Monthly Archives: March 2020

Meaning of Gold and Silver

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Despite all the unprecedented things going on in the world right now, what, with lock downs, quarantines and virus watching, time still has a way of ticking on. And today happens to land on St. Patrick’s day (March 17th)… so you think I’d be doing some musing about Green, but I’ve changed my mind and have decided to focus on the pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow… and its metallic friend, hi ho Silver. I think we will save Green for next week. So, for all of you who are practicing social distancing and catching up on blog posts… welcome to the colouring party!

When I was younger, gold, silver, copper and all the other metallic colours came in a separate, “deluxe” crayon box… so you knew they were something special. All shiny and sparkly. Gold and Silver are no less special today. I decided to lump them together in our study, but there are some significant differences between the two colours. In some ways they are on opposite ends of the colour spectrum… gold on the “warm”, fiery yellow side and silver on the “cool” blue or grey, moonlit end of the colour wheel. Nonetheless, we are going to consider them together and under the general idea of precious metals.

Often associated with money, gold and silver “meanings” generally follow those connotations: wealth, flashy, proud, expensive. Reserved for the rich and used for choice occasions and events. Gold is often linked with Heaven and the “riches” that await us. Silver is a bit more “common”, although no less precious. Silver in more modern times is often associated with technology and the idea of sterile, mechanical worlds (and often the fear associated with that). Both precious metals are ancient forms of money. Silver was usually stamped with images, whereas gold was melted into shapes. In the King James version of the Bible, gold is mentioned 417 times, silver 320 times, and “money” 140 times. Obviously, God has a lot to say about these precious colours.

Let’s start with Gold. First mentioned in Genesis, gold is mentioned “in the land” as it’s elemental form. Exodus and much of the Old Testament goes on to describe the melting down of gold jewelry for golden idols, the ark of the covenant, the temple, the golden calf, the golden arches… oh, no, wait, that’s something completely different. The value in gold as an element seems to be in the fact that it can withstand purification and the process of “going through the fire”. It’s the pure, end product that is most valued. The perfection, if you will. It’s Heaven for believers. The final goal at the end. It’s what God originally intended for us.

Silver, on the other hand, is a little more “commonplace”. It’s the currency that was used in day to day transactions. Both Joseph and Jesus were “bought” with pieces of silver. Could we say that it represents our earthly lives? I read that there is no mention of silver in the Bible’s description of Heaven. I haven’t checked out that fact, so let me know in the comments if you know otherwise. Silver is said to be the redemptive colour of Truth. It’s how we are “bought” here on earth and all our natural tendencies. Once we acknowledge the truth that Jesus has redeemed us on the cross, we’ve been stamped as His. Like the emperor’s stamp in ancient forms of money. He becomes our ruler until we reach the golden gates. Then we become the one He designed for us from the very beginning.

Now, we have to remember that these are all “interpretive”, and the colours really have no magic formula or redemptive properties themselves. The prophet Haggai reminds us that all the silver and gold belongs to the Lord (Haggai 2:8), as does all the the things we hold precious in this world. It’s just interesting to muse about and see what connections we can make. Like this Fun Fact: an average 70 kg person’s blood contains 0.2mg of gold floating around in it. Apparently, it is beneficial for our joint health; and because it is a good conductor of electricity, gold helps our neurons fire — making for good brain connections. Silver, however, is not used by the body at all and is eliminated. Too much silver can actually be dangerous and with long term exposure to the element, turn your skin a blue-grey colour.

So. As the world ponders the developments currently unfolding in the COVID-19 pandemic, and we watch the stock markets fall, and many of us worry about health and our jobs as we reduce our social interactions and cancel large gatherings, I hope you are reminded that like gold, we are being refined for the other side. When our common, silver-lined comforts like toilet paper are being hoarded, it becomes toxic to us. Our minds should be focused on what we were made for before sin entered our world. That we look forward to the streets of gold and not simply on the exchange of silver pieces here on Earth. We have a Hope, beloveds, not simply a “silver lining” in uncertain times, but a true, solid, refined by fire, Hope in Christ. So stay Golden, my friends.

