A Grammar Lesson on Spirituality

We have all heard the saying, “If God closes a door, He opens a window”.  The mentality behind this is to press on, thinking perhaps that God wants us to take a different avenue to gain whatever it is we seek, whatever we believe His will is for us. Simply, this cliché’s intention is to shed hope on whatever difficult situation we currently face. Though greatly debated if God really works like this, I believe it is only through an intimate relationship with Christ that we can really decipher if the door is closed permanently, temporarily, or if climbing through a window is an option.

I admit that when I was a child if my Mom said no to something I wanted, I would go ask my Dad. My dad was my window and my hope rested in him saying yes, and often he did.  I didn’t get away with this seemingly sweet set up for too long. Both Mom and Dad sat me down and talked about how I had not respected either one of them. I did not listen to my mom and I manipulated my dad. The answer was no, but I pressed on until I got what I wanted. I was persistent, immature, and my motive was self seeking. In my heart I knew better. The answer was no, I just didn’t like it. With this blatant disrespect were consequences.  

A few weeks ago I heard this same idea expressed slightly different, “Don’t put a comma where God intends for a period” and “Don’t put a period where God intends for a comma”.  Being a person fascinated with the writing process, linguistics, and all things grammar, this caught my attention. When I was in grade school many of my papers would be returned to me inked up in red pen, “Run on sentence”.  I remember my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Vaughshultz, telling me that I needed to break my sentences down, use more periods, and not rush my information.  I started writing shorter sentences and yet when I received my paper; I would read comments like, “Choppy sentences”. What? I did not understand. With practice and heeding the red scribbled advice across my papers, I slowly began to understand that there is a relationship between words and meaning; between information and emotion; between me and my words. It is a beautiful dance that takes place on paper. I still misstep….often.

I misstep because I have an agenda. I push to get my idea across without taking into account the relationship between the words and punctuation.  Though I am referring to writing, I believe the same can be said for how we live our lives.  Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us that “The heart is deceitful”.  We are all born with a sinful nature, we are self-seeking in one regard or another.  If left in our natural state we would live our lives as a series of run on sentences because we seek our needs and desires above all else and we fail to stop and consider what and how the Lord will provide a way for us if the door is truly closed.  Like when I was a child, we can often manipulate our circumstances to meet our needs and desires. Thankfully, we are in a process of being sanctified---transformed to reveal more and more of Christ’s character in our lives. Christ promises that what He begins in us, He will complete.

This brings my mind to yet another scripture: Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart”.  The Hebrew word for delight is “agagh”, which means to bend. I thought this interesting because in a very real sense delighting in the Lord means to bend with Him, go with Him, walk with him. In order for us to do this we need to know him. And to know Him is to love him.  We will only obey if we truly love Him.  In this intimacy, His desires become our desires. I love the way the verse ends, “and He will give you the desires of your heart”. The Hebrew word for desire is “chaphets” which is translated from “if it pleases, if you are willing”.  There is no presumption here. This person is pure of heart. This person is not looking for an open window somewhere. There is no manipulation.

I admit I struggle to know when to press on verses when to stop. I do know that when I am walking in step with my heavenly Father I more readily understand what a closed door or a period means. My desires truly reflect His desires. Still God is God and His ways are not our ways. We can attempt to understand our circumstances and trials though His point of view and still be left with countless questions, even feeling betrayed. I believe that this is the place where Satan likes to whisper alternatives to God’s plan to us, (like, “Climb out that window”!) cause us to feel bitter, or jealous even.  We have all be there, done that, manipulated a situation to meet our desires.

I fail continuously, but even then the Lord has abundant grace as He gently corrects me. It is here in my unworthy heart, on bended knee before the cross that I see red strewn across the sunset sky. In it I see the words, “It is finished”, Christ’s final words as He took His last breath.  I do not need more earthy materials; I want more of Him, period.

I cannot end my thoughts here, when Paul’s do so much more justice.  Excerpt from Philippians 3: 8-21 (Message Translation):

Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant - dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ 9 and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ - God's righteousness. 10 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. 11 If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it. 12 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. 13 Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward - to Jesus. 14 I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. 15 So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision - you'll see it yet! 16 Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it. 17 Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. 18 There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. 19 But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites. 20 But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.