Hold Fast!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Young at heart?
Hold Fast!
Friday, September 24, 2010
My Secret Admiring
I have a secret admiring. No, not a secret admirer—at least not one that I’m aware of. (Hey, dream guy, if you’re out there, it’s way past time to quit keeping it a secret, ok?)
Of course, after this post it will not be quite so secret any more, but that’s ok. I shall be humbled by the revealing of my secret admiring, and perhaps you shall find this amusing. It’s worth it.
Wednesday morning on arising, I looked out the sliding glass doors at the end of our house, across the deck, and because our house is two storied, gazed directly into the eyes of a young…
…Buzzard.
Yes, my secret admiring is buzzards. At least, American Turkey Buzzards. I was gazing into his eyes because he had foolishly decided that the top of our security light pole would be a lovely roost for the night. As I said, he was young.
I know he was young because after inspecting him with the binoculars the girls and I gave ourselves for Christmas last year (for viewing night skies, actually, but they work great for other things, too) dear old Google was brought into service to find out what kind of buzzard he was. Finally this picture popped up, and I knew I had found my bird:
Mature turkey buzzards have red heads, which was why it took a few minutes of searching to discover why this one had a grey head.
Buzzards live in abundance in our area. For some, I am sure they are pests. I know that the electric company has installed special shields of some kind underneath the boom arms of the big standards carrying the large, high-voltage wires along a nearby highway, supposedly for some purpose related to the pestiferousness (it’s my word. Don’t make fun of it unless you’ve never made up a word) of these beasties. The shields don’t seem to keep them from roosting on the booms, so I have no idea what other purpose they serve. Sometimes rows of the birds can be seen on standard after standard, most of them with the outstretched wings typical of the species. This pose is reportedly for the purpose of exposing as much surface area to the sun in order to burn off all the bacteria they encounter during meals.
For buzzards, as you probably know, are one of the Creator’s solutions to garbage disposal. Many a time I have observed one or a group of them (and occasionally swerved to miss them) on the road as they fed on the unfortunate remains of another animal’s encounter with 4,000 plus pounds of steel hurtling at 60 miles an hour. So the first thing that I will mention about my admiration of buzzards is that they willingly clean up the worst possible messes made.
Sort of like your mother.
In addition, they clean up the leftovers from other animals’ meals.
Also sort of like your mother.
An article on the subject comments that turkey buzzards:
Haha. Just kidding.
The buzzard’s secret weapon is rather…disgusting. I read the Amazing Secret Weapon Tipbook, btw. I tried it during the first few months of each of my children’s gestations—but it didn’t work. You can’t get good quality help anymore, you know?
The most important thing I admire about buzzards, though, is their flight. The Vulture Society website (yeah, I know…who knew???) gives a few facts about turkey buzzard flight:
Apparently the area of our neighborhood has some seriously great thermals, because hardly a day goes by when we can’t spot a buzzard or two or three soaring effortlessly up and up and up until they are barely a speck in the sky. Often, they zoom directly over our house, casting large, fast-moving shadows on the windows, alerting us to the fact that the buzzards are playing in our sky “yard” again.
I am fascinated by watching them. There is something so joyful, and so amusing, and so…inspiring, I guess, about watching these creatures, whose dirty, thankless, smelly job would seem to make them bitter and gloomy and friendless. They use the energy they acquire from cleaning up messes to soar to giddy heights again and again.
And that makes me think. And smile. God gave them the nastiest, dirtiest job, but also gave them one of the greatest gifts.
Sort of like your mother.
.....HOLDFAST
Of course, after this post it will not be quite so secret any more, but that’s ok. I shall be humbled by the revealing of my secret admiring, and perhaps you shall find this amusing. It’s worth it.
Wednesday morning on arising, I looked out the sliding glass doors at the end of our house, across the deck, and because our house is two storied, gazed directly into the eyes of a young…
…Buzzard.
Yes, my secret admiring is buzzards. At least, American Turkey Buzzards. I was gazing into his eyes because he had foolishly decided that the top of our security light pole would be a lovely roost for the night. As I said, he was young.
I know he was young because after inspecting him with the binoculars the girls and I gave ourselves for Christmas last year (for viewing night skies, actually, but they work great for other things, too) dear old Google was brought into service to find out what kind of buzzard he was. Finally this picture popped up, and I knew I had found my bird:
Mature turkey buzzards have red heads, which was why it took a few minutes of searching to discover why this one had a grey head.
Buzzards live in abundance in our area. For some, I am sure they are pests. I know that the electric company has installed special shields of some kind underneath the boom arms of the big standards carrying the large, high-voltage wires along a nearby highway, supposedly for some purpose related to the pestiferousness (it’s my word. Don’t make fun of it unless you’ve never made up a word) of these beasties. The shields don’t seem to keep them from roosting on the booms, so I have no idea what other purpose they serve. Sometimes rows of the birds can be seen on standard after standard, most of them with the outstretched wings typical of the species. This pose is reportedly for the purpose of exposing as much surface area to the sun in order to burn off all the bacteria they encounter during meals.
For buzzards, as you probably know, are one of the Creator’s solutions to garbage disposal. Many a time I have observed one or a group of them (and occasionally swerved to miss them) on the road as they fed on the unfortunate remains of another animal’s encounter with 4,000 plus pounds of steel hurtling at 60 miles an hour. So the first thing that I will mention about my admiration of buzzards is that they willingly clean up the worst possible messes made.
Sort of like your mother.
In addition, they clean up the leftovers from other animals’ meals.
Also sort of like your mother.
An article on the subject comments that turkey buzzards:
have weak, chickenlike feet, which are suitable for running on the ground. These vultures cannot lift or carry food with their feet. They can only step on their food to hold it in place while eating.I admire this because it would be a very helpful condition for those of us who are mass-challenged. It would be more difficult to increase in mass if they only way we could eat was to tear off pieces of our food while holding it down with our feet, don’t you think? Now…don’t steal my idea. I’m thinking of marketing it on the shopping channel!
Yes, folks, for just 19.95 you too can become the slim, trim person of your dreams! Simply purchase the Amazing Trimmer-Downer and use as directed. You exercise while you eat!This is not like your mother….but she may need one! Buy one for her for Christmas, and we’ll throw in the Amazing Secret Weapon Tipbook for free!
