Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, December 20, 2024
This past Sunday I paused at the office supplies section of a thrift store, and noticed this impressive-looking journal. As you can see, its cover is Christian- or Jewish-themed, quoting a beloved verse from Jeremiah. I’ve preached on this verse several times, at child dedications and baptisms especially, because people sense that God knows us, and knows exactly the plans which would make us deeply happy.
Most of the time, when I encounter a beautiful journal like this in a thrift shop, I know what I’ll find inside. Along the spine inside the front cover I’ll find evidence of torn paper, since its previous owner bought that journal with the firm determination to write in it daily. That zeal lagged, and the owner decides to donate it, but removes the written-on pages.
But when I opened this journal, only one page had been written on it. Here is that page:
First we see a childish scrawl, laboriously printing the word “BEAR.” Just underneath the “B” it seems as though the child, or a slightly older sibling, had ventured a smaller and more careful version of the word.
But suddenly a far more mature, and most likely feminine, hand takes control of the writing instrument. It seems that we may be witnessing an instructional moment, with Mom writing the word using printing and cursive, maybe saying the word as she writes. We see no more from the original writer, unless that unsatisfying and crossed-out effort underneath is his or hers.
And the rest of the journal is blank.
As I glanced from cover to contents, I suddenly saw a connection, one which was obviously not meant by the writers. But isn’t it interesting that the book’s cover announces God’s plans for us – and they are heartening, amazing plans. But once the book is opened comes the announcement Bear. It’s repeated several times, in childish printing and adult script.
It’s like the message is, “God has great plans for you, but before He can work out these plans, you’ll need to bear with life as it is.”
Because God’s journal – the book He wrote through several authors – has a lot to say about perseverance and faith, two topics explores in greater detail in the links below: