Occasionally, I am asked “What did you mean when you wrote this?” Or “Are you referring to … ?” Often I can say with certainty that obscure hidden meanings are not prevalent in what I write. Yet every so often, with or without implicit intent, there is a veil hanging within the poetry or short stories I pen. In instructional material or commentaries it is not so. There I intend to be as open and direct as I can possibly be. Stating the truth in love with the knowledge of existing differing opinion is done as tactfully and honestly as words allow.
If you happen to agree with my particular position or take in a matter then that is your problem and you’ll just have to live with it. On the other hand, if you find substantial divergence, then feel free to understand that the Lord of the universe has given us different paths to follow. For mine has led to the conclusions I espouse and yours to the obviously more correct and greater understanding Paul referred to in 1Corinthians 8:2.
I am painfully aware of my own ignorance in many areas. Having been neither well educated nor schooled in finer social graces, I suffer that loss. Recalling my usually impoverished upbringing without emphasis or direction toward skills or advanced education, it is amazing that I have survived this long. Yet if you feel it imperative, I will honestly and openly address any suggestion you might have which would tend to persuade to your particular bent. I will not well tolerate mindless opinionated raging which serves no purpose but to incite discontent or proclaim the lowness and depravity of human egotism.
You might ask “Where would such an obscure reference lead to?” Unless it is to an as yet unrevealed place in my life it should point either to God’s Holy Scripture or to commonly available thought or teaching. There are sometimes multiple meanings within the Bible for passages or thoughts found there. The same may be true in what you read here. My desire is that you think. Not too hard but still it requires a little bit of effort to think. Thinking requires consideration of the known universe and contemplation of the unknown. Why, what if, how, why not, who, perhaps are all thought provoking starters. What if you do not know who Jesus is? What if you do not understand what He intends your relationship to be? How can you discover the truth that allows you to consider those possibilities? My desire is to seek within every conversation and opportunity to register those types of questions in the minds of those who do not already know the answers. I also wish that those who do know be exposed to new or improved tools to share their understandings as well. At times my delivery is sarcastic. I work at minimizing that with varying degrees of success.
Hopefully knowing this perspective and these insights will allow you to choose wisely as we participate in Rippling to God’s Glory.