Haha. Just kidding.
The buzzard’s secret weapon is rather…disgusting. I read the Amazing Secret Weapon Tipbook, btw. I tried it during the first few months of each of my children’s gestations—but it didn’t work. You can’t get good quality help anymore, you know?
The most important thing I admire about buzzards, though, is their flight. The Vulture Society website (yeah, I know…who knew???) gives a few facts about turkey buzzard flight:
Flight
Turkey Vultures fly with their wings in a dihedral (V-shape). They are most graceful in flight, and can soar for hours at high altitudes without ever flapping their wings. Their occasional necessary flaps and takeoffs are quite laborious, however, and the birds often fall victim to predators and cars as a result.
How the Turkey Vulture Flies:
The turkey vulture is one of the most skilled gliders among the North American birds. It migrates across the continents with minimal energy output. Vultures launch themselves from their perches only after the morning air has warmed. Then, they circle upward, searching for pockets of rising warm air, or thermals. Once they have secured a thermal, they allow it to carry them upward in rising circles. When they reach the top of the thermal, they dive across the sky at speeds near 60 miles per hour, losing altitude until they reach another thermal. All this is done without the necessity to flap. In fact, the turkey vulture can glide for over 6 hours at a time without flapping a wing!
Apparently the area of our neighborhood has some seriously great thermals, because hardly a day goes by when we can’t spot a buzzard or two or three soaring effortlessly up and up and up until they are barely a speck in the sky. Often, they zoom directly over our house, casting large, fast-moving shadows on the windows, alerting us to the fact that the buzzards are playing in our sky “yard” again.
I am fascinated by watching them. There is something so joyful, and so amusing, and so…inspiring, I guess, about watching these creatures, whose dirty, thankless, smelly job would seem to make them bitter and gloomy and friendless. They use the energy they acquire from cleaning up messes to soar to giddy heights again and again.
And that makes me think. And smile. God gave them the nastiest, dirtiest job, but also gave them one of the greatest gifts.
Sort of like your mother.
.....HOLDFAST
Monday, September 20, 2010
The "Fear" Book
Well, you’ve heard about the Star Book. After the last On Hold post, it occurred to me that perhaps you might benefit from knowing about the “fear” book.
'Cause I have one of those, too.
The “fear” book got started because while I try very hard to keep my cargo hold full of good stuff, it is inevitable that some of that which I, as a fallible human, deem worthy to put down there turns out not to be eternal. Last night I received some disappointing news, and as I was pondering it I happened to walk by one of the open cargo hatches, catching a whiff of something putrid. I descended into the hold and found not one, but several items that had begun to rot or mold—thoughts that seemed practical at the time, but have since degenerated into fears.
The best way to clean out these types of messes is not to ignore them. Even praying about them will not deal entirely properly with them and sanitize the surrounding area. No, these particular types of growths and putrefactions must be mercilessly removed and jettisoned. God reminded me of my “fear” book, which I have not used in several months, and I knew right away it would be the perfect method for getting those fears out of my mind.
The “fear” book started in the winter of ’09. I have been a journal writer for many years; particularly after my husband died, and I still felt the need of an evening “debrief” to get stuff off my chest without harming or burdening others. Michael J. used to be that repository for me (yet another of his Christ-like attributes), so without him I felt I had no where to put the stuff, and began writing it down. Mostly, it is just what I call “heart barf”. It’s faithless, fearful, self-pitying anxiety attacks put down on paper. I have charged my children that should they find any of these journals lying around after I die they are sworn under oath NOT to read them, but just to burn them…immediately and without remorse!
But the ”fear” book is somewhat different. In the spring of ’09 I was going through some very tough things—so tough that my kids were worried about my mental state. God graciously showed me that I was not dealing with these fears in a way that glorified him; nor was it effective in truly helping myself! And so began the “fear” book.
In it I committed to record all the fears that were plaguing me, but with a few differences from the heart-barf I habitually wrote. This time, after I recorded the fear that was plaguing me, I would also record the scriptures that would jettison that fear! The Word says “perfect love casts out fear” (I John 4:18), and I knew that scripture communicates that perfect love that has for us. I also knew that sometimes the fears come because there is some lack of action in an area on my part, so I determined that when I could discern there was action to be taken, I would record that as well as a personal prayer referencing the scriptures and asking for God’s intervention in my heart and life to overcome the fear.
It has been a remarkable journey. I usually hate re-reading through my old journals—but not the “fear” book! I love to re-read through this one and realize how many fears have NOT come true, and see how silly they seem not only in retrospect, but up against the powerful love of my Lord!
You, too, can have a “fear” book. In fact, I highly recommend the practice!
Step one is the most fun: go to the store and buy a spiral notebook or empty journal of some sort. (undated. Dated ones really intimidate me, and besides, I don’t have to deal with fears every day.) Pick a beautiful one, or (for the guys) one that really appeals to you. Then walk over an aisle or two and look through the pens until you find a set of 4 different colored pens that you like. Maybe they even coordinate with your journal, eh?
Step two: You will be recording 4 different things in your journal, if yours turns out like mine (I’m leaving room here for God to tailor the approach to your specific needs).
I do date my entries, by the way. I think it’s faith-building to look back to what I was going through at a certain time in my life. I just don’t worry about writing in this every day, or even every week if I am coping well with my fear or don’t have any plaguing me at the moment. Last night when I pulled the “fear” book out, I discovered that the last entry had been in January! I will admit that that is probably too long to leave it. I can think of several things I have been through since January that could have benefited from some “fear” book therapy.
Now, for some examples, taken straight from my own “fear” book (though edited in some cases to protect the, uhm, innocent) to show you how this works for me. If you have any suggestions of how it could be done more scripturally, please comment! Coincidentally…ok, not. Providentially it turns out that the first example I found to post uses the phrase “hold fast our confession”. Pretty cool, God.
I hope these examples have encouraged you, and that you can use the idea of a “fear” book to help you in…
HOLDING FAST.
'Cause I have one of those, too.
The “fear” book got started because while I try very hard to keep my cargo hold full of good stuff, it is inevitable that some of that which I, as a fallible human, deem worthy to put down there turns out not to be eternal. Last night I received some disappointing news, and as I was pondering it I happened to walk by one of the open cargo hatches, catching a whiff of something putrid. I descended into the hold and found not one, but several items that had begun to rot or mold—thoughts that seemed practical at the time, but have since degenerated into fears.