I’m excited to be hosting this colouring party here at mittonmusings.com! I can’t wait until we pull out the next colour from our box of crayons next week! Don’t want to miss the adventure?! Join us and receive the muses each week via email! Subscribe here.

I Still Believe Movie Review

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Have you ever thought about the colours of the stars at night? It’s true! Stars can range in colour from deep red to bright blue and pure white! A star’s color indicates its temperature, (red = coolest, white = hottest), composition and relative distance from earth. Its luminosity indicates its size, (the brighter it is, the larger it is). There are many colored stars in the sky and, with a little planning, you can see a rainbow of star colours from your own backyard. I’ve brought the colours of stars to your attention because we’re adding it in to a Bonus Colouring Party Post!! You’ll want to read it, because it includes a giveaway!!

The beloved and I were recently granted a pre-screening of Lionsgate’s newest faith-based movie, I Still Believe, directed by the Erwin Brothers (creators of I Can Only Imagine). It’s based on the inspiring true love story of Christian singer-songwriter, Jeremy Camp and his journey of love and loss. And let me tell you: Hollywood is making leaps and bounds in Christian themed, wholesome, but still entertaining, movies! Okay, it’s not as epic as Lord of the Rings, but the cinematography is good, the soundtrack is fabulous, and we’ve come a long way from the faith-based, family-friendly films of old. Many of you know that I hate a cheesy, gag-inducing love story — so if I can recommend this one, you gotta know it is worth your ticket. But bring the tissues. It’s one of those. Here’s a sneak peek at the trailer:

The star studded cast of KJ Apa, Britt Robertson, Shania Twain and Gary Sinise portray the story of Jeremy Camp’s early beginnings in Christian music and his marriage to Melissa. It’s a story of young love in the midst of a scary diagnosis — and Still Believing that God has a bigger purpose and plan! If you’ve been following mittonmusings for any length of time, you will know that’s a theme that we muse about often. Our life journeys are not so simple, but if God has a plan… there will be a purpose fulfilled! So, I am excited to be promoting a theme of hope that means so much to us here in our little blip of the internet.

It’s been over eighteen years since Camp wrote the words to his song “I Still Believe” in response to Melissa’s story. Yet his faith and trust in God almighty is still vibrant and clear. His life was changed when he met Melissa, and he hopes the movie will be one more step in sharing her story. If you’d like to see more from the filmmakers and those involved in the movie, I’ve posted “the Heart of the Story” here on my Facebook page. God didn’t design our world to include suffering, pain and crappy diseases like cancer — but the Bible promises that He will work all things to His glory and good. And He uses you and me — single stars in this huge expanse of time and space, to write the stories that point us heavenward. Melissa’s character reminds us of this in the movie when she says her suffering will all be worth it if one person’s life is changed because of her story. And so it is with us.

So why stars? It’s a little side plot that Melissa’s character uses to remind us all that even the most troubled stars often shine the brightest. And supernovas can give us some of the most beautiful images (and colours!) in the galaxy — if only we take the time to Still Believe.

The Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant (pixels)

We’ll get back to our regular “colouring party” posts on Tuesday, but because I Still Believe is opening in Canada on Friday, March 13th we wanted to give you this bonus post today — and Give you a chance to win tickets for the show!!! Valued at $25 Canadian, it’s just in time for March break! Take the kids! Who’s bringing popcorn?! Sorry friends farther away, This Movie ticket Giveaway is only open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec) who are over the age of majority. The contest closes March 15th, 2020 at 11:59pm EST. Items you receive may vary from those shown. Click HERE to enter!

Meaning of Blue

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Welcome back to the Colouring Party! I’m afraid to say that today kind of feels like the day after the party here at Chez Mitton. We set our clocks back to daylight savings time on the weekend, the kids were away on a youth retreat, we launched our first ever giveaway here on the blog, and we picked up the eldest son from his midnight flight after his trip to New Zealand. Time flies! Seems like just yesterday we were just saying goodbye… and here he is back again, with a bit more wisdom in his pocket and some jet lag in all of our bodies from the adrenaline rush of his return. Which brings me to this week’s colour: Blue. And I’m feelin’ it today!

