"AND"

The other day I was being led through a Lectio Divina guided meditation on the verse "be still and know that I am God ". The word "AND" stood out and shimmered at me.  So I sat with it. It was fascinating. So many things came up. I have lived my life as an "and" since the day I was born - Randy and Candy. Since the day I got married - Geoff and Candy. Even my name is an "AND" - C and y. See? Fascinating.

So what is it about this word "AND"? In some ways I see that it leads to the completion of things. After all what is a twin without the AND? And what is a marriage without the other half?  That got me feeling pretty good about myself. Even in the Genesis story God created male AND female in his image. It wasn't finished until the AND was added. Then creation was complete and then it was very good. (I just have to say I think that's pretty awesome.) But it also leads to humility. Trust me a level of humility comes from always being considered second. In fact, if you're not careful it can lead to insignificance which is something I've dealt with in my life. That's where balance comes in. Balance is the key. In many ways AND is a balancing word. It can lift you up or it can let you down. It's all about your perception. I choose to believe I complete things that would be good without me but with me they become very good. That may sound proud but getting to that point has been a profound journey for me.   

Back to the verse "be still and know that I am God" - being still is good. But without the end result of knowing God through the stillness it is empty. When you add  "AND know that I am God" - it becomes a revelation. And a revelation of God is always a good thing.

This is a page from my latest journal -page 1. It's my first art journal. AND I'm excited about it.