Journey of the Word

Four years ago today, I ventured into the overwhelming, competitive, relentless world of blogging. I had no idea what I was doing. But I was content to ramble about the Bible and determined to post twice a week.

Here I am, four years and over 300 posts later, and not much has changed: I still have no idea what I’m doing. And I’m still content to ramble about the Bible. However, I plan to post not twice but once per week for the coming year. Why? Because my life is incredibly {and wonderfully} full, and I want my writing to be careful, worthwhile, and impactful, and I need a little space to make that happen.

In preparation for a new round of writing, I reluctantly granted myself an unexpected blogging hiatus, and it was truly good for the soul. In these last few weeks and months . . .

I’ve spent a lot of time with people. Mostly unplanned interactions and adventures, and I honestly don’t bother to make sense of it anymore. Things just happen. People pop up out of nowhere with a message attached: “New assignment. Pour your heart and your soul into this one.” I could write whole books about these things, but for now, I’ll say, sometimes it’s worth closing the computer to spend hours chatting on the phone, or to talk and wrestle and pray into the wee hours of the night, or to go to the umpteenth coffee shop only to never buy coffee. When you know you’re living in a different kingdom than the one you see, you do strange things.

I’ve also spent a lot of time working. Paid or unpaid, it’s hard for me to say “no.” So I take on massive projects and a million little to-do’s, and then I add a photo shoot and help my sister plan her wedding, and travel three out of six weeks of summer and keep up with it all on the road. And other nonsensical things on the spur of the moment, because they’re good things {delivering a meal} or because this or that must be done {mowing the lawn}. And I juggle my chronic pain in the midst of it all instead of slowing down or taking arguably healthier measures, because I’m single and I feel the constant urge to seize the moment. So you might say I’m learning about myself. And I’m learning to schedule space and rest and fun. And I’m learning to lay the stress and weight and constant pressures aside. And it hurts my heart sometimes, but it’s good.

So yes, I’ve also spent time resting. And enjoying. Playing games and watching shows and laughing with friends and bantering with family, because that’s what summers are for. And I come away from these moments refreshed and thankful and challenged to not waste a moment.

When all is said and done, I can not – must not – waste a moment.

Somehow the reminder is always there. Maybe it’s because I spend time in cemeteries. Or maybe it’s because I often encounter the eternally dead. But it urges me and it begs me to not waste a moment.

So I’ll press on in the journey of knowing God and knowing his Word – and attempting to capture it here – praying our journey together on this page propels us forward and compels us evermore to saturate ourselves in the pages of Scripture and to love the God who dwells there.

 [image credit: unsplash.com]