Sometimes we say that don’t we? We’re “feeling blue”. Sad and a little depressed. That lack of sleep doesn’t help either. Although, like many of the colours we’ve been looking at, the meaning of blue is complex and varied. Often we use blue to describe the calm, peaceful feeling we get from the ocean waves or clear skies. Almost the opposite of “feeling blue”. Yet again, blue is said to be the colour of “the Divine”, of wisdom, the heavens, of peace. We have plenty of blue catch phrases as well. I found an interesting tidbit on the web’s Urban Dictionary: the idea of a “blue blood” was “…translated from the old Spanish phrase “sangre azul”,[where] blue blood derives from the Medieval belief in Europe (among other places) that the blood of the royalty and nobility was blue; since the royal family and aristocrats were wealthy and powerful enough to pay commoners to labour in the fields for them, [the royal] skin was translucent and pale enough for their blue veins to stand out….” (since they didn’t go out in the sunlight.) Almost the opposite of our definition of “blue collar workers” as requiring plenty of manual labour. Complex thoughts, indeed.

So, where does blue lie within the scriptures? Our blue, here, tends to follow the idea of nobility, grandeur and royalty. Although we do have some references to the calming blue waters next to green pastures in the Psalms, dark blue and deep purple are abundant in descriptions of precious stones and valued silks. Sapphires or “lapis lazuli” are referenced nine times in the Old Testament, including this verse from Exodus 24:

“9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.”

So much for walking the streets of gold in Heaven, I guess. Ezekiel 28 gives us another glance at the deep royalty of blue. Sapphires and other jewels adorn the great King of Tyre in this passage, representing his wisdom and prowess. Many say this is a description of Satan and his fall from Heaven. Once adorned and created as the “seal of perfection” with beauty and sophistication, this “guardian Cherub” became prideful and full of corruption and was eventually cast out by God. A good reminder to us to be wary of all that sparkles. Wealth may not be all “true blue”, shall we say?

Alas, most of us are not adorned with royal sapphires. Diamonds do not bedazzle our imperial necks, nor are we of noble “blue blood”. No worries, I found our blue, dear friends! In the common cuttlefish of the sea. “Techelet” is a Hebrew word referring to an ancient blue dye thought to have been extracted from this squid like creature. Although considered “special” and used sparingly to highlight, this dye was common enough for use in the average Hebrew garment. In the Torah, God commands Hebrew followers to attach “tzitzit” to the four corners of their garments to remind them of the Ten Commandments. (Numbers 15:38-39) This practice is also common among many orthodox Jews even today. One of those “tzitzit” (or fringes as you may have heard them called) should be, you guessed it: blue.

photo from Beit El Blog

Besides the fact that I just love that new word (tzitzit — it’s fun to say and spell!) I discovered new insight into an old Bible story. Many gospels describe the story of a woman with a long standing blood issue. The story tells the tale of this “unclean” and shunned woman who reaches out in faith to touch the “hem” or “fringe” of Jesus’ garment in hopes that, by her fatih alone, she might be healed. Tradition has it that the “fringe” they speak of ? Yup, it is the common blue “tzitzit” of Jesus’s shawl. Cool, eh?

And so we come full circle again in our study. Are you feeling a little “blue” today? Is life catching up with you or has the vast expanse of blue skies ahead have you feeling overwhelmed at the unknown? Perhaps your thoughts of nobility, wealth and wisdom have been stripped away and your skin is a bit more translucent and exposed to the harsh reality of the outside world? Maybe you need a little dose of the calm blue of the “tzitzit”. The ancient reminder of Who is in charge. The healing touch of Christ’s “fringe benefits” in a crowded world of chaos. May you be Blessed with Blue !

Are you enjoying our party?! Don’t forget to enter our I Still Believe movie ticket giveaway: click here. It’s your little “loot bag” for coming to the colouring party! Our movie review is coming soon — so watch your inbox for it! Want to learn more about “tzitzit” (LOL, I just love to say it!). Check out my Pinterest boards for more on how to make your own. Maybe it would be a fun Sunday School craft or home school project? Chat soon, my friends!