I don’t believe in blogs. At least, in so far as they are a means for communicating something deeply personal. Perhaps blogs are a fine medium for sharing information, an opinion even, but for the things of the heart they seem an ineffectual tool. To be certain, the story of a person’s heart is a fitting story to tell, but to what end?
Jesus told parables, or stories, to conceal truths to be unearthed by those looking for treasure. He also shared them as a point of connection between the Father and his children, and between the children and the created world around them. These are just a few of the reasons Jesus spoke in parables, but they are illuminating ones as we consider the purpose of sharing our own stories.
Yet, here I am, introducing the launch of a series of regular blog posts on this site. Yes, I see the irony in light of the foregoing. Much like Jesus and his parables, I have experienced the sharing of my story as an opportunity to test how interested someone is in digging deeper, asking more questions to figure out some truths of me. Perhaps more importantly, I have seen sharing my story as a chance for connection with the other.
But here, in this blog, the purpose of my sharing is to examine my own life. To catalog myself for my own research. To discover in the folds of my story the hidden places where I was becoming. To find, through the mysterious work of the Spirit, that I just may know more than I know I know. And in that knowing, to marvel at the One who tells stories in bone and blood and every loose feather that finds its way to the eighth day.
Listen! Is it red bird? Or something inside myself, singing? ~ Mary Oliver
Eighth Day Aches 