The best way to clean out these types of messes is not to ignore them. Even praying about them will not deal entirely properly with them and sanitize the surrounding area. No, these particular types of growths and putrefactions must be mercilessly removed and jettisoned. God reminded me of my “fear” book, which I have not used in several months, and I knew right away it would be the perfect method for getting those fears out of my mind.
The “fear” book started in the winter of ’09. I have been a journal writer for many years; particularly after my husband died, and I still felt the need of an evening “debrief” to get stuff off my chest without harming or burdening others. Michael J. used to be that repository for me (yet another of his Christ-like attributes), so without him I felt I had no where to put the stuff, and began writing it down. Mostly, it is just what I call “heart barf”. It’s faithless, fearful, self-pitying anxiety attacks put down on paper. I have charged my children that should they find any of these journals lying around after I die they are sworn under oath NOT to read them, but just to burn them…immediately and without remorse!
But the ”fear” book is somewhat different. In the spring of ’09 I was going through some very tough things—so tough that my kids were worried about my mental state. God graciously showed me that I was not dealing with these fears in a way that glorified him; nor was it effective in truly helping myself! And so began the “fear” book.
In it I committed to record all the fears that were plaguing me, but with a few differences from the heart-barf I habitually wrote. This time, after I recorded the fear that was plaguing me, I would also record the scriptures that would jettison that fear! The Word says “perfect love casts out fear” (I John 4:18), and I knew that scripture communicates that perfect love that has for us. I also knew that sometimes the fears come because there is some lack of action in an area on my part, so I determined that when I could discern there was action to be taken, I would record that as well as a personal prayer referencing the scriptures and asking for God’s intervention in my heart and life to overcome the fear.
It has been a remarkable journey. I usually hate re-reading through my old journals—but not the “fear” book! I love to re-read through this one and realize how many fears have NOT come true, and see how silly they seem not only in retrospect, but up against the powerful love of my Lord!
You, too, can have a “fear” book. In fact, I highly recommend the practice!
Step one is the most fun: go to the store and buy a spiral notebook or empty journal of some sort. (undated. Dated ones really intimidate me, and besides, I don’t have to deal with fears every day.) Pick a beautiful one, or (for the guys) one that really appeals to you. Then walk over an aisle or two and look through the pens until you find a set of 4 different colored pens that you like. Maybe they even coordinate with your journal, eh?
Step two: You will be recording 4 different things in your journal, if yours turns out like mine (I’m leaving room here for God to tailor the approach to your specific needs).
- 1. Your fear. One at a time, please! If you have several fears attacking you, then each gets a separate entry.
- 2. Scriptures you can find that address that fear particularly (see examples below). Copy them right out…don’t just list the reference. It’s part of the therapy to interact physically with the scripture by copying it.
- 3. A written prayer based not on the fear, but on the scripture. (see examples below).
- 4. Action points (if necessary)—things that you have realized you need to do to glorify God and take care of that which He has given you.
I do date my entries, by the way. I think it’s faith-building to look back to what I was going through at a certain time in my life. I just don’t worry about writing in this every day, or even every week if I am coping well with my fear or don’t have any plaguing me at the moment. Last night when I pulled the “fear” book out, I discovered that the last entry had been in January! I will admit that that is probably too long to leave it. I can think of several things I have been through since January that could have benefited from some “fear” book therapy.
Now, for some examples, taken straight from my own “fear” book (though edited in some cases to protect the, uhm, innocent) to show you how this works for me. If you have any suggestions of how it could be done more scripturally, please comment! Coincidentally…ok, not. Providentially it turns out that the first example I found to post uses the phrase “hold fast our confession”. Pretty cool, God.
“6.10.09…I realize again that I don’t know how to be a mom, especially in this new season, having transitioned from a mother, to a mother-of-the-bride and mother-in-law. I try to think very hard how to respond and react, but I do this so unsuccessfully. I don’t even know what I need or how to learn what is important.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hebrews 4:14-5:9 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest chosen from among men…can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward…in the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears…learned obedience through what he suffered.
Prayer: Father God, help me to remember that you deal gently with me, ignorant as I am; You sympathize with me and offer me mercy and grace in time of need. I admit to You my need and ask You to sympathize with my desire to be a good mother and growing Christ-follower and with my ignorance. I ask for mercy and grace as I make mistakes and also ask that You give the kids mercy and grace for me and for themselves to help them with the things I fail to be able to support them in.
Action point: Enable me to remember to ask for help and proper responses at each opportunity.”
“9.20.09 I do not know how to face this problem in the church. It looks from my perspective that it is all my fault. Not only that but people who acted like and claimed to love me really were harboring the most awful offenses against me. Am I to take this as suffering for Christ, or the result of my own sin? I honestly don’t know. And some have suggested that it is only my self-focus that makes this about me in my perspective…but I don’t want to fail to see my sin, or to learn better from this. Is that pride or proper piety? There are no answers.
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (suffering). But take heart (be courageous); I have overcome the world.
I John 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Acts 27:20-44 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned…take heart for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship…unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved…take some food. It will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you…and so it was that all were brought safely to land.
Prayer: Lord, YOU have overcome the world. You have overcome the world in me as well as everywhere else and in everyone else. If I acted wrong, You have already overcome it with good!
Father, I can’t even imagine going through a day that I don’t lose a hair or many in the normal course of a day…well, here was one very difficult day when none of these lost one hair! Help me, when things are hard and confusing and I feel as if You made a mistake in letting me live…help me to reach for food from You—the food of Your word, the food of doing Your will, the food of Your mercies and grace.
Action points: Remember God didn’t/hasn’t make/made a mistake in letting me live. Take food (spiritual) to strengthen me. Stay with the ship. Jumping ship into another boat will only result in not being saved.”
I hope these examples have encouraged you, and that you can use the idea of a “fear” book to help you in…
HOLDING FAST.
