Words of life

I try to write something for this blog each month. So of course I should post something in March 2020, this intensely tumultuous, significant time. 

But I’ve been stuck.

Why?

In part, I’ve been taking in so many words, morning to night. Probably many of you have, too. News that’s hard and heavy or indignant and outraged, all day, everywhere. Comments and tweets and articles with opinions, emotions, experiences. So many words. Will it really help for me to add more to the pile? I love words but am perhaps a little weary of them right now. Maybe instead of generating more words, I should encourage us to listen to the spring birds. Maybe what we most need is to sit quietly. 

And also...Probably like many of you, my thoughts and emotions have been shifting, erratic, unstable. It’s not that I don’t have ideas of what to write.  I have many, swinging wildly sometimes, and I don’t know which ones to try to capture.

And also…What if what I write doesn’t resonate with what you’re experiencing? If I write about anxiety when you’re feeling peaceful, or write hopefully when you’re feeling angry, or write with faith when you’re experiencing doubts–will it be helpful? When having a conversation with one person, I know more of what kind of words might give grace. When I’m writing a blog post for many, it’s harder to hit the mark. It seems that it might be good to hold back, to be quick to listen and slow to speak.

But. 

God has given us the gift of language. He communicates with us through words. We don’t live by bread alone but by every word that comes from his mouth (Matthew 4:4) And he’s given us the gift of words to communicate with each other, not just for exchanging information, but to share ourselves. Some other ways that we share life are less accessible when practicing quarantine during a pandemic. But we can still share ourselves with words.

People who had been watching Jesus were distrubed by some of the confusing things he was saying. (“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him”). He wasn’t performing according to their expectations. (When would he use his power to overthrow Rome?) Many of them, disappointed or annoyed, drifted away. He asked his closest friends if they wanted to leave as well.

Peter answered: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (This story is in John 6).

Jesus gives us words of eternal life. We may be confused, anxious, frustrated, grieving, dismayed–or happy and hopeful. He understands. And he gives us words for all of it. Words to express grief (Psalm 6, 71) and words of confident hope (Psalm 91, Romans 8). Words of comfort (Isaiah 41:10, John 16:33) and words of challenge (Luke 12:22-26, John 13:34). His eternally living words give what our souls need today, throughout this time of trial, and always. 

Through these last several weeks, I’ve been carrying on in my Bible reading plan. Each morning, my app tells me what to read, and I read it. As I’ve read Numbers and Deuteronomy, Luke, Psalms and Proverbs, I’ve marveled many times at how beautifully and relevantly the passages for that day speak to our current situation and to my own needs. I know my experience is happening all over the world, as it has for millenia. Morning by morning, God speaks to his people through his words. Truly this Word is living and active.

How very good of God to give us words.

Today, may you discover words that give you life, and share them with others.

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105)