I have a sign posted by my desk. It is a paraphrase* from Ephesians 4:29, Dear Lord, Do not let any unkind talk come out of my computer, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it benefit those who listen.
A few months back I ran across a more conventional translation of this and was struck by how much it spoke to my heart, to the deepest desires of my heart when I began blogging here.
It was about a year ago that I began to set-up this web site so that I could write what I hoped might speak the kind of comfort and hope I had been seeking some years ago when my youngest son was incarcerated. I've had some very kind words come my way in the past months and my numbers are growing modestly but steadily so I'm now fairly certain it is not just my sweet family that is reading my words.
As is so often the case when someone writes, I have to think and study as part of the process and this blog blesses me this way every day. When I say something that helps, praise God! If I say something that itches, it might be worth thinking a bit about why that is. If something I write causes pain or anxiety, please accept my heartfelt apology for I am most certainly trying very hard to offer hope, not heap hurts on top of hurts.
In this world, even among God's people, there are so many hurts. Some are caused by our own errors, foolishness or willfulness. But plenty of it is simply part of the brokenness of the world, our nation, our communities, our churches, our families, and, that hardest to acknowledge, ourselves. But it does not matter if our pain is the result of our own actions (good or bad) or the actions of others or the power of nature, our pain is our most common experience.
But God is much bigger than any mess we find ourselves in, any challenges we face, any pain we know. Whatever pain you know today, God is standing with you and longs to offer you His comfort, His peace, His hope.
All Knowing and All Powerful and Ever Present God, comfort us each and all today where we know sorrow, pain, fear, hopelessness and longing in our lives. Teach us to accept Your love, trust You fully and surrender to Your loving arms, because You are both committed to our highest good and fully able to help us on that path. AMEN
A few months back I ran across a more conventional translation of this and was struck by how much it spoke to my heart, to the deepest desires of my heart when I began blogging here.
It was about a year ago that I began to set-up this web site so that I could write what I hoped might speak the kind of comfort and hope I had been seeking some years ago when my youngest son was incarcerated. I've had some very kind words come my way in the past months and my numbers are growing modestly but steadily so I'm now fairly certain it is not just my sweet family that is reading my words.
As is so often the case when someone writes, I have to think and study as part of the process and this blog blesses me this way every day. When I say something that helps, praise God! If I say something that itches, it might be worth thinking a bit about why that is. If something I write causes pain or anxiety, please accept my heartfelt apology for I am most certainly trying very hard to offer hope, not heap hurts on top of hurts.
In this world, even among God's people, there are so many hurts. Some are caused by our own errors, foolishness or willfulness. But plenty of it is simply part of the brokenness of the world, our nation, our communities, our churches, our families, and, that hardest to acknowledge, ourselves. But it does not matter if our pain is the result of our own actions (good or bad) or the actions of others or the power of nature, our pain is our most common experience.
But God is much bigger than any mess we find ourselves in, any challenges we face, any pain we know. Whatever pain you know today, God is standing with you and longs to offer you His comfort, His peace, His hope.
All Knowing and All Powerful and Ever Present God, comfort us each and all today where we know sorrow, pain, fear, hopelessness and longing in our lives. Teach us to accept Your love, trust You fully and surrender to Your loving arms, because You are both committed to our highest good and fully able to help us on that path. AMEN
| *Remember a paraphrase is someone's way of trying express another, hopefully more meaningful or contemporary, way of sharing what they have studied. So if you are unsettled by the word "computer" in the above verse, I hope that eases your concern. | |
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