Contrast

Black and white, right and wrong, hot and cold, light and dark, fat and thin....you get it. Contrast - opposites. The world has to have contrast.



Art utilizes and even requires contrast. Notice when you look at a pencil drawing how very important shading is in order to show the subject. The lights and darks make the drawing have depth and life.

In music, there is contrast. Loud/quiet, fast/slow, dissonance/resolution - without it it would be nothing. These contrasts elicit an emotional response from the listener.

Books and stories have the same elements to draw the reader into the story, painting the verbal picture of the surroundings, characters, and emotions. There is happiness and sadness, love and hate, good and bad characters.

In movies, the same contrast principles apply, but with the added burden of ensuring that the visual experience connects with the intended purpose.

OK - you get the contrast principle and how important it is in life. The Bible in it's very entirety has the contrast principle. There is life and peace in God, and torment and death apart from God. There IS heaven, and there IS hell. There is Redemption, and there is Judgement. The believer rejoices in Redemption, and the unrepentant sinner should (and will) quiver at the horror judgement.

So many pastors today are choosing to not speak of the judgement of God, saying that it "will take away from the grace of God" - far be it from the truth! In leaving out and ignoring the wickedness of sin and it's consequences of death, one is actually diminishing the saving grace of Christ in redemption! The contrast principle applies so beautifully here - because of the wickedness of my heart apart from Christ, I am all the more thankful for redemption through grace.

On a lighter note - I think it is wise for wives to cook some really bad meals once in a while so that our good meals will be noticed more :)