Friday, September 17, 2010
On Hold #4
In the comment section of the previous post, it was mentioned by Rhiannon that one could do a whole Bible study on the words “hold fast”. Well, Rhiannon, you know what they say…great minds think alike! When I finally decided to open a blog, I promised myself that I would remain faithful to it and post at least once a week. When I chose the name for the blog, I had already done a lot of the research (some of which was posted in last week’s entry), and realized that I would have blog fodder for quite some time even if I found myself only able to write on the thoughts connected with the research on this phrase!
Also in the comment section of On Hold # 3, I mentioned that the “slippery hope” made me think of the scripture in Matthew 11:12. Thinking and researching this connection brings us to another definition of “hold”
One of my favorite book series is the C. S. Forrester Hornblower series. From these delightful stories and few others I learned many things concerning human nature, but also almost all I know about the cargo hold of a ship, especially a sailing ship. It is important to have cargo, in the first place…a merchant ship without cargo is losing money, and a navy ship without cargo of food, water and ammunition is no good to anybody and certainly not for military pursuits. A ship without cargo must be handled differently than a ship with cargo in its hold. A ship with no cargo floats much lighter and higher in the water—which mostly is not a good thing. A ship can have too much cargo, and then she wallows around in the water and is difficult to handle, putting her crew in danger.
In addition, there must be a record of what is stored in the hold. Not only for the convenience of the crew, but also for the inspectors at the various ports.
Lastly, cargo of any kind must be stored correctly. The load must be balanced between the sides and ends of the ship.
Which is where this post actually begins. Because when studying scripture there are certain rules that have been developed over the years for studying any historical manuscript to ascertain its validity as well as for understanding what the author intended to communicate. And for scripture, there are even more rigorous rules and a few that apply only to scripture itself. Without these rules, the content (ahem, “cargo”) of scripture will not be loaded correctly, and the ship of our faith could be easily sunk. Ignoring these principles of interpretation could lead to jettisoning all the cargo and becoming spiritually bankrupt, or it could lead to overloading or unbalanced loading, causing shipwreck or even sinking of our faith entirely.
These rules are called “hermeneutics”. One of the basic rules of hermeneutics is that scripture must define itself wherever possible. Scripture interprets scripture.
As I meditated upon the concept of hope being “slippery”, i.e., something we are exhorted in scripture to hold fast to, it occurred to me that I needed to understand what scripture means when it uses the word “hope”. If I’m going to be holding onto it, I’d better know what it looks like, don’t you think?
We use the word hope a lot. We hope the Cowboys win, we hope it doesn’t rain on our parade, we hope the new research will offer hope to millions of sufferers, and we hope Mom and Dad change their minds about the curfew. We know what “hope” means when we use it in these contexts. But does it mean the same thing when we encounter it in scripture?
My trusty Logos 4 to the rescue! I began to search. At first I focused on the phrase “the confession of our hope”…that is the phrase in Hebrews 10:24, the scripture after which this blog is named. I wanted to know what “confession” of our “hope” was being referenced. Eventually it became necessary to break the phrase down further, so I focused on “hope”.
If you own a Bible dictionary, you may have discovered that reading it can be a serious devotional practice in its own right. Below is a prime example of this! Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words has this to say about the word translated as “hope” in scripture:
I have highlighted the second paragraph as particularly helpful, as well as the reference to something of seaworthy note.
To summarize, then, “hope” as used in scripture is “the favorable and confident expectation of an as-yet-unrealized future of resurrection, conformity to Christ’s righteousness, and eternal dwelling in God’s Presence because of Christ’s work on the cross”.
Stay with me here, now—I’m going to make a bit of a leap. Hang tight! Here we go…
When was the last time you heard a sermon on Heaven and what it is going to be like, Christian? When was the last time you wondered about that future hope and went to scripture to see if it answered your question? How much time do you spend pondering Heaven, or resurrection, or what it will be like to never want to sin again?
I’ve heard many objections to any mention of time spent pondering our future as Christians. The most annoying one being “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good!” And yet we are exhorted by scripture to be very heavenly minded, and that being so will make us fruitful as Christians.
Thinky Things
Christian, have you loaded your hold with a good understanding of the favorable and confident expectation of your as-yet-unrealized future? Is it stacked and balanced properly with good hermeneutics? Are you prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within you (I Peter 3:15)? This would be somewhat contiguous to having our “waybill”—the record of what is stored in our cargo hold. Our waybill is the "confession" of the hope that is within us. Are you holding fast to that waybill? Do you know what's in your hold?
A great resource for restocking your “hold” with hope of heaven is the book by Randy Alcorn titled Heaven.
A great resource to understand more about hermeneutics is the dvd titled “Herman Who?” by Todd Friel.
Until next time…HOLD FAST
Also in the comment section of On Hold # 3, I mentioned that the “slippery hope” made me think of the scripture in Matthew 11:12. Thinking and researching this connection brings us to another definition of “hold”
(noun) :the area below the deck of a ship in which cargo is carried.
One of my favorite book series is the C. S. Forrester Hornblower series. From these delightful stories and few others I learned many things concerning human nature, but also almost all I know about the cargo hold of a ship, especially a sailing ship. It is important to have cargo, in the first place…a merchant ship without cargo is losing money, and a navy ship without cargo of food, water and ammunition is no good to anybody and certainly not for military pursuits. A ship without cargo must be handled differently than a ship with cargo in its hold. A ship with no cargo floats much lighter and higher in the water—which mostly is not a good thing. A ship can have too much cargo, and then she wallows around in the water and is difficult to handle, putting her crew in danger.
In addition, there must be a record of what is stored in the hold. Not only for the convenience of the crew, but also for the inspectors at the various ports.
Lastly, cargo of any kind must be stored correctly. The load must be balanced between the sides and ends of the ship.
Which is where this post actually begins. Because when studying scripture there are certain rules that have been developed over the years for studying any historical manuscript to ascertain its validity as well as for understanding what the author intended to communicate. And for scripture, there are even more rigorous rules and a few that apply only to scripture itself. Without these rules, the content (ahem, “cargo”) of scripture will not be loaded correctly, and the ship of our faith could be easily sunk. Ignoring these principles of interpretation could lead to jettisoning all the cargo and becoming spiritually bankrupt, or it could lead to overloading or unbalanced loading, causing shipwreck or even sinking of our faith entirely.
