Isn’t it exhilarating to finally understand something you have been trying to learn?! I love to learn and I love to teach. There is always reason to celebrate whether I am doing the learning or I am helping someone else.
Most of the time we have to use words to explain something and that can be troublesome when it’s hard to grasp the meaning of a word. I am often looking for a definition that aids me in applying a word to my life. I’ll share here a few words that I have learned to put to work.
Delight
For example, when the Bible tells us that the Lord delights in us or when we are told to delight ourselves in the Lord, I want to know how I can describe and experience what delight looks and feels like. Somewhere a long time ago I read a definition that satisfied me and gave me an experiential understanding of delight. It is this: to love with enthusiasm.
Ponder
Or take the word ponder. It says in the Bible that Mary pondered what was told to her. It is not a word I use. What does it mean to ponder something? I was helped by this definition: to ponder is to give something mental consideration with heart approval.
Love
What does it look like to love others. On several occasion I heard people say incomprehensible things like “I don’t really like him, but I love him in the Lord.” Now what does that mean and how do you do that?
Is love a feeling? If so, how do I love those I don’t know? I don’t want to be overly simplistic here, but when I wanted to get a handle on this, I was helped by a pastor who said when we love other people we have “a relaxed mental attitude toward them.” Of course, that is not the whole of love but it is a starting place. When I apply that definition, I realize that it is not possible to judge someone at the same time I am having a relaxed mental attitude toward them.
Grace
Or take the huge concept of grace which I am forever experiencing and learning about. I learned about saving grace when I became a child of God. I learn every day about living grace. And I watched Joe Ann experience dying grace. I don’t know that there is a single definition that explains it although I know it from experience.
When I asked about its meaning as a child, someone said, “Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” That’s a nice acronym but it wasn’t satisfying.
One day while watching a tennis match I caught a tiny piece of its meaning. Everytime a player was a point away from winning the match, the announcer would say, “Advantage, Williams” or whatever the player’s name was. At that moment it occurred to me that God announces that in every situation in which I find myself. “Advantage, Joyce.” I have the winning edge in things that are frustrating, joyous, sad, perplexing, or any situation in which I find myself; he gives it to me. The match may not be over, but the advantage I have is that I can meet the challenge in him.
Attitude
We have all heard the word attitude invoked many times. We’re told to have a good one, change one, or get rid of a bad one. This brief definition of an attitude is my favorite because it tells me what it is and suggests how I can deal with it. An attitude is an emotional habit. When there is a recurring attitude, I recognize it for what it is and know that habits are not easy to break but they can be broken.
The definitions I share with you are like shorthand to me. I like them because I often have to put these words to work on the spur of the moment. These definitions help me understand what I am doing or what I need to do.
Do you have some to share? I’d love to hear them.
