I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book. ~Groucho Marx
Wrestling with writing and why to do it at all brought me back to why I have so often read what others write. Reading is one of the finest escapes from loneliness. As an only child of an only child there were days and many nights of grinding loneliness- something that goes against our intrinsic need for relationship and community. Reading a book connected me closely with another human life, allowing me to enter into their very heart and mind. Books have been a consolation. Books have been and still are my friends.
Reading the thoughts and ideas of other people matters because people who are Imago Dei (made in the image of God) matter and we can glean much from the interaction of ideas. Ideas can change lives and cultures. History is filled with examples of one person’s writing affecting another life, family and even nations.
Tempting though it may be to regard what we contribute as trivial and possibly even useless, we each matter because we exist and are Imago Dei. We never know the ripple effect of our lives and words. Words do matter. “life and death is in the power of the tongue” and the “pen is mightier than the sword”. The tongue can cut like a knife, it can ruin an innocent life (gossip is much neglected as one of the worst sins). The tongue can encourage a friend or cause a friendship to end. We may fill a very small place with our life and tongue but that is alright because small places matter. “Do not despise the day of small things.”
Wrestling with writing and why to do it at all brought me back to why I have so often read what others write. Reading is one of the finest escapes from loneliness. As an only child of an only child there were days and many nights of grinding loneliness- something that goes against our intrinsic need for relationship and community. Reading a book connected me closely with another human life, allowing me to enter into their very heart and mind. Books have been a consolation. Books have been and still are my friends.
Inspiration to document history comes from many gone before who were prolific journalists in that they keep detailed diaries of their lives and events. Many in early America for instance, were compelled to document the history of their lives. One example is the Pilgrims who came to American on the Mayflower. Regardless of what we may have heard of them or read about them in history books we can know exactly what they were thinking, feeling and doing and their reasons by reading their preserved journals.
Reading the thoughts and ideas of other people matters because people who are Imago Dei (made in the image of God) matter and we can glean much from the interaction of ideas. Ideas can change lives and cultures. History is filled with examples of one person’s writing affecting another life, family and even nations.
Tempting though it may be to regard what we contribute as trivial and possibly even useless, we each matter because we exist and are Imago Dei. We never know the ripple effect of our lives and words. Words do matter. “life and death is in the power of the tongue” and the “pen is mightier than the sword”. The tongue can cut like a knife, it can ruin an innocent life (gossip is much neglected as one of the worst sins). The tongue can encourage a friend or cause a friendship to end. We may fill a very small place with our life and tongue but that is alright because small places matter. “Do not despise the day of small things.”
The attempts to document family history has given the now elderly Elle somewhat of a new lease on life. This is reason enough. Elle revels in having someone ask her questions and care enough to listen about her life. In the telling she relives and comes alive again. It is beautiful to see and makes me wonder if we have all but lost the value of what senior citizens can contribute and mean to our lives.
Though she is old, Elle’s life has value and she longs most for the gift of time. Strong human connection takes time. Love can often be spelled T I M E. Gray hair was once a sign of dignity, glory and wisdom; now is it disdained and those with it are too often tragically treated as unimportant, even useless. We “moderns” in our frenzied hurry through too full calendars and electronic mazes easily become cut off not only from nature but also from heritage and the sources of history, wisdom and valuable things that require unhurried, focused time. I call it the Ministry of Presence. I sometimes volunteer with old folks who are physically frail and sometimes cognitively impaired. What they yearn for is little more than time and presence.
Though she is old, Elle’s life has value and she longs most for the gift of time. Strong human connection takes time. Love can often be spelled T I M E. Gray hair was once a sign of dignity, glory and wisdom; now is it disdained and those with it are too often tragically treated as unimportant, even useless. We “moderns” in our frenzied hurry through too full calendars and electronic mazes easily become cut off not only from nature but also from heritage and the sources of history, wisdom and valuable things that require unhurried, focused time. I call it the Ministry of Presence. I sometimes volunteer with old folks who are physically frail and sometimes cognitively impaired. What they yearn for is little more than time and presence.
William Bradford was on the Mayflower and he recorded a great deal that could be dusted off and explored. The first Pilgrims wrote clearly about why they ventured form Holland to American, the new land. They originally left England for religious freedom which they found in Holland. Despite what most school textbooks told us, they needed no place to go to have freedom of worship, religion or speech because they had it in Holland.
The Pilgrims explained in their own words why they left Holland for the new world but what they really said has been unfortunately largely ignored as are many facts that could be construed as politically incorrect. They came for two clearly stated reasons. First they felt called by God to me missionaries to the Natives in America and consequently there were many tribes that turned to Christianity and did well as a result but we hear little of that part of history. The second reason they said that they came was “to set up a society based on the bible that could be a light to the world”.
“When you do the research, when you look into what these people say, what you find out is that they were missionaries. All you have to do is read the most famous quote from the pen of William Bradford who was the great chronicler and perennially re-elected governor. He said, "They had a great hope and an inward zeal of advancing the cause of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ and those remotes parts of the earth. Yet, even though they should be but a stepping stones unto others for the performing of so great a work." Peter Marshall The Light and the Glory
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