1675 a
fire devastated London England. Nine
years later Sir Christopher Wren laid a foundation stone in what would be his
greatest architectural achievement--the building of St. Paul's Cathedral. It took him thirty-five
long years to complete his task, and when it was done he waited breathlessly
for the reaction of her majesty, Queen Anne. After being carefully shown
through the structure, she summed up her feelings for the architecture in three
words: "It is awful; it is amusing; it is artificial."
Imagine how you would feel if words like these were used to describe the work of your life! But if you were to read the biography of Sir Christopher Wren you would learn that upon hearing these words from his Queen he heaved a sigh of relief and bowed gratefully before his sovereign. How could this be? The explanation is simple: In 1710 the word awful meant "awe-inspiring," the word amusing meant "amazing," and the word artificial meant "artistic."
What to our ears might sound like a devastating criticism were in that time words of measured praise. Adapted from Illustrations from Biblical Preaching, by Rev. Brett Blair
Imagine how you would feel if words like these were used to describe the work of your life! But if you were to read the biography of Sir Christopher Wren you would learn that upon hearing these words from his Queen he heaved a sigh of relief and bowed gratefully before his sovereign. How could this be? The explanation is simple: In 1710 the word awful meant "awe-inspiring," the word amusing meant "amazing," and the word artificial meant "artistic."
What to our ears might sound like a devastating criticism were in that time words of measured praise. Adapted from Illustrations from Biblical Preaching, by Rev. Brett Blair
Do you have wrong perceptions about people and things based on misunderstanding reality?
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