Gentle Reader,
Fifteen or eighty-five.
In my heart, I’m fifteen, complete with the attendant maturity level. (I don’t know if this is due to spending increasing amounts of time with actual teenagers or if this is just…me). My body, though, it’s about eighty-five today. All my joints hurt. If my hands had the ability to speak, they’d yell at me right now for making them type. Every knuckle throbs.
Nauseated. Why? Because it’s Thursday.
Accidentally fell asleep for three hours this afternoon.
Looked in the mirror a bit ago. Ghostly pale face. Dark rings around my eyes. Why the Victorians were into this fragile, wilted-flower look, I’ll never know.
Nothing fun about it. But a most excellent reminder to dwell on thoughts of Heaven, to hope for renewal, to have faith in restoration, to remember Jesus.
Kate says: offer.
Go.
Evan Welcher reminds people of God’s love for them every day on his social media accounts. Literally; he posts the words “God loves you” every single day. The simplest of offerings with the most radical potential to change lives. Three little words containing an eternity’s worth of meaning.
I am thankful for his consistency, for I am easily distracted from this fundamental truth. You know, the Devil, he doesn’t play fair. He knows where the weak spots are and goes after them continually. If he can get me to doubt God’s love, then he’s won that battle. I am wrecked when I take hold of the lie.
That’s got me thinking about the words I offer to others. If everyone needs to know that God loves us (and everyone does need to know), then I think perhaps we need a revival in our speech, a scrubbing of our tongues. For if God loves us (and He does), then shouldn’t it be natural for us to use words like beloved, darling, dear and precious with each other? Not in a creepy or saccharine way. In the way that reminds us of who we are in Him.
So hear me tonight. Because God is love, and He loves you:
You are the beloved. You were created by the Master Artist, placed into this context for a reason. God does not make garbage.
You are the darling. God watches you sleep at night, like the proud Father He is.
You are the dear. You are the apple of His eye. He is proud of you every time you make the hard choice to obey Him.
You are the precious. Every breath is given to you as a gift of grace.
The world and the Devil in it will throw a lot of other words your way. Instead of accepting them uncritically, take each one and hold it up in the light of truth. There, the darkness dissolves.
Stop.
I surely don’t feel chosen,
or a favoured son.
Wounds have got me frozen
but I’m still here on the gun.
They say I have a pallor,
and there’s buzzing in my brain.
Don’t speak to me of valour;
i’m here to bring the pain.
This is the final place for me,
and in reading every sign,
I will not see victory
but i will hold the line.
Then I’ll rise, though I am dead
curious to see what lies ahead.
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Andrew, I’m so grateful that you’re my brother.
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I just want to offer TRUTH.
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Amen, Susan!
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I think we can all use regular reminders of God’s love and the truth of how he sees us!
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Definitely! I think that you do an excellent job of issuing those reminders. 🙂
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What an impact I can have with my words…with my tongue – and yes with a bit of a “revival” in my speech. Much more praise, more encouragement, more reminders of God’s love and goodness….and much less chit chat – and words just for the sake of words.
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I hear you, Jennifer. There are times when we all feel compelled to fill the silence, even if it isn’t helpful. So maybe sometimes it’s not only what we say, but what we choose not to say. A continual lesson!
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Oh, this has brought tears to my eyes! You have such a way to touch our hearts and souls! Thank you for the gift of this message and for the inspiration to pass it on!
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Cindy, thank you so much! You have such a sweet heart and an encouraging spirit. So glad to know you!
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The light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it
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A-to-the-men!
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Darkness dissolves! YES!!! So good, my friend! (Sorry you are not feeling well! Is your Saturday gig still happening? I’m praying for you!)
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I’m ready for darkness to be obliterated. I want to dance in the light! (Yes, the Saturday gig happened. I am a pathetic salesperson. All the books are gone, but they did not go for consistent prices and I definitely gave some away…).
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“For if God loves us (and He does), then shouldn’t it be natural for us to use words like beloved, darling, dear and precious with each other? ” I took a workshop from author and pastor Jonathon Merritt at the Festival of Faith and Writing last year. He spoke about the way words are defined by culture and how that affects their ability to endure. He said that words like “kind” are significantly used less than they were several years ago. He also said that there have been revivals of languages that nearly disappeared. Recognizing how we speak significantly influences it’s identity.
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Really interesting. I wonder why “kind” is disappearing from the scene? Is it because it’s become more acceptable to be less than kind, or because we aren’t recognizing and applauding kindness in each other? Huh. Something for me to ponder.
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