WORD.

 (not to ya mama)

Just simply, words.

Words are sometimes hard to write.  To put together to make meaning. To express what you're trying to say.

They can come out with little thought and little effort. With an agenda behind.  With expectations. They are powerful.  They are healing.  They can be hurtful.

"How delightful is a timely word." Proverbs 15:23 

One way we communicate is by words.  The question is: Who is listening?  Are my children listening when I go into lecture mode of all the important things they need to know.  I can easily rationalize why my kids need to hear my logic in the moment, but can they?  I find the more I push, the more they push away.

I was in Nashville at a Women's Conference in April with my "sista" Frances.  During the three days we were in the city, we took advantage of the shuttle service offered to us at our hotel.  Here we got to know Craig, our shuttle driver, as we traveled back and forth between the hotel and the conference center. We learned about his life; he asked about ours.  We laughed; we joked. We connected. We became friends.

The last night of the conference, Frances & I hopped in the back of his van to make room for all the ladies heading back to the hotel. Craig was friendly as always, being hospitable to all his new guests. Then a well-intentioned woman began to question him about his faith in God. She knew nothing about him other than this guy may need Jesus. He continued to be hospitable and kind in answering all her questions in front of a van full of strangers.  It was awkward. It was untimely.  Her heart was in the right place, but her agenda took priority over the person she was talking to. I questioned its effectiveness.

We wanted to rescue our new friend.

The van ride was thankfully short.  Even though Craig was busy taking care of his customers, Frances and I grabbed him away from everyone else to give him a hug, take a selfie, and tell him we loved that God had crossed our paths.

Words.  How we use them is so important.

Paul uses his words in 1 Corinthians to describe the body of Christ.  That the body has many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form ONE body. Each one of us is a part of the body of Christ, and in the church God has appointed apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers and distributed gifts of all kinds to us.

AND then Paul goes on to write, "And now I will show you the most excellent way."

If I speak with words, but have not love, I am only noise.
If I share all my knowledge and have great faith, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give everything I have and make great sacrifices, but have not love, I gain nothing.

How often I miss the mark. For words of love are patient, kind, doesn't envy, does not boast, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrong, always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.  It never fails.

I'm so glad God gives us not only His word but He gives us words along the way to encourage and teach us about Himself and ourselves in whatever journey we are on.

You see, God has been speaking to me through time. I say that and you may think, "Of course, God speaks to us throughout our lifetime."  But that's not what I mean.  Words can be tricky too.

God has been speaking to me through time on the clock.  What?!! (getting weird)

A month ago I woke from a deep sleep and found myself staring at the digital clock in my window sill, and saw three numbers - 2:22.  Besides being thankful that I still had several hours of sleep left, a word came to my mind - UNITY.  I found it odd and went back to bed.

Again, I found myself strangely awake and staring at the clock at 3:33.  Again, the word UNITY flooded my mind.  I fell back to sleep. By the third time of waking up and seeing 4:44 on the clock...

I realized God was trying to tell me something. What did He want me to know about this word unity?

I must be a little slow because God hasn't let up. Ever since that night, I'm confronted with the unity of "same numbers" two to three times a day as I check my phone for messages or set the timer on the oven. I frequently see the row of "oneness" in the numbers of time on the clock.

I'm not surprised anymore to see this reminder of unity around my house or wherever I'm at, and I now shout it out to whomever is in the room. "It's 1:11! Unity!"

In fact, just yesterday I hollered out the time several times to my girls who are now forced to hang out with their mother more due to the summer months.  My oldest said, "Stop that.  It's freaking me out!" My youngest one asks what unity means.

Well, to be united as one.  To come together as one.

Like a husband and wife come together as one in marriage.  As the United States of America are one country.  When you answer a friend's "how are you?" with "I'm hanging in there", and she immediate knows & identifies what you're dealing with without having to say a word.

It's not just being on the same team, but it's working together toward the same goal.  I've been on teams with incredible individual talents, yet as a team they rarely won. They ended up competing against each other instead of working together to compete against their opposition.

There is something to be said about Jesus' words in the gospels - Matthew, Mark, & Luke. The same words used by Abraham Lincoln in 1858 when he addressed his Republican crowd: "...a house divided against itself will not stand."

I can probably rationalize all my words to make it sound right, to persuade others, to prove I'm right, but if I don't have love....I AM NOTHING.  I gain nothing. I am only noise.

The body is held together with the ligaments of love - the most excellent venue for sharing words.  

Words that are kind, patient, not easily angered, not rude, not self-seeking, and protects the body.

Two years ago, God asked me, "Are you ready to lead?"  All I could do was cry.  I don't think I even gave Him an answer.  I just felt His presence so strongly upon me.  I was crushed under His amazing love, and only tears oozed out!

A year later...at the same place I had been a year earlier, God didn't ask me that question.  He was much more forthright this time. He said, "It is time to lead...(and He added) without fear and with boldness."  This time I answered through the outpouring of tears.

Little did I know what was in store for me in the months to come, but my Heavenly Father did.  His word was so empowering when He gave it to me. His word has been my anchor to persevere when I don't feel strong and fear creeps in.

His word has reminded me to be UNITED with Him at all times of the day.
His word brings hope when it looks like I can't go on any longer.
His word is full of mercy and grace when forgiveness is needed.

His word is patient, kind, gentle, and in the most excellent way, full of love. And because of His love, we are something.  We are not alone. We are Someone's.

WORD...to us all!