a historical future

My words, at best, will reflect reality accurately. That is the highest level that my words can attain. The noblest words are those that take reality and paint the vivid pictures so that you may understand reality by reading them. Words that appeal to our minds eye and make pictures for our imaginations that are close to reality... well I guess we can say that those words are being used to their full potential. Language is at its apex in purpose when it is representing reality best.

My words, however, are just so limited. They can merely represent. They cannot create. I can never speak things into being. I cannot speak my day into being. Oh yes, I can describe the day, and maybe do a half decent job at telling people of the way that the sunlight refracted off the neatly spun spider's web and glistened in the pale shadows. The shadows looked pale because they looked like they didn’t want to be shadows at all, but rather, given the choice would gaze at the sun all day. Get the picture?

If those words got your mind seeing colours and images then I guess I did a pretty decent job. My tool is mere text. It’s black on white. It’s empty apart from your mind. Words are the expression of reality.

What about God? When he spoke, he created. When he gave the word the heavens were made. And the craziest thing of all is that reality continues apart from our interpretation of it. It exists outside the realms of our speculation. Reality is and expression of his Word.

When I initially shared this thought with my friend, Rich van Lieshout, he asked the question: “What about Tolkien? He created Middle Earth…” Humph! Good question I guess… But Middle Earth in essence doesn’t exist. Neither does Gandolf. Neither does Voldemort. (Yes, yes, I know he’s from Harry Potter not Lord of the Rings!) He has created a separate reality that is most believable and somewhat enchanting but he has not created anything material in this dimension of reality, as we know it. And that for me is relieving, because between you and me, I wouldn’t enjoy knowing that Sméagol is real!

I could never tell you who I am going to be. I can speak to you of intent but never of finality. Yet, God has revealed himself to us in his Word. The word that is final. The word that has been spoken of things to come. When my God speaks, it is. When he commands it becomes. My words may try to represent what I find in him, but his words ultimately define me and my whole reality. His word creates. My words represent.

Man is unable to create history with his words; he can only create history with his actions one act at a time. We depend on the conversion cycle of time as it shifts life from future through the gates of the present into the past. Yet God exists outside of that. He has spoken and we were created. He has spoken too of an ending that I am a part of. It’s the historical future that includes me. It blows my mind to think that I am a part of something certain that is to come. His Word is indeed a lamp to my feet.