Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Lost Art

Everyone who knows me knows that I love to write.  If I were stranded on the proverbial deserted island and could have any single luxury of my choosing, it would not be my favorite chick flick or a good who-done-it mystery novel.  No, it would be paper and pen.  Writing allows the author to at once be connected to all things and separate from all things.  It transcends all the limits placed on us by our world or ourselves: time, distance, circumstance.  In today’s obsession with email, text-messaging and, yes, blogging, expressing ourselves through writing has never been easier; and yet, we are miserable at it.  We have icons and acronyms that save us precious few seconds when getting a point across to a friend, coworker, or loved one.  The point does get across (most of the time), but what has been lost is the art of writing.  If you’ve ever read a letter written to your grandmother from your grandfather serving in a war overseas, you will understand perfectly what I’m talking about.  Writing is about more than just describing a concept or getting a point across.  It’s about expressing our individuality as unqiuely formed, creative human beings.  It’s about recording life from the soul’s perspective.  It is song, dance, and sculpture wrapped into one.

I have thought about creating a blog for a while now, although my old-fashioned caution radar has prevented me from venturing so intimately into the online realm.  But I have decided to throw caution to the wind, based on a realization I recently had when journaling at home:  My writing should not be about hiding the embarrassing secrets of my life, nor bitching and moaning about the insignificant minutiae of daily life.  Rather, my writing should bring honor not just to my life and the lives of those around me, but to life itself.  My writing, while originating from the private depths of my own heart, should honor the depths in all of us that long to be searched, nurtured and spoken for.  My words should serve as an open invitation to everyone - past, present, and future - to do a little bit of thinking about this wondrous experiment of life.

I chose the title Be Still and Know as a shortened version of my favorite Bible verse: “Be still and know that I am God.”  As a Christian, there are countless verses that speak more succinctly to the core of my belief in Christ, however I have been drawn again and again to this particular verse.  Sometimes it feels as though life in this world is too chaotic and complicated for even the most basic act of prayer, and when it occurs to me to pray, no words come to mind.  When I’m in the midst of those moments, when it seems I don’t know where to start in a conversation with God, often all I can do is just be still and know that God is there.  Reclaiming the peacefulness and certainty of that simple, wonderful fact is often all that I need.

To all my friends who will read this blog, I hope you enjoy the thoughtful ramblings of simple, little ‘ole me.  If ever you’re having a bad day, I’ll do what I can.  But remember… be still and know. 

Posted by Becky at 19:37:30
Comments

One Response to “The Lost Art”

  1. Ohio Girl says:
    February 13, 2008 at 8:48 pm

    Hooray! So glad to see you blogging. It is about time. I am going to put a link to your blog on mine, if that is alright. I appreciate your very Zen expression of your connection to Christianity. And appreciate your writing. I’ll be visiting often.

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