Dim. Mirror. Musings. Sixteen letters, many sounds, three words, one name. Although they may seem like the three most random words to string together to name a blog, their importance to me shall soon be explained. Thus, in the explanation, the intent of this blog--I hope--will be understood.
On Monday, my professor read, what he considered to be, one of the greatest prose works in the world: 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter is familiar to many people because it contains the oft quoted verses on love--"love is patient, love is kind...". The sentiment in these verses is often spoken in weddings or written on pretty home decor. However, I shall begin reading at the beginning of chapter 13.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1-3).Paul's words are amazing. Stark and beautiful, they astound me. Love gives words, knowledge, faith, sacrifice meaning. We see this most clearly in the example of our Lord, who is love (1 Jn 4:7). His Word is filled with meaning; for, His Word brings life, in the creation of the cosmos, in the life-giving Bible, and in His incarnate Word--Christ. His knowledge is full of meaning for He knows each one of us intimately--"O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit and when I rise; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.....and lay your hand on me" (Ps. 139:1-3, 5b). God does not just know the intimate aspects of a bird, flower, and human, He knows intimately the orderings of the world; for through His prophets mouths He explained events far in advance to His people and the world. Through His love, God the Son had faith in the will of God the Father as blood streamed from His face in Gethsemane. Finally, through His immeasurable love, God sent His Son to die to cover our iniquities, our sins, our evil, our separation from our Creator, our disdain of Him. "He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we were healed" (Isaiah 53:5). This sacrifice made full of love, is not nothing, but everything; everything in this world and it covers everything in our lives.
Once, I understand the gravity of love--it's beauty and power--the next verses do not seem like fluff, but hard-hitting truths: patience gives my faith meaning, kindness gives my words meaning, rejoicing in the truth gives my knowledge meaning, endurance, hope, belief, these give my actions meaning. And love will continue where everything else shall pass away (1 Cor 13:8).
Now, I finally come to my beginning point, as the passage continues:
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a (woman), I gave up childish ways. [Quick tangent: This verse is very special to me because it is the verse my pastor told me as he presented the Bible my church congregation gave me as I headed off to college] For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (11-12)This blog is my musings as I look through and consider the One who knows me fully. I know that as I think and ponder on my Lord and Savior, I will never be able to understand fully who He is, for He is infinite and I am but a small, finite creature, "such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it" (Ps 139:6). Yet, the wonderful truth is this: God has revealed Himself to us! He is infinitely different than the pagan gods which people worship which were whimsical and unknowable. He has revealed to us who He is in the pages of the Bible, in the vast of nature, even within ourselves for He has made us in His own image. Although, I will only know in part I have the beautiful hope that I will know fully one day and see Him face to face, what a glorious day. I cling to that hope. And for now, I pray to know Him more for how precious are His thoughts....(Ps 139:17).
And for now, I'll share with you my dim mirror musings.
