A Look in the Mirror - Week 2

   When I first started my journey in faith, many years ago, I read the Bible like a storybook. Truth be told, the Bible is a storybook. However, it holds truth and meaning that surpasses any other book in the world, and I never understood that.

   During my time in this ministry, I have been leaning more into the analysis of the Scripture, and what it is telling me on a deeper level. The most impactful moment for me when analyzing the scripture was during my sermon about grace. I was talking with my partner, and she laughed with me when I became so animated that I lost my breath.

   The Scripture in question is Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” I was writing this out, and took a moment to think about that, and realized the gravity of what was being said. Honestly, in any dark times, or when I may doubt if I’m worthy of God’s love, I think back to that verse.

   I took the time to really think about that verse, and to understand what it was saying. That took a lot of time, and truthfully, I’m sure there is more analysis that I could be doing about it. However, we have to do this with more than only one verse. I’ve also been looking into the parables, and pondering those.

  I was having a conversation with my brother the other day about religion, and he told me about how he felt that he knew enough about scripture that he didn’t necessarily need to learn more. I told him about the parable of the rich fool. I didn’t have it memorized word for word, but I did have the meaning memorized.

   Through that, I was able to show him the importance of staying spiritually hungry. I honestly believe that it is better to have the meaning behind something memorized than to have the words memorized. I have sang in choirs for years, and I can say that my best performances were in Latin. I don’t speak the language, but I took time to learn what I was saying, how best to say it, and the context behind the songs.

   Knowing what the context and interpretation of your words is so important. It’s why we take time to pick our words carefully in our conversations. Even my sermons, or devotionals or reflections I write out first, that way I don’t have to come up with words on the fly. By choosing the words before I say them, I get the privilege of crafting my message to be the best that it can be.

   So this week, and for all weeks after, I’m going to take time to not only read, but understand the word of God. Like how we can hear without listening, we can read without understanding. I am going to aim to understand all of what God puts in front of me. Have a wonderful week, and God bless!