Words, words, words, words, PUT A KNIFE TO THY THROAT, words, words, words, words. This is how so many people read. Not everyone, but a lot of people. They think that by skimming, they can get the gist of the book, or article, or Scripture verse, without actually having to take the time to read each word or use the brain power to process each thought. I have to admit, I’ve done this too. For those skimmers out there, I repeat, I’ve done this too! Normally my skimming takes place in a section of my book where the author is describing the character’s surroundings (I do not care what color each flower is or how many cracks are in the wall and on and on it usually goes), or I skim places like in the book of Numbers where God is describing the duties of each family of the Levites. I’m not a Levite; no one I know is a Levite. I only read it because God must have had some reason to put it in the Bible, but I’m not overly interested in what a stave is or what color blanket they had to cover things with.
Having admitted that I skim, and do it regularly, I have to say that almost every time I skim, I regret it. In my book, the people are talking in the courtyard, then there are a bunch of descriptive paragraphs (that I skim really fast), then suddenly everyone is sipping tea in the library. How did they get in there?! So, I go back and reread all the boring parts, and sure enough, smack in the middle of “three cobblestones high” and “the baby bunny that just hopped onto the path” is “the group slowly ambled inside.” How did I miss that? Oh yeah, I skipped over it.
It’s amazing how one little sentence can change the entire tone of a paragraph, or even how one word can change the meaning of a sentence. “That was awful” was actually “That was awfully pretty,” but now I’m mad at my sister because I think she thinks my drawing is bad. Unfortunately, one time “That was awful” really was “That was awful,” and then I had to decide if I still wanted to be offended. Did I draw it for her or did I do my best for God?
Ps. 119:165—“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”
If what we are doing is wholeheartedly for God, then either what is written (and said) is not true, or else it doesn’t apply to us. But if it is true, and it does apply to us, and the truth hurts, maybe we should figure out why. After all, isn’t that what growth is all about?