It’s been a busy week and this is the last day before WordPress changes the weekly photo challenge so here are my pics/thoughts on “contrast“: This pic came to mind (although it’s not mine) which has been shared on facebook:
This picture of contrasting mindsets or cultures is pretty funny and profoundly deep at the same time, I think. It reminded me that Oman itself is a real contrast to “the usual suspects” in the neighborhood:
With Saudi Arabia to the west, Iran to the northeast across the Strait of Hormuz and Yemen to the southwest, Oman is a refreshing contrast to the repressive regimes of the area.
This pic of me with recent Omani graduates is another reminder to me of contrast; not so much of the “contrast between West and Middle-East” as the contrast of what I thought Oman would be like and what it is in fact like.
The stark difference beween actually living in Oman compared to my ideas of what Oman might be like before coming here 4 1/2 years ago is nothing compared with the reality of married life and parenthood contrasted to what I thought it would be like. To be honest, I was a bit nervous bringing a child into this world, but the truth is that being a father is one of the greatest blessings I’ve ever known.
Speaking of my son, we recently celebrated his 2nd birthday. We had a few close friends over to celebrate at our home which is a big contrast to the bigger McDonald’s birthday party we threw for his 1st year party.
With a daughter on the way (due date April 17th!), I wonder if there will be a huge contrast between our babies and our experience of raising them. I have come to realize that there is a contrast between how some see babies in this world as a blessing from God and how others see them as “inconveniences”. You know the type I’m talking about.
One of the greatest pictures of contrast is found in one of my favorite Psalms from the Holy Scriptures, Psalm 1, which is a contrast between the righteous and the wicked.
Andy in Oman 