More Than Words
I remember stepping into the building, my new backpack with unfamiliar weight pressing into my shoulders, and the cold chill of fear breathing on my neck. It was a new school filled with new faces and for a shy middle school girl it was the most intimidating thing I had ever faced. While I don’t remember the shoes I wore or the first class they faithfully carried me to, I do remember what I held tightly in my right hand.
A week before this, my mother had taken me to a bookstore in hopes of finding a new devotional. So while she searched the store aisles, I spun the jewelry display with no intention of purchasing anything. What began as a means to kill time became the discovery I never intended to find. I froze and examined the small necklace. It was a shield bearing a cross on the front and on the back an inscription that read:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
The price tag may have read $14.99 but I knew I held something priceless.
As I stood in the halls of my new middle school, doing my utmost to hide the tremble in my knees while trying to configure the class schedule and the route to take, I took hold of my necklace which peacefully dangled from a simple chain. I rubbed the shield between my thumb and index finger and recited the scripture carved in the back of my tiny treasure. Slowly but surely the words of old proved to be as Hebrews 4:12 claimed - alive! As I focused on the words from the book of Joshua, I paid less attention to the siren call of fear. God had told Joshua, a man leading thousands and conquering enemies, 3 different times to not worry but rather to “be strong and courageous.” Joshua listened, and so did I. For the next 3 years I carried the shield around my neck, stroking the letters, speaking the words, recievng the meaning in my heart and while the inscription has faded, the words are securely etched within my soul.
The Author of creation has a brilliant way of speaking things into life…be it a tree or be it words. Scripture is alive. What God spoke to a warrior thousands of years ago…He can speak to a middle school girl, searching for her classroom.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
So what words do you need to cling to in the season you currently find yourself in? I think all too often we find ourselves quoting people or repeating the actions demonstrated by those near us…some good, some not so good. We lean into peers and rely on words spoken by people. I’m not watering down the meaningful things you carry from others…I’m simply encouraging you to not allow the ways and words of mortals be an anchoring for your life — not when the Author of Life has words waiting for you.
My husband and I host a bible study group from our church on Tuesday nights. It’s a rich time we look forward to each week with people who feel more like family than friends. This past week we sat around a bonfire beneath a perfect sky and my brother, Mike, posed a great question to the group. What is a verse that you find yourself repeating often?
We all sat quietly until slowly some began to share verses. Not one verse was the same. It was a moment I won’t forget around the fire — hearing how people have carried and treasured God’s word…words that didn’t stay on the page but have walked beside my brothers and sisters in Christ.
What is the verse you carry? What’s a verse that you should start carrying? A verse you can memorize and repeat as often as your heart and head need to hear in order to anchor you throughout any given day. I still have my little shield, I still carry the words close to my heart and am training my children to do the same. If you don’t have a verse, to help anchor you in the truth — then I hope you will begin searching today. Jesus is waiting for you to knock…
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
And once you find the scripture He is handing you, meditate on the words, savor every syllable. He’s handing you this verse for a reason in the season you stand. Trust Him, feel Him near and allow His words to come alive in your life. His ways are above our own, so rather than look to your left or right...let's look up in how we speak and how we live.
