Sunday, January 23, 2011

 

Sunday Reflection: Spoken into existence


Genesis 1:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.


Think about that-- God said "let there be light," and then there was. I've always appreciated that the Judeo-Christian creation story (whether one takes it literally or not) describes a God who speaks things into existence. Words do matter.

We, too, create through our words. We create relationships, conflicts, trust, war-- all the things that are most meaningful. We marry one another by speaking to someone; we pledge ourselves to what we believe with words; we declare who we are when we speak our own name.

Jesus taught that it is not what goes in our mouth that makes us unclean-- it is what comes out (Matthew 15:11). Certainly, we have the power to hurt one another through words, and I have already written about that, but this is something else-- the amazing power to create through words. Once in a while, someone will use exactly the right word-- "chastened" or "besotted" for example-- and that is enough for me to turn to them and listen for a long, long time.

Yes, we should be careful about our words, so they do not cause harm, but also free with them as we create and love; each one can be a gift.

What will you create with your words?

Comments:
I pray my words will help create...

Joy.
Hope .
Love .
Encouragement.
Goodness.
 
A scientific paper...which is all about seeking the truth and finding that truth is not always convenient or what facts have predicted it should be, about finding answers that lead to more questions.
A scientific paper as a mere segment of life- unexpected and humbling at every single turn, but all along approached and accomplished with love and dedication...a scientific paper as close to a religious experience as I could possibly get.
 
billable hours
 
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