These rules are called “hermeneutics”. One of the basic rules of hermeneutics is that scripture must define itself wherever possible. Scripture interprets scripture.
As I meditated upon the concept of hope being “slippery”, i.e., something we are exhorted in scripture to hold fast to, it occurred to me that I needed to understand what scripture means when it uses the word “hope”. If I’m going to be holding onto it, I’d better know what it looks like, don’t you think?
We use the word hope a lot. We hope the Cowboys win, we hope it doesn’t rain on our parade, we hope the new research will offer hope to millions of sufferers, and we hope Mom and Dad change their minds about the curfew. We know what “hope” means when we use it in these contexts. But does it mean the same thing when we encounter it in scripture?
My trusty Logos 4 to the rescue! I began to search. At first I focused on the phrase “the confession of our hope”…that is the phrase in Hebrews 10:24, the scripture after which this blog is named. I wanted to know what “confession” of our “hope” was being referenced. Eventually it became necessary to break the phrase down further, so I focused on “hope”.
If you own a Bible dictionary, you may have discovered that reading it can be a serious devotional practice in its own right. Below is a prime example of this! Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words has this to say about the word translated as “hope” in scripture:
elpis (ἐλπίς, 1680), in the NT, “favorable and confident expectation” (contrast the Sept. in Isa. 28:19, “an evil hope”). It has to do with the unseen and the future, Rom. 8:24, 25. “Hope” describes (a) the happy anticipation of good (the most frequent significance), e.g., Titus 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:21; (b) the ground upon which “hope” is based, Acts 16:19; Col. 1:27, “Christ in you the hope of glory”; (c) the object upon which the “hope” is fixed, e.g., 1 Tim. 1:1.
Various phrases are used with the word “hope,” in Paul’s epistles and speeches: (1) Acts 23:6, “the hope and resurrection of the dead”; this has been regarded as a hendiadys (one by means of two), i.e., the “hope” of the resurrection; but the kai, “and,” is epexegetic, defining the “hope,” namely, the resurrection; (2) Acts 26:6, 7, “the hope of the promise (i.e., the fulfillment of the promise) made unto the fathers”; (3) Gal. 5:5, “the hope of righteousness”; i.e., the believer’s complete conformity to God’s will, at the coming of Christ; (4) Col. 1:23, “the hope of the Gospel,” i.e., the “hope” of the fulfillment of all the promises presented in the gospel; cf. 1:5; (5) Rom. 5:2, “(the) hope of the glory of God,” i.e., as in Titus 2:13, “the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”; cf. Col. 1:27; (6) 1 Thess. 5:8, “the hope of salvation,” i.e., of the rapture of believers, to take place at the opening of the Parousia of Christ; (7) Eph. 1:18, “the hope of His (God’s) calling,” i.e., the prospect before those who respond to His call in the gospel; (8) Eph. 4:4, “the hope of your calling,” the same as (7), but regarded from the point of view of the called; (9) Titus 1:2, and 3:7, “the hope of eternal life,” i.e., the full manifestation and realization of that life which is already the believer’s possession; (10) Acts 28:20, “the hope of Israel,” i.e., the expectation of the coming of the Messiah. See Notes on Galatians by Hogg and Vine, pp. 248, 249.
In Eph. 1:18; 2:12 and 4:4, the “hope” is objective. The objective and subjective use of the word need to be distinguished, in Rom. 15:4, e.g., the use is subjective.
In the NT three adjectives are descriptive of “hope”: “good,” 2 Thess. 2:16; “blessed,” Titus 2:13; “living,” 1 Pet. 1:3. To these may be added Heb. 7:19, “a better hope,” i.e., additional to the commandment, which became disannulled (v. 18), a hope centered in a new priesthood.
In Rom. 15:13 God is spoken of as “the God of hope,” i.e., He is the author, not the subject, of it. “Hope” is a factor in salvation, Rom. 8:24; it finds its expression in endurance under trial, which is the effect of waiting for the coming of Christ, 1 Thess. 1:3; it is “an anchor of the soul,” staying it amidst the storms of this life, Heb. 6:18, 19; it is a purifying power, “every one that hath this hope set on Him (Christ) purifieth himself, even as He is pure,” 1 John 3:3, RV (the apostle John’s one mention of “hope”).
The phrase “fullness of hope,” Heb. 6:11, RV, expresses the completeness of its activity in the soul; cf. “fullness of faith,” 10:22, and “of understanding,” Col. 2:2 (RV, marg.).
I have highlighted the second paragraph as particularly helpful, as well as the reference to something of seaworthy note.
To summarize, then, “hope” as used in scripture is “the favorable and confident expectation of an as-yet-unrealized future of resurrection, conformity to Christ’s righteousness, and eternal dwelling in God’s Presence because of Christ’s work on the cross”.
Stay with me here, now—I’m going to make a bit of a leap. Hang tight! Here we go…
When was the last time you heard a sermon on Heaven and what it is going to be like, Christian? When was the last time you wondered about that future hope and went to scripture to see if it answered your question? How much time do you spend pondering Heaven, or resurrection, or what it will be like to never want to sin again?
I’ve heard many objections to any mention of time spent pondering our future as Christians. The most annoying one being “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good!” And yet we are exhorted by scripture to be very heavenly minded, and that being so will make us fruitful as Christians.
Thinky Things
Christian, have you loaded your hold with a good understanding of the favorable and confident expectation of your as-yet-unrealized future? Is it stacked and balanced properly with good hermeneutics? Are you prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within you (I Peter 3:15)? This would be somewhat contiguous to having our “waybill”—the record of what is stored in our cargo hold. Our waybill is the "confession" of the hope that is within us. Are you holding fast to that waybill? Do you know what's in your hold?
A great resource for restocking your “hold” with hope of heaven is the book by Randy Alcorn titled Heaven.
A great resource to understand more about hermeneutics is the dvd titled “Herman Who?” by Todd Friel.
Until next time…HOLD FAST
Saturday, September 11, 2010
On Hold #3
For this post I thought it would be fun to give some interesting facts concerning the phrase “hold fast” in the Bible. One meaning of “hold” is:
Fact #1: There are exactly 30 verses that contain the phrase “hold fast” in the English Standard Version of the Bible. Fifteen in the Old Testament, and 15 in the New Testatment.
