There are two powerful words from antiquity — behold and beware. Behold is positive, while beware is negative. One is filled with promise, the other with caution.
Behold - the positive word
- Behold the possibilities — the opportunities that lie before you.
- Behold the future and give it shape with your vision.
- Behold the chances you have been given and make the most of them.
- Behold, the spring has come, bringing new beginnings.
- Behold, the day has arrived, the sun is shining, and the shadows are fleeing away.
- Behold, the next person you meet might be a lifelong friend.
Beware - the negative word
- Beware of what you become in the pursuit of what you want.
- Beware of foxes in the vineyard — those who deceive and exploit.
- Beware of the weeds that creep into your garden, threatening what you have cultivated.
- Beware of destructive ideologies that seek to infiltrate and distort your thinking.
Throughout our lives, we have to navigate between behold and beware. When a child begins school, there is the excitement of opportunity (behold) and the need to understand the dangers that lie ahead (beware). The same applies when one gets married, starts a business, enters politics, or joins a religious institution. Every new path offers possibilities but also pitfalls.
Some things we go for in our lives cost us more than we anticipate. We may become too obsessed with achieving a certain goal, only to find out later that the price was too big to pay. If we had known better, we never would have paid. We should not become so obsessed with some things that we lose our sense of reason or sacrifice what truly matters — our integrity, our relationships, our peace of mind. Ambition is good. But, unchecked, can consume us till we compromise our virtues and values.
Consider the story of Judas Iscariot. The Bible says, Judas got the money — 30 pieces of silver. You may say, that's a success story. It is true that, during that time, it was a significant sum of money. But was it truly a success story?
After Judas got the money, he was unhappy. Not with the money, but with himself. He was so unhappy that he tried to return the silver. The high priests and elders dismissed him, essentially saying, "The heck with you? You got what you wanted, and we got what we wanted" (Matthew 27:4). Now, he becomes so desperate, throws away his fortune and, overwhelmed by regret, goes out and hangs himself. He had become a traitor.
The greatest source of unhappiness is self-unhappiness. The most devastating unhappiness is being unhappy with oneself. As the late Jim Rohn once said, the mild form of unhappiness is alright and often constructive. It is the devastating form of unhappiness that is destructive.
The same applies to emotions like worry and hate. It is alright to have a little worry and hate. We should all worry a little. A little worry can keep us alert and careful. As a parent, if it is 3 am and your daughter has not returned home, you've got to worry. If you are at an intersection and are tempted to jump the red light, you've got to worry. However, we need to refrain from excessive worry since it can consume us.
Hate, too, must be reserved for the right things. We should not to hate our jobs, our lives, or our circumstances. Save it for things that you must hate. Hating everything is the misuse of hate. We should hate real threats like the evil, the weeds that attack our gardens, or the deceptive ideas that seek to mislead our children.
If Judas could speak to us in any clear language, here is what he would say to us: Beware of what you become in the pursuit of what you want. Don't sell out. It is not worth it.
