Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseaethe huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh?
For weeks, I have been pondering two words. Sacred vs Scared: two words that begin and end the same, but how you order the interior letters makes all the difference.
Sacred: set apart, devoted to the service of God. Reverently dedicated to a person or purpose.
Scared: to suddenly fill with fright, alarm, or worry.
So often, the circumstances of life call for fear, and my instinct is to become scared. But I can blink and look again. With renewed vision, I can realize a deeper devotion and a higher purpose.
My husband is away. Am I nervous about being overwhelmed, or focused on the promise that God will take care of us all?
My child is disrespectful. Am I anxious and irritated, or purposefully prayerful and consistently kind?
Finances are shaky. Do I worry about tomorrow, or surrender to God's plan today?
People are mean. Shall I react with alarmed defense, or rise to God's loving standard and respond with forgiveness and grace?
I battle depressed laziness. Will I write myself off as a loser, or choose to see myself the way my patient Creator sees me - in need of a fresh word of truth.
Government seems to be growing in power and ignoring wisdom. Am I frightened for the future, or determined to live at peace and do what God requires?
God says, "Fear not!" Evidently, when the task or thought in front of me reads "scared",
I have the opportunity to choose to read "sacred".
Same beginning and end,
but perceived with gratitude and ordered in such a way to bring abundant life.
This is how the Psalmist phrased it...
"In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
I will present my thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life."
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life."
Psalm 56:10-13
