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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Notes about God

I was reading a sermon by Philip Gulley this morning. In it, he talks about how careful one has to be when using God-language.

“When we speak about mystery and awe and suffering and wonder, all of these slippery things that are hard to grab hold of, when we speak of those things we must choose our words very carefully, very thoughtfully, very precisely. Lest we attribute to God motives and actions that do not belong to God.” ('On Spiritual Awareness'—Grace Talks, by Philip Gulley)

When I write about God, I struggle to find the words to express my thoughts. Every analogy seems shallow and one-dimensional. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t even attempt to explain something so incomprehensible. But I have to…

“If your heart were right, then every created thing would be a mirror of life, and a book of sacred doctrine. There is no creature so small and worthless that it does not show forth the goodness of God.” (from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas á Kempis)

My husband recently asked me, “Do you look at every situation as material for writing?” 

It’s more like I look at every situation as a lesson that God uses to teach me something. And if I jot down some notes, I will be able to process it and retain it better. This blog, and all my other writing, are just my ‘thinking notes.’ Yet, because I share it with others, I have to pick my words carefully, thoughtfully, and precisely. Or else, I may inadvertently misrepresent God. This makes me hesitate to share my notes with others. However, I know that many others are not in a phase of life in which they can spend time chewing on spiritual truths. So, even if I can only draw stick-figure representations, I do it…mostly for myself. It’s embarrassing to share my imperfect thoughts with others, but I do it in the hope that it helps others as it does me.

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