You are not beautiful:: (reflections on John 1)

In case you missed it, I have invited you to join me & a ragtag group of folks in reading through the book of John in December.  We are starting Friday and reading a chapter-ish a day until December 25th.  Below is the 1st in what I hope will be an ongoing dialogue.  If you were always the last one picked for kickball, this is the team for you.

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Just this week my 4-year old Hazel told me how someone in her preschool class told her she was not beautiful.

Now, I cannot be certain she did not make this up in hopes that we would never send her back to that evil school- the one she has decided she does not like (this week).

But I know enough of life and human beings and Hazel to think it probably   was true.

Once I had squelched the desire to hunt this child down and retaliate with some chosen words of my own- ones ensuring that it was known to all- from now through high school- to never cross Hazel again because her dad might show up and go all out ape on ya.

Once I pretended to think that this was not a realistic solution- only then, did I see a bit of my own childhood play out on the reels of my mind.  Man, I was mouthy.  I was mean.  I didn’t have muscles but I had words, and I would aim to hack away at another’s self esteem if they crossed me.  Though my instincts are still intact, I would like to think that these days, I use my words in different ways.

I believe in the power of a word both good and bad, spoken or written or signed.  I want my mouth to speak words of life and of love.  I want my children to value the words I speak to them over the onslaught of words from the world.  I also believe in the power of silence, and that the best words come forth from a thoughtful silence rather than a spouting torrent.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

Jesus is referred to as the word in John- and only in John.

There is power in words.  I have wielded and been wounded by words myself, as have you.  If I am right, words seems to effect us most when we are young.  Syllables strung together carry the weight of a punch to children or conversely have the ability to lift them to mountains immediately.  Over the span of our lives, words lose their power, lose their meaning.

We build up armor along the way to better guard ourselves from words that wound.  We grow cynical and let the value of words meant to build up dissipate- when everything is amazing and wonderful– then nothing is.  Others clamor for the acclaim of man and no amount of praise is enough.

Jesus is the outward expression of God’s silence.  He came forth from God.  He  is God.  The word.  Of all the languages, and all the people and all of the endless words encountered within a day, a lifetime.  He is THE Word.

All words, all stories, all of it.  God’s one reply for all of mankind.  Jesus.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

The word became flesh.  That is the Christmas story.  God articulated His response through the birth of a child.

I want to be less like the child I was.  I want my words to cut less and heal more.  I want Hazel to hear the words of the Father and find her worth in them while all else is rendered mute.  Grace and truth are a difficult balance for my words to find.

What about you?

• Have you been wounded by the words of another?
• Wielded them yourself and hurt someone?
• Has THE Word lost its power, its meaning over this last year?
• Have you grown cynical toward Jesus?
• Have you valued the words of man over the articulations of God?
• Are you running from silence and toward noise afraid of what you will hear?

For me.  Yes to all.