Fact #2: This is a list of the things that are to be “held fast” according to the Bible:
Fact #4: The Hebrew words translated “hold fast” are: dabaq (cleave, cling to, glue); chazaq (be strong, strengthen, harden, take hold of); shamar (keep, retain, keep watch over, tend); chashaq (to have strong feelings for); and tawmak (uphold, make secure, make a physical attachment to by grasping).
Fact #5: The Greek words translated “hold fast” are: kallao (join fast together, cement, glue); krateo (be strong, mighty, to prevail); katecho (to hold firmly, hold fast); epecho (to direct attention towards).
Fact #6: A whopping 13% of the 30 verses are repetitions of a. above. I think He meant it, folks!
Fact #7: Hope must be pretty slippery—three times the word “hope” is paired in a verse with the phrase “hold fast”.
There are 7 facts—seems like a good number to end with.
Thinky Things
How many of the things in the list of Fact #2 are you being diligent to “hold fast”? In what areas are you holding fast to evil purposes or refusing to learn? What do you think now of the accusation, made by many over the centuries, that Christianity is a religion for wimps and weaklings?
Until next time...Hold Fast
“to be enough to satisfy or sustain somebody”.May these interesting facts give you something to meditate on that will “hold” you—i.e. nourish you spiritually—until the next post.
Fact #1: There are exactly 30 verses that contain the phrase “hold fast” in the English Standard Version of the Bible. Fifteen in the Old Testament, and 15 in the New Testatment.
Fact #2: This is a list of the things that are to be “held fast” according to the Bible:
- a. A man shall leave his mother and father and hold fast to his wife.
- b. It is commanded that we hold fast to the Lord our God.
- c. Job was commended by God for holding fast to his integrity
- d. Hold fast a father’s teaching, when it is godly.
- e. Hold fast God’s covenant
- f. By the help of God hold fast to love and justice
- g. Hold fast to what is good
- h. Hold fast to the word Paul preached (the Gospel)
- i. Hold fast to the Head (Jesus)
- j. Hold fast to the word of life
- k. Hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope (of Christ)
- l. Hold fast our confession (or the confession of our hope)
- m. Hold fast to the hope set before us
- n. The church at Pergamum was commended for holding fast the name of the Lord
- o. Hold fast what we have until he comes so that no one steals our crowns
Fact #4: The Hebrew words translated “hold fast” are: dabaq (cleave, cling to, glue); chazaq (be strong, strengthen, harden, take hold of); shamar (keep, retain, keep watch over, tend); chashaq (to have strong feelings for); and tawmak (uphold, make secure, make a physical attachment to by grasping).
Fact #5: The Greek words translated “hold fast” are: kallao (join fast together, cement, glue); krateo (be strong, mighty, to prevail); katecho (to hold firmly, hold fast); epecho (to direct attention towards).
Fact #6: A whopping 13% of the 30 verses are repetitions of a. above. I think He meant it, folks!
Fact #7: Hope must be pretty slippery—three times the word “hope” is paired in a verse with the phrase “hold fast”.
There are 7 facts—seems like a good number to end with.
Thinky Things
How many of the things in the list of Fact #2 are you being diligent to “hold fast”? In what areas are you holding fast to evil purposes or refusing to learn? What do you think now of the accusation, made by many over the centuries, that Christianity is a religion for wimps and weaklings?
Until next time...Hold Fast
Monday, September 6, 2010
On Hold, #2
Another meaning of the word hold--actually the phrase "on hold" is as follows:
Save me seat, babe!
into or in a state of suspension and postponement.12 years ago today my husband and I celebrated our 18th anniversary. And it was to be our last. I am so thankful to know that our relationship was only put into a state of suspension and postponement on the day he died. We WILL see each other again. Thank God.
Save me seat, babe!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Art And All That, Part V
Before beginning this post, here is just a short recap of what we’ve covered so far in parts 1-4. First, the initial question, from Stephen:
Art is like a big wooden spoon.
I realize that that statement may be puzzling and unclear. So let me try to explain. First, I will tell a story.
Years ago my children and I attended a religious family camp. This camp was supported by and based on (what I now know to be) a certain cultic fundamental group. At the time, I was sadly lacking in the knowledge of sound hermeneutics, and did not realize my danger. Nevertheless, the Lord protected us. There was at this particular camp in our dorm a very nice lady and her daughters. They were all very beautiful. They all had long, well-cared-for, uncut hair. They all wore kaki or denim skirts and modest shirts, even in the 108 degree heat at the camp. They wore no make-up.
On the last day of camp, she and I began to converse about music. I forget what brought the subject up, but I distinctly remember her telling me of learning that a “backbeat” in music was bad. She liked rock music at the time, but after having this idea planted in her head, she began to listen to it more carefully. “And sure enough” she said, swaying her denim-draped hips from side to side, “I found it DID make me feel more sensual! So I got rid of all my rock music. We don’t listen to it anymore“ she continued, with a self-satisfied, pious air.
I asked her for biblical support for the idea that a “backbeat” in music was wrong, but she was unable to give any.
As I continued to live my life, God was gracious to bring me to a better understanding of hermeneutics and doctrine, and to my belief in the "spoonishness" of Art.
I am a mom and a cook. I love being both, so I’m sure that is where this “analogy” comes from. I apologize ahead of time for the fact that, like all analogies, it breaks down if you press it too hard.
Think of you and each person in the world as a molded jello salad: you know the kind—that gelatinous, semi-transparent sweet treat is molded in a pleasing shape.
According to scripture, everyone’s jello starts out with a slimy, disgusting, and putrified filling. Nasty stuff, that. And it’s all we have unless and until God saves us. He cleans out the slimy dead stuff, and puts in another filling; clean, healthful and yummy! All jello salads look similar- jiggling and sparkling and performing some amazing tricks as well as some stupid things—but the filling makes all the difference. For those of you familiar with Christian terminology, the jello is what God calls your “flesh”.
Art (and any number of other things you might mention) is only a spoon.
What my pious, denim-wearing friend had done, along with many in the church and the world, was to mistake the spoon for the jello. The spoon might make you act bad, so it must be the spoon that is bad. Get rid of the spoon and you won't act bad anymore. (pssst…it’s just a cover for gnosticism—i.e., all matter is bad, only spirit is good).
