At some point, most people encounter someone whose sense of style, fashion, or decor feels consistently off. At first, this is easy to dismiss as a matter of preference. Taste is subjective, we tell ourselves. But when poor taste recurs across different contexts, it raises a more unsettling question. What exactly is taste? How does good taste develop? Why do some people seem unable to acquire it? Good taste is often misunderstood as trend awareness or personal expression. In reality, it is something far more restrained and disciplined. Good taste is the ability to recognize proportion, coherence, and intention within a given context. It reflects an understanding of relationships between elements rather than attachment to any single element. People with good taste notice balance, scale, rhythm, and absence. They sense when something is excessive, distracts from its purpose, or draws attention to itself unnecessarily. Most importantly, they adapt their choices to context. What works in o...
Psalm 51 stands as one of the most penetrating reflections on sin, repentance, mercy, and consequence in all of Scripture. It arises directly from one of the darkest episodes in Israel’s history, the sin of King David with Bathsheba, as recorded in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. Together, the narrative and the psalm reveal a God who forgives fully yet allows consequences to unfold, and a king who is restored relationally while still bearing the earthly cost of his actions. While David’s army was away at war, he remained in Jerusalem. From the roof of his palace, he saw Bathsheba bathing. Despite knowing that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of his elite soldiers, David summoned her and slept with her. When Bathsheba became pregnant, David attempted to conceal his sin by recalling Uriah from the battlefield, hoping he would sleep with his wife and assume the child was his own. Uriah refused, demonstrating integrity and solidarity with his fellow soldiers. In desperation, David...