Words

Lynn and I have been friends for a long time. She sometimes calls me around 8am, after she's dropped her kids off at school.

Kris, I need a verse. What's the verse of the day?

I grab my Bible and read her something. Sometimes we talk about what's going on, other times its a "thank you" and "I've gotta go."

I love that she knows what she needs. Don't some days just need a verse? We need words.  Truth to guide us through the maze that's right in front of us. We need words to remind us of what to keep and what to throw out. Words help quiet all those snippets of conversations that haunt us, those looks from others that sometimes make us wonder what we did, why we're wrong, why we'll never measure up. Words clear up the deception that lodges in our receptive ears. We need words to seep down into that quiet place, you know the one, that place that is who we truly are, that place we easily ignore with noise and motion, that place that reaches up and out to Him if we'd just stop.

Here's the verse I read today.
Today I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give your fathers."
                                                                                          Deut. 30:19-20.

Words.

Here are the ones that jumped:
life and death
choose life
live
love
listen
hold fast
the Lord is your life.

Every day I make choices. Too often I choose death. I don't say to myself, "Mmm....here's some death. I think I'll take that."

I choose to worry about too many things. Instead of love, I often choose judgement. Instead of listen, I often choose to speak and fill up a space with myself. Instead of holding fast, I let go and trade trust for fear. Instead of choosing the Lord as my life, I choose my security, my comfort, my image, my reputation, my accomplishments, and the praise and adoration of others as my life.

Death choices.

Words are powerful things. I love words. I love how they can be woven and crafted into beautiful tapestries called stories. They inspire and motivate, convict and challenge, they change lives as well as the course of history. They seep deep and stop the death choices. They transform worry to joyful living. They stamp out judgement and hold out grace and love. They urge us to listen instead of speak. Words guide us to a hand to hold fast to, and fear disappears.

Choose life.

Words. Choice. Live. Love. Listen. Hold fast.

Choose life.