Friday, December 24, 2010

The Word at Christmas

The story of Christmas found in the Bible is the perfect example of what this blog site is about-- what it means to live Beyond Words. If you aren't familiar with the story of Jesus' birth, there is a passage in the Book of John that talks about it. It's one of those "mystery" verses that begs you to sit and ponder over it for a little while...or for a lifetime. "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and lived among us...full of grace and truth." (John 1:1,14). That Word was Jesus.

God's idea about how to reconnect with humanity started as a Word (a mere thought or idea) which then found substance in the flesh through the life of Jesus which then became the ultimate model of living with grace and truth. This is the same power of words that God used at the dawn of time. "God said 'Let there be light,' and there was light."

Words today have the same power to create. And with that power comes responsibility because we can create grace and truth and beauty and light, or we can create havoc and destruction and discouragement and disharmony. We hold the power to create life or create death in human beings. As far as I'm concerned, the world at large does enough to destroy the dignity of life and I don't want to contribute any further to its demise. I choose to look for the redeeming side of all that life hands me. Even the challenges and the failures, the disappointments and irritations can lead me to learn and live more passionately than I did before they arrived.

As 2010 comes to an end, I've already determined that my challenge for next year is to live a more grateful existence. I want to welcome the challenges, the pains and the losses with the same sense of gratitude I use to welcome the joys, the victories and the reunions. I have a feeling, if I'm able to keep at it, that this attitude and these words will have the power to create a more peaceful life of contentment, regardless of my circumstance. Maybe I'll even begin to understand what it really means to become grace and truth - the Word made flesh.

May you all find that Word that embodies life and love and contentment in your New Year.

Marsha

1 comment:

Linda McQuinn Carlblom said...

Excellent post. Glad to see you blogging again! My focus in 2011 is going to be generosity. I determined about 2 months ago that I have been living a bit close-fisted and I want to change that. I will not pass a homeless person without giving them something, even if it's just eye contact and a smile. So far I've been successful and it's been transforming.