‘ R I G I N A L

The Daily Post Prompt: Original

The drawings are original. They are not copies of prints on a school house wall. Perhaps some elements contained in the drawings resemble things we’ve seen before. But these are original. Luda told her father that when she’s famous, she’ll buy hime ‘veto. Luda sings, too. Her totally original lyrics are incredible. “One day,” she dreams.

This is an original oil painting. It’s history is lost. The painter, too, may be lost. Or perhaps not. It isn’t clear. But it’s still an original.

Once, at a souvenir seller’s cart on a beach near Pondicherry, India, I looked a a row of carved and painted shells.

“What’s the difference between these shells,” I asked. “They all look the same.”

“Each one is by a different craftsman,” he replied. Then we went on to tell me something like the craftsmen put their own touches to what is a common theme. Originals, all of them, I suppose.

So what’s not original?

I liked the 2012 version of the movie Red Dawn starring Chris Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, Josh Hutchinson. The overall story was similar the movie upon which is was based, adding a few updates to make it current to 2012.

But I liked the original movie from 1984 better. It starred the late Patrick Swayze and C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson. Though it is suppose to be set in Colorado, it was filmed in New Mexico. The whole town got involved with film process. As with any decent movie, it has conflict, action scenes, a romantic element, heros, cowards, villeins, and villeins that are sorta good guys caught up on the “wrong” side of things—from our perspective.

Okay. Original art. Original movies. What about original people. Rare indeed. Maybe only one. We are a product of our heredity and our environment. We are influenced. We learn from others. Perhaps we as humans produce things that may be wholly unique and original, or combine or build upon the work of others in original ways, but we are all products of someone that came before us. When we  out from the same mold. Now that mold was an original. And the mold is no more.

The first human was Adam. The second human was Eve, made from Adam. Eve was modeled off the original, not a remake, not wholly original, either. Eve got broken. Adam followed suit. Two broken people having and raising broken kids. We’ve been broken ever since. Okay. So you say Adam and Eve aren’t real. It’s just a story. As my teenager says when she disagrees with me, “Whatever.” But let us agree to disagree on that point, but agree that it illustrates the point that we, as humans, aren’t really human anymore. We’ve lost the pure humanity that Adam, or that we were meant to have, that we were meant to have through Adam when he  was formed from the earth, and had life breathed into him by our LORD.

The one person that is truly an original is Y’shuaJesus. Here’s how the author of the letter to the Hebrews puts it:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:1-4)

Original. We can return to purity we were intended to have, the purity of Adam. Y’shuaJesus invited us to do so. Daily Bread provides guidance for a personal relationship with our Lord.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .