Walking With Christ

Hebrews 4:12 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.(ESV)

I have seen several speakers begin their talks by telling a joke, repeating it until no one laughed anymore. This technique, called “comic torture”, effectively highlights how people can become numb to good things while reliving the same trauma or pain repeatedly. I must have read today’s verse hundreds of times over the years. Knowing that there have been times when I felt numb to these words gives me pause. Just like hearing the same joke multiple times, I know what comes next. There’s no need to guess. There’s no hidden mystery. I’ve seen this, done that, and know what to expect. It’s like walking across Kansas towards Colorado. I had a destination, but every step seemed exactly like the ones before. It’s easy to become blind to the slow and gentle changes taking place all around.

What I missed during those times I felt numb to the word is that, step by step and word by word, my perspective was slowly changing. Growth changes perspective, allowing us to see the same old thing in a completely different way.

There will be times when growth seems slow. It might be rocks in the garden, or it might just be the wrong season. When we become aware of the growth and learn to anticipate the coming changes in perspective, we will see those old and tired words that we’ve read hundreds of times before take on new meaning. We begin to look forward to the next revelation, the next epiphany that will cascade into a new renaissance of faith-filled understanding, hope, love, mercy, and grace.