As the World Gives

I do not give to you as the world gives. 

~ John 14:27

   I drive home and ponder the above words. It's been a week of pondering words - those others have said to us, to me, and words I've said to others. Words shape and define us. We can spend our whole lives trying to overcome words, because ultimately actions follow words and words follow actions and words become us, and we become words. Words: it all started with the Word, and that word: it was good.

  I do not give to you as the world gives.

   And I wonder about the words my children are ingesting in this world. What are they are hearing and what they are reading? More than ever, we are engaged in the words they ingest because one day they will become these words and carry words into the world.

   We have been caught up in the much acclaimed story, Wonder, over the past few weeks. We have listened by audio to the gripping story of a boy with a deformed face. The story has been incredibly moving, bringing tears to my eyes, and yet there are parts of this book I loathe.

   Is it normal for today's kids to play Dungeons and Dragons, and have Halo, a first person shooter game, voted best killer app, on their computers? 

   God help us. God help us that we normalize violence for our kids in our books and in our homes. They come home asking for it, and we cave. God help us.

   Dear R.J. Palacio,

   WHY DO YOU SUBTLY NORMALIZE VIOLENCE IN A BOOK ABOUT OVERCOMING BULLYING AND VIOLENCE! 

   EVERY WORD is PIVOTAL. Words INFLUENCE us. We are them. They are us. What we fill our minds with, is who we are. Wake up!

   THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES. 

   I listened to OPB this morning and the polls about gun violence, and the majority of people believe our mass shootings come from mental illness.

   WHERE EXACTLY IS THAT MENTAL ILLNESS COMING FROM? 

   COULD WE START BY ADDRESSING OUR VIDEO GAMES, and the words we let our kids read that normalize this violence? Very few of these mass shooters are older people. They are young people raised in a culture of violent gaming. But we don't/won't talk about that!

   We bring violence into our homes. Why do we shake our heads and Wonder at the outcome? Our own Halo's are truly gracing our heads. 

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Here is a real Wonder story happening in Oregon very near you. 

This story is all about what God gives. 

All About Vladik

   This is what the world gives...

   The school librarian recently chided my middle schooler for reading The Count of Monte Cristo (full edition, 1,000 pages long), encouraging her to read more age appropriate materials. I wasn't there, I didn't hear, but when she brings home dangerous fluff (there is such a thing) and puts down the Count at 500 pages into her story because of some librarian's words, you can bet there will be words spoken and words pondered. Thank you librarian for causing us to stop and think, yet again, about what we read and put in our minds. My mama/teacher feathers may have been ruffled for a moment, but you did us a service, and we were reminded...

I do not give to you as the world gives.

   As so as I drive home, I ponder His words and His reminder to me, and I ponder one more story about a girl, but her story is my story, and your story too. It's a story about a girl that's beginning a trek. She's trekking to find a homeland.

   My prayer for you dear girl, is that you know: He does not give to you as the world gives. As you seek answers, therapies, love, hope, and family, may you be led to resources that speak truth, freedom, light, love, and joy. May you find Him. Because every therapy we seek for our broken souls, apart from Him, will never fully heal us. Apart from the One Great Soul, we will always be looking for the wholeness, that deep down, we know exists, and it does exist, dear girl. It does exist. There is a giver of peace.

And He does not give to you as the world gives.

Advent Walking

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

John 1:5

We gather under the big oak. The light of lanterns hangs low. By day, we walk in the world, and boy it's been a day. Coming from pageant practice, we race in the rain with little rest and life feeling like a test. One angel has momentarily lost her song of happiness. The pressure to perform weighing heavy on wings that were made for soaring. We bicker in the car and I'm asking why are we here under this oak? We have come to walk words.

The walkway is wet. The heavens let loose water today, but thankfully this moment is dry. We begin walking and we follow the light. Soon, walkers fall silent, and the line of light slowly advances in the darkness. Voices hush and still, and even the wind is silent. I see what I'm sure is the North Star, but really is probably Saturn. One can wish. We walk on and the wind decides to gust, snuffing out our light. Several attempts later, it is re-lit, soon to be re-extinguished. We give up and follow the light in front of us. Surely, as we march in the darkness of the world, we also walk towards the light. Words call out from the darkness and meet pondering souls on the walkway.

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)

A angelic sphere of black slate opens up above us, and starlight twinkles through. Every so often, divine words interrupt the darkness and our thoughts. Little boy begins to flag. He is not grumpy, but slowing. I am tugging on a tired body. We walk around the dark abyss of a pond. He is intrigued. Mom, I just saw a head pop up. And I believe him. In the darkness, who knows what can happen? Silence comes again, and we walk and walk. His boots go, thud, thud, scuffle. Thud, thud, scuffle. Mom, is this how long they walked? To be small is to understand the value of great distances. He fathoms, what I can only try to feel. He asks, How long until the manger? I realize, isn't that what we all want? We just want to get there and see the manger. He's sure he's walking the same great distance Mary and Joseph walked and through his walk, I really do see the manger. The words come alive and I get it. 

He marched resolutely into the darkness, that you and I might walk in the light. He did not waiver, He walked. 

The heavens open up and wash us. A down pour of watery words released to revive the weary. The washing of the world by the Word. Soon, the clubhouse looms large with an other worldly light. We march into the world. Walking by lighted windows, diners seated by candle light dangle crystal wine glasses. A diamond commercial is on the big screen screaming bling. And it doesn't mean anything. 

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Tonight we participated in an Advent Walk. 

Find one near you, or create one! 

Walk the Word in the woods.