Where We Stand
“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough”
― Oprah Winfrey
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a Thane returns from battle only to have his life dramatically altered by greed. What was Macbeth’s attitude before and after he met the witches and how does his story relate to Saul from 1 Samuel? After defeating MacDonald in battle, Macbeth’s friends spoke highly of him, “For brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name- Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel… like valor’s minion carved out his passage.” (Act 1, scene 2, lines 16-19) At this point Macbeth was oblivious that he was soon to be titled Thane of Cawdor and he had not yet met the witches. The text describes his battle skills brutally, “they meant to bathe in reeking wounds.” (Act 1, scene 2, line 39) Macbeth seemed to be unmoved by the bloody vicious battles. So were his sinister actions following in the story really case by the supernatural or were they simply and amplified version of the old Macbeth? After meeting the three wits on the outside of town, Macbeth was instantly sucked into their words, “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.” (Act 1, scene 3, line 71) Perhaps Lady Macbeth played a role in her husband’s folly, for upon reading
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After meeting them, both he and his wife became compelled to keep ascending he power ladder. We find a somewhat parallel story in God’s word, but what can we really learn from these stories? The lesson to be learned here is a lesson of contentment. Though it seems a broad and minor topic, discontentment is one of the most difficult struggles of the human nature. It is the struggle to understand that God put us here for a very important reason and though we may not know it all or have it all, we must choose to be content and change the world, not from the mountain top, but from where we