She and the monks and nuns of antiquity, and myriads of fundamentalist sects from thousands of years ago to the present, both Christian and non, think that if you get rid of the spoon, the jello will somehow cease to exist. Monks and hermits lock their doors, crawl into their cells, and consume only bread and water in their efforts to eliminate the spoons of life. Denim-skirted ladies are even doing their best to remove the spoons from the men around them who might be tempted by a glimpse of a fashionably dressed figure.
The only problem with that is that the jello is really still there, shining and sparkling. Just let some other spoon come along—oh, let’s choose ambition, this time—or something to jostle the jello—say a life-threatening illness like the common cold, for instance—and the jello will start it’s jiggling circus tricks.
Dear denim lady: it’s not the “backbeat” that is bad. You’ve got you some prone-to-jiggle-jello, there. You can get rid of the “spoon” of the “backbeat”, but soon another spoon will come along (an innocent question by an observer, perhaps?) and your jello will be jostled (that holier-than-thou piety looks awfully pretty from the outside.)
St. Paul said it this way:
First of all, if you find that your jello salad only contains putrified filling, you gotta get that fixed. A spoon can’t stir up anything good if there isn’t any there to stir up. If you need help knowing what to do about this problem, post a question in the comments and leave me your email. I’ll gladly share the good news of the gospel with you in hopes that God’s grace will furnish you with some yummy filling!
Secondly, the writer of Hebrews shared with us some wisdom on the subject:
Now, where have we seen that scripture before? Where have we heard that phrase “stir up”? Wasn’t it in our working definition of True Art? (hint: “motivating” and “stirring up” are two ways of saying the same thing.)
We might all ponder our jello salad and the spoons that stir it. Have we mistaken the spoons for the jello in any area? Are there “rules” we have set up for ourselves or others that are attempts at getting rid of the spoons? Do these rules go beyond God’s commands?
“My only curiosity is, what have you learned from all those experiences that confirms your beliefs, especially about Art and all that?”The answers so far have been that my experiences have confirmed the following beliefs I hold about art:
1. There is True Art and faux art.That’s the short version, anyway. We have also agreed on a definition of True Art, and I’ve made the point that just because one is a true Christian doesn’t mean that one’s art is True Art. Here, then, is the next thing I believe about Art And All That.
2. God made art powerful.
3. Art is important to God.
4. True Art requires great sacrifice.
Art is like a big wooden spoon.
I realize that that statement may be puzzling and unclear. So let me try to explain. First, I will tell a story.
Years ago my children and I attended a religious family camp. This camp was supported by and based on (what I now know to be) a certain cultic fundamental group. At the time, I was sadly lacking in the knowledge of sound hermeneutics, and did not realize my danger. Nevertheless, the Lord protected us. There was at this particular camp in our dorm a very nice lady and her daughters. They were all very beautiful. They all had long, well-cared-for, uncut hair. They all wore kaki or denim skirts and modest shirts, even in the 108 degree heat at the camp. They wore no make-up.
On the last day of camp, she and I began to converse about music. I forget what brought the subject up, but I distinctly remember her telling me of learning that a “backbeat” in music was bad. She liked rock music at the time, but after having this idea planted in her head, she began to listen to it more carefully. “And sure enough” she said, swaying her denim-draped hips from side to side, “I found it DID make me feel more sensual! So I got rid of all my rock music. We don’t listen to it anymore“ she continued, with a self-satisfied, pious air.
I asked her for biblical support for the idea that a “backbeat” in music was wrong, but she was unable to give any.
As I continued to live my life, God was gracious to bring me to a better understanding of hermeneutics and doctrine, and to my belief in the "spoonishness" of Art.
I am a mom and a cook. I love being both, so I’m sure that is where this “analogy” comes from. I apologize ahead of time for the fact that, like all analogies, it breaks down if you press it too hard.
Think of you and each person in the world as a molded jello salad: you know the kind—that gelatinous, semi-transparent sweet treat is molded in a pleasing shape.
According to scripture, everyone’s jello starts out with a slimy, disgusting, and putrified filling. Nasty stuff, that. And it’s all we have unless and until God saves us. He cleans out the slimy dead stuff, and puts in another filling; clean, healthful and yummy! All jello salads look similar- jiggling and sparkling and performing some amazing tricks as well as some stupid things—but the filling makes all the difference. For those of you familiar with Christian terminology, the jello is what God calls your “flesh”.
Art (and any number of other things you might mention) is only a spoon.
What my pious, denim-wearing friend had done, along with many in the church and the world, was to mistake the spoon for the jello. The spoon might make you act bad, so it must be the spoon that is bad. Get rid of the spoon and you won't act bad anymore. (pssst…it’s just a cover for gnosticism—i.e., all matter is bad, only spirit is good).
She and the monks and nuns of antiquity, and myriads of fundamentalist sects from thousands of years ago to the present, both Christian and non, think that if you get rid of the spoon, the jello will somehow cease to exist. Monks and hermits lock their doors, crawl into their cells, and consume only bread and water in their efforts to eliminate the spoons of life. Denim-skirted ladies are even doing their best to remove the spoons from the men around them who might be tempted by a glimpse of a fashionably dressed figure.
The only problem with that is that the jello is really still there, shining and sparkling. Just let some other spoon come along—oh, let’s choose ambition, this time—or something to jostle the jello—say a life-threatening illness like the common cold, for instance—and the jello will start it’s jiggling circus tricks.
Dear denim lady: it’s not the “backbeat” that is bad. You’ve got you some prone-to-jiggle-jello, there. You can get rid of the “spoon” of the “backbeat”, but soon another spoon will come along (an innocent question by an observer, perhaps?) and your jello will be jostled (that holier-than-thou piety looks awfully pretty from the outside.)
St. Paul said it this way:
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:21-24)What are we to do, if we can’t stop our jello from jiggling by getting rid of the spoons? We are surrounded by spoons! They are bound to stir up something!
First of all, if you find that your jello salad only contains putrified filling, you gotta get that fixed. A spoon can’t stir up anything good if there isn’t any there to stir up. If you need help knowing what to do about this problem, post a question in the comments and leave me your email. I’ll gladly share the good news of the gospel with you in hopes that God’s grace will furnish you with some yummy filling!
