BEHIND THE WORDS
There is a hidden blessing embedded in everything we encounter.
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My words. Thousands of them sought after, hunted down and harnessed like something once wild and untamed, each sentence like a miniature corral.
Every week there is a dance between agony and elation as I seek to capture and then set free all the thoughts of a life’s journey falling out.
These words—of assurance and exaltation, of observation and hope. They don’t stand a chance against, can’t even come close to what is felt.
Today, as I set my hands to keyboard, I feel the familiar shockwave that begins at my elbow, migrating up my shoulder and then out. It’s ironic that this conversation with the Utmost requires no words at all,
it is merely felt.
“To write is an act of obedience,” He tells me—
Even when no one is listening.
Even when words fail.
Even through the sometimes feelings of inadequacy.
Even when what is thought transcends language itself.
There is something that comes of obedience. That is, an invisible blessing embedded in the act.
Here’s the extraordinary part of it:
The blessing is not intended to be singular.
It’s for everyone involved, both writer and reader alike.
There are two ethereal, billowing fixtures just above my desk. Before entering my office in the morning, I reach in and turn them on, so that when I return later there is this sense of welcoming, as if someone is waiting for me there. This mystery of the invisible, this Presence in my writing place is also in the white space between each line.
Can you join me in looking for the deeper meaning that mere letters can’t incite?
We seek what is literal. We demand answers, understanding, completion, resolve. But what of the story unfolding, the paragraphs not yet set down on the page?
What of believing that the story is leading not to what is expected or even hoped for, but to a glorious plot twist?
This is the neglected territory of mind-meeting-spirit that calls to me today—
In the thing never thought of,
In the person not yet known,
In the dirt never stepped on,
In the room not yet unlocked.
I am teaching myself not to look for the finale in the first chapter or the next. And I am learning to give over that there are things of this world that I will never fully comprehend.
For those who binge on information, the gory details will never be enough. The retribution, resolution, even healing we seek after, leaves us winded and bent over in our pursuit.
The mystery is not a result of something that I have failed to see or some subtlely that I’ve missed. The mystery is the evidence of an otherworld reality at play.
“Janene,” I implore myself, “Let the truth of this sink in. Sit with the conviction that your words will never be enough. Allow the thoughts of those who read them to pick up where you leave off.”
This is where God is. In the Divine conversation of thought and emotion shared. Where we not only invite him into our interiors, but expect Him to be there.
NOTES:
It’s so human to want to fill in the blanks.
Blanks are uncomfortable and create a vulnerability we rarely afford ourselves.
My rush to find the right words, my angst over getting it just right, undermines the supernatural messages that are an offspring of my obedience to put fingers to the keyboard and wait…and wait some more.
What message have you been waiting to hear? Are you looking for it in the obvious or are you allowing God to take you to places [your body, mind, heart] that are unfamiliar and unexpected?
What we look for we will find. What do you seek?
Here’s the most remarkable part—what you bring to my words through your interpretation and thoughtful consideration completes the story. We are writing partners after all.
THINGS TO PONDER:
Do your endeavors sometimes feel incomplete, maybe even a little bit shallow? If yes, maybe you’re forgetting that the work is never a solo performance, even when it’s assigned to you alone. What others bring to the work—through their observation and experience of it, makes it whole. You may never know just how much your offerings change a mind, change a life, change the world. But God does. And He honors your obedience to the task, making it more meaningful…and exceptional with his hand.
One of my favorite words is “resonance.” That’s what that “triangle” of You/Audience/God adds—a synchronicity, a vibration that breathes life beyond what we are consciously aware. My advice? Be aware. Believe that what you have created takes on a life of its own.
ABOUT THE IMAGE: Early morning. I reach around the corner and turn on the switch…but I don’t enter, not until my morning ritual is done. I love the feeling of entering a room bathed in light, the welcome of it feels as if someone has already been there or is waiting. He always is.