Life through the Red Letters

There is an unseen beauty in this world that science, logic, and religion, seek to describe. Each will give a different explanation as to why and how we exist, a concoction of philosophies that are built on pure intuition. Because they know how an embryo is formed there must be no mystery. Or because we have the capacity to think on our own, there cannot be anything greater than our human mind. It is assumptions like these that have driven scholars, scientists, philosophers, and religious leaders alike to search for truth. With each of them defining the issues of life through his or her worldview, the diversity in our world and cultures has allowed each person to have their own span of views and beliefs. However, I have chosen to live my life through the red letters.

It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that this fashioned printing came about. The red letters I speak of are the once spoken, and highly reverenced words of our Lord Jesus Christ. In many Bibles, the words of Christ are printed in red. Bringing an emphasis not only to His rhetoric, but His urgent and loving message.

Throughout a Christian’s life there are moments a shadow of doubt may cloud the mind. For some, clarity is only but a prayer away. For others, life spins out of control until they no longer hold these crimson truths to be relevant. I wont deny the work of logic and science; they have helped to shape our understanding of the world. But I do not define myself by it. My perception of reality is not measured by the restraints that the physical places on life. Looking beyond the tangible and into the “supernatural” is how I choose to be governed. I do not exempt myself from the standards of the world, but at the same time, I am not who the world tells me I am. While others are defining themselves by culture, or class, I choose to define myself by the words of the man who willingly became the Lamb led to the slaughter. While others embark on “journeys” of self-discovery, I find myself discovering who I am in Him. My reality is not only supernatural, but it is also tangible. Reason will argue that God must not exist because we cannot see Him, because we cannot touch Him, or because we cannot “talk” to Him. Anne Frank argued it best:

“I believe in the sun, even when it doesn’t shine. I believe in Love, even when I don’t feel it. And I believe in God, even when He is silent.”

It is in the moments of silence that we truly find ourselves. It is only then that we can know if what we ourselves hold to be true is indeed--the truth. As Christians, we must decide whether we will live out our lives according to the scriptures, or according to societal outlines. Living life through the red letters is more than lip service. It goes beyond our selves and into the realm of divine strength and appointment. The Bible should be our go to source for everything. Psalm 1:1,2 says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” If we delight ourselves in the scriptures and the study of them surely we will be prosperous. If we live according to the words of Christ and allow ourselves to be saturated in His crimson flow, we have no way to go but up.