30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 16

Today, I want to say that I am thankful for the Word of God.  Now, that may sound corny, I know.  However, it is not fake.  I have long learned that a person, myself included, cannot and will not build a deep relationship with Jesus without it.  Sadly, many have used it and twisted it to their own ends and gains.  However, I know God, and I know the power of His word first hand; His truths always lead to freedom.

But I am getting on a soapbox - so sorry!  As much as I love and treasure my education, it has been a struggle since to view the Bible as something other than a textbook.  Don't get me wrong; I value the ability to be able to go through a passage and analyze it properly, to be able to go back to the original languages, to see God's word in a new depth.  It's like watching a show on a tiny black-and-white television, then going to a full-screen high-def color set. 

Yet beyond the hermeneutics, after the linguistic analysis, it is alive.  Inspired.  God-breathed.  Touches the heart, the soul, the mind in a way that is beyond explanation or understanding.  And for those who don't have that metaphysical personal relationship with Jesus will never have that.  To them it is just a book.  One that is to revieved, respected, and obeyed, perhaps, but not alive.

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Grampa took Mary Ellen inside away from the crowd.  "Now, child, I am going to show you what my father showed me, and his father before him," he said quietly.

     He spooned the honey onto the cover of one of her books.  "Taste," he said, almost in a whisper.

     Mary Ellen savored the honey on her book.

     "There is such sweetness inside of that book too!" he said thoughtfully.  "Such things... adventure, knowledge and wisdom.  But these things do not come easily.  You have to pursue them.  Just like we ran after the bees to find their tree, so you must also chase these things through the pages of a book!".
   - excerpt from The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco

This book is one of Emily's schoolbooks this year and I absolutely love it, nor does she tire of reading it over and over!  In a nutshell, the plot of the story is thus:  the main character, Mary Ellen, is tired of reading and wants to do something "fun", so her grandfather takes her on a wild goose chase following honey bees back to their tree.  They encounter new friends, learn lessons, and in the end, the analogy of the sweetness of knowledge and learning.

Is God's Word sweet to you?

Or is one of several versions of books gathering dust of your shelf?

Is it alive and breathing and warm and vibrant?

What are you pursing?

"There is such sweetness inside of that book... but such things do not come easily.  You have to pursue them."