I like commas. I don't claim to always use them perfectly, and sometimes I get creative to a degree that would make Strunk and White cry, but generally, the comma is my favorite grammatical device.
I have begun to notice, however, that it is not God's. In fact, I'm starting to realize that he doesn't permit them. Even commas I never knew existed are slowly being erased from my spiritual philosophy.
I'm coming to realize that while some things God says may not be universal, they are black and white. Meaning, there may be some things that are right for some people and wrong for others, but the individual has a distinct right and wrong for themselves in their situation. When examining my own life, there are no gray areas, no middle grounds, and it's time to eliminate the commas I've put in place.
I believe this is true of all believers, but not for me.
I trust you in all things, just not in this.
I will follow you wherever you may lead me, except there.
Of course that's a sin, except in this situation.
I am to love everyone, just not them.
I'm being stripped of my commas and forced to face the black and white truths before me, and the process has not been pleasant, but the result has been good.
I've told God I want to understand him, no matter what it takes. So he has brought to light all of the fears, the doubts, and the commas.
I know I'm supposed to write what you show me, but I don't want to share it with that person.
I just want my daily bread and provisions for my family, as long as it looks like this.
I will forgive anything, just not that.
I have no secrets, except for those.
Guide every part of my life, Lord, just let me control this.
God hates the commas because they represent all the areas that we haven't surrendered, all of the wounds we choose to keep open rather than let him heal them. They keep us from being what he intended us to be. They hurt us.
I'm tired of being hurt. I'm tired of having wounds. I'm tired of trying to make a case for my qualifiers. I'm tired because it is exhausting trying to slough through all of the run-on sentences in my life.
Commas are pride. They are fear. They are self-righteous. They are empty. They make the rest of the sentence mean nothing.
It's time to simplify. And I think it's time for us, as a body of Christ, to ditch the commas and give Satan a good scare, to believe Jesus when he says we will lose our life when we seek to save it. How awful. How futile.
The worst lie we can believe is that holding on to anything when God has said let go will end well. That's where Satan wants us. That's not where I want to be anymore. I want to be the kind of person who says and means the words
Guide me.
Teach me.
Forgive me.
Help me.
Heal me.
Dig it up.
Get it out.
Show me truth.
Tell me what to do.
I will obey.
I trust you.
with nothing to add or take away. I don't know yet where that will take me. I don't know, but I suspect, that there will be times I will miss my commas. They make things comfortable, and sometimes easier. However, they certainly don't make things better, period.
