Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Did you ever read the poem One Solitary Life?
It starts out ....He was born in an obscure village, the son of a peasant woman.
He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter's shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he became a wandering preacher.
He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never visited a big city. He never travelled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of those things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself...."
I was wondering if anyone had an estimate of how many books have been written about Jesus in the past 2000 years. I found one blog that estimate the number to be in the tens of thousands. I can't count the stars nor can I even begin to imagine all the books written about Jesus. Even I have managed to write 259 posts about life in Christ and I know I hardly scratch the surface of what might be written. I am amazed by profound thinkers like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or CS Lewis and so many others. You would think that mankind would run out of things to say, but Jesus is fresh, vital and active in the lives of his people both in the past and today. Through out history (his -story) has been told in how he has impacted and changed lives.
I love that the words of people who have walked with Jesus during their lives live on in books so that I might share their thoughts and be encouraged long after their days on this earth have come and gone. I spent some time reading the words of a woman named Julian of Norwich, who wrote of her mistic experiences with Jesus back in a time (1342- 1416) when women really had no voice. Yet her written words about him still touch me today. Today anyone who wants to start a blog can have a voice. I don't know what God will do with my words but I hope that I will have used them wisely and carefully. In 1 Samuel 3:19 it says "The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground."
My question to you is - what are you doing with your words? Will you write or speak in such a way as to inspire others, to fan the flames of faith and trust in God. Will you tell your story of how God has made a difference in your life. Perhaps you hold back, thinking your story is too ordinary, or too messed up. It is your story and it is unique. Don't let it go to the grave with you and be forgotten. Your story may be the very key that unlocks faith in someone else to begin their own journey with Jesus. It may be the word that encourages someone to stay the course to not give up but to overcome. I encourage you to tell your story - let the Holy Spirit lead you.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, Help us to tell in some way be it great or small the story of how you have made a difference in our life. Thank you that that story is still being written each day as we make choices to follow you.
Thanks for your encouragement to share our voice. The line that says our specific word "may be the very key that unlocks faith in someone else" has particularly encouraged me to be bold about sharing my own words concerning my journey with Jesus!
ReplyDeleteI love the poem "One Solitary Life." So amazing that Christ, to the world, was a simple man, but b/c of who God is, Jesus became the Savior.
ReplyDeleteI pray that my words will encourage, or uplift, or maybe just help someone realize they are not alone in this crazy life.