The Most Important Words

The choice to live on a farm in the middle of a cornfield seemed overwhelming at first. I was worried about my children being “separated” from the small-town life they were accustomed to. There weren’t any sidewalks for bike riding. There was no park to walk to. There were no friends next door. In hindsight, it was the best decision we ever made. Hands down, moving out to a quiet place where the wind blows freely, and the sky is so dark at night you can see the stars has been a pure blessing. My heart is so full of the sense of “home”.

Yet this isn’t my home, is it?

My home is far from here. It is a place which is indescribable by man. There were various attempts in scripture to describe what awaits us in heaven.  I think those attempts are not complete. The sheer amazement must have been overwhelming to the writers describing such a place. The overwhelming peace, joy, and content, unlike anything we have ever known. The sheer magnificence of it all must have rendered them speechless. Don’t even get me started on the way it must look, let alone the way it must feel.

How do you put into words something you can’t even get your own mind around?

I make feeble attempts to describe the love I have for my husband, my children, my grandchildren, and my Savior. I try to describe the moments of joy, grief, love and heartache, but do I really capture the soulful etching which takes place? I make a valid attempt. As noble as it seems to share things with my readers, I am not sure how much of it they can relate to or how well I am able to convey the message on my heart. It makes me think of others who have written for a greater purpose than I. 

I wonder sometimes if the authors of scripture worried about conveying the message of God correctly.

I wonder if they worried about context, pronouns and correct verbiage to build a platform for Christ.

I wonder if my words touch anyone- I wonder if they felt the same.

I wonder if they knew the impact their words would have.

I picture them, sitting at a giant stone workspace or on a floor, writing on papyrus and recording everything, their pens unable to keep up with their brains and all they have experienced.

I picture Paul writing those hard letters to Corinth, telling them what they were doing wrong and how to fix it. Was he confident? Was he worried they would think he was “just another man”? Would they believe his words were literally from the God of the universe?

I picture Luke, recording his experiences with Jesus, wanting to get it accurate. I can envision him sitting down to record a timeline of events. He couldn’t possibly have understood the meaning or implications of most of them.

I picture John seeing the things he had revealed to him, writing Revelation for us. I imagine his wonder at what he was shown and asked to record. I wonder if he understood the possibility of it all.

I wonder a lot of things about words. One thing I have learned, God’s words ring true- every single time.

There has never been a time in my life when the scripture didn’t tell me exactly what I needed to hear, or sometimes didn’t want to listen to. There are times when people and their words disappoint fully. There are times when I am so stunned, tired or spiritually broken, I don’t have any words at all.

I return to scripture, where the words ring true. I return to the words penned through men by God. These are the words I can depend on. These are the words I can live by and turn to. They are never inaccurate, they are never impossible.

These words make promises and keep them. They are a beautiful story of life from the very beginning of time; a love letter written for all the world. All we need to do is read and understand them. Accept and cherish them, and pass them on to others we love.

XOXO

Angie