The Midas Touch

Alright, so apparently biweekly posts with a newborn was a bit ambitious. I won't make any promises on when the next one will be, I will simply write when I can. Deal? Deal. So my favorite show is Jeopardy (don't judge me) and the other day the Final Jeopardy question dealt with King Midas. I thought back to the classic tale and of course remembered the Wishbone version (I hope you watched the show with the dog who explored all the classics). Anyway, I began to consider the idea of everything I touch turning to gold. During my thoughts, I decided that I don't really want my physical surroundings to turn to gold, but I often want my words to turn to gold.

I have this issue with worrying about what I say. I hate being misunderstood and I always want to present my thoughts and ideas clearly. Yet in person, this rarely happens. And I don't just mean I slip up now and then, we're talking bad. To a point where, during a Bible Study, I had someone react to one of my analogies with calling me blasphemous. Yeah, not really what I was going for. Because of this, I get a little shy in arguments over faith. I have all the thoughts in my head and all of my reasons for believing, but apparently I don't always express them well. If I know the person well enough, things usually turn out alright, but if it is a newer relationship, I get a lot of blank looks.

With that, it has become hard to know when to talk and when to remain quiet. It has taken a huge effort, but I am learning more and more to listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit (but yikes I have a long way to go). One thing, though, that has helped me through the frustration of my words and ability to translate my love for God is a beautiful verse in Isaiah. God says through the prophet Isaiah: 

"As the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that comes out from my mouth: it will not return empty to me, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (55:10-11).

God can work through your jumbles and bumbles. He can take the words that you speak with imperfection and a little cloudiness and turn them to gold. By all means, don't try to confuse other people or purposely speak in analogies that others will find blasphemous, but know that when you mess up, God can still use your words. God is in the business of turning the ordinary into gold. Just look at what he does with us. I was nothing before him, but since having met him he has turned me into gold. I was broken and lost, but he called me loved and made me his child. In the Christmas spirit, he made my scarlet sins white as snow (Isaiah 1:18), or you could say he turned me into gold. And he can do the same for you and your words.