Secondly, the writer of Hebrews shared with us some wisdom on the subject:
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24)Suppose that the spoon stirs up the jello quite rigorously? Why, the filling seeps out. In the case of the unsaved, that will be quite a tragedy—smelly and noxious. In the case of the Christian? That yummy filling seeps out, making everything smell better, look better, and taste better.
Now, where have we seen that scripture before? Where have we heard that phrase “stir up”? Wasn’t it in our working definition of True Art? (hint: “motivating” and “stirring up” are two ways of saying the same thing.)
Working definition of True Art: True Art magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit illustrating God’s Word through the artistic medium thereby motivating the gathered Church to proclaim the Gospel, to cherish God’s presence, and to live for God’s glory.Thinky Things
We might all ponder our jello salad and the spoons that stir it. Have we mistaken the spoons for the jello in any area? Are there “rules” we have set up for ourselves or others that are attempts at getting rid of the spoons? Do these rules go beyond God’s commands?
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
On Hold, #1
It’s finally time to talk about how this blog got its name. As perhaps you have guessed, not all of my life has been easy. Most of the hard parts were due to the fact that I took them hard or made them hard for myself by my own attitude. That aside, it is important to acknowledge that I’ve had a lot of help and support along the way.
Years ago a friend of mine and I had a small gesture of sign language that helped us let each other know we were going through a hard time, but that we would be ok (Thanks, Paula, wherever you are. I hope you are so very blessed!). It was Paula, a two-time cancer survivor, who first used it. I had inquired as to how she was doing, and for an answer, she curled her hand into a hard fist and jerked it down in front of her. At my questioning look, she said “that’s the knot at the end of the rope.”
Ah. I got it. No doubt you’ve heard the saying “when you’ve reached the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on!” From then on, we used that sign language to share with one another that life was hard, but we were making it, and we would appreciate hugs and prayers.
This spring I traveled to visit my daughter, who has moved a thousand miles away from me. As soon as I arrived, she presented me with my birthday present, which she had been working on for some time.
Understand, before I tell you what the gift was, that this daughter (as well as my other 3 children) have helped me walk through some of the very toughest of the tough times in my life. We’ve walked through them together, shoulder-to-shoulder. When one man got weak or went down, the others shouldered up under him until he could walk on his own again. Many times that weak or down man was me. At times, I’ve been very, very close to the edge of the darkness.
So the framed cross stitch that I unwrapped there in her living room, fashioned in my favorite colors, quoting my favorite verses, meant a lot to me. It consisted of the pattern of the cross and runes you see above, along with Hebrews 10:23;
I looked up the definition of “hold” in the dictionary. This word has a plethora of meanings, and we’ll eventually be talking about a lot of these definitions here at the HoldFast, but the very first one is as follows:
I am reminded of the scene in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King where Frodo has fallen over the ledge; below him, the fires of Mount Doom. Above him, a life carrying the great weight of the loss of the One Ring. He hangs by his one undamaged hand over the abyss. And through the magic of cinema, you can see him decide to choose life. With a huge effort of will and body, he throws his damaged hand up to grab onto Sam’s arm and be pulled to safety, and eventually home to Hobbiton, and thence on, after a time, into the West…a green land of endless happiness and total healing.
Anything he held in that hand would have kept him from grasping the hand of his friend. And the grasp for life itself was painful, using the hand from which he had just lost a finger. Without the emptiness of the hand and willingness to grasp the pain, the happy ending wouldn’t have been.
What is it that you need to let go of in order to hold onto the Knot???
Years ago a friend of mine and I had a small gesture of sign language that helped us let each other know we were going through a hard time, but that we would be ok (Thanks, Paula, wherever you are. I hope you are so very blessed!). It was Paula, a two-time cancer survivor, who first used it. I had inquired as to how she was doing, and for an answer, she curled her hand into a hard fist and jerked it down in front of her. At my questioning look, she said “that’s the knot at the end of the rope.”
Ah. I got it. No doubt you’ve heard the saying “when you’ve reached the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on!” From then on, we used that sign language to share with one another that life was hard, but we were making it, and we would appreciate hugs and prayers.
This spring I traveled to visit my daughter, who has moved a thousand miles away from me. As soon as I arrived, she presented me with my birthday present, which she had been working on for some time.
Understand, before I tell you what the gift was, that this daughter (as well as my other 3 children) have helped me walk through some of the very toughest of the tough times in my life. We’ve walked through them together, shoulder-to-shoulder. When one man got weak or went down, the others shouldered up under him until he could walk on his own again. Many times that weak or down man was me. At times, I’ve been very, very close to the edge of the darkness.
So the framed cross stitch that I unwrapped there in her living room, fashioned in my favorite colors, quoting my favorite verses, meant a lot to me. It consisted of the pattern of the cross and runes you see above, along with Hebrews 10:23;
“Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”Along with another of my favorite verses.
I looked up the definition of “hold” in the dictionary. This word has a plethora of meanings, and we’ll eventually be talking about a lot of these definitions here at the HoldFast, but the very first one is as follows:
“grasp something: to take something firmly and retain it in the hand or arms.”Yet again today I have learned for the umpteenth time that one cannot hold onto the knot at the end of the rope without letting go of anything else on which one might have a grip. To hold onto the knot, one has to let go of anything less precious than your life (beloved, your life is hid with Christ in God). Not one penny, one flower, one precious box of memories, one single moment of personal glory can be retained in the hands if they are to grasp the knot in the rope firmly enough.
I am reminded of the scene in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King where Frodo has fallen over the ledge; below him, the fires of Mount Doom. Above him, a life carrying the great weight of the loss of the One Ring. He hangs by his one undamaged hand over the abyss. And through the magic of cinema, you can see him decide to choose life. With a huge effort of will and body, he throws his damaged hand up to grab onto Sam’s arm and be pulled to safety, and eventually home to Hobbiton, and thence on, after a time, into the West…a green land of endless happiness and total healing.
Anything he held in that hand would have kept him from grasping the hand of his friend. And the grasp for life itself was painful, using the hand from which he had just lost a finger. Without the emptiness of the hand and willingness to grasp the pain, the happy ending wouldn’t have been.
What is it that you need to let go of in order to hold onto the Knot???
“Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”Hold Fast.
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