In my travel, I have discovered that there are a number of words that transcend language and culture. Many are English based, usually words expressing anger or another negative emotion. Included in this bucket are references to Divinity. The divine words are also used to when one is resigned to fate (god willing), needs a universal power to hold accountable, or simply awe and amazement. The father one gets away from English, the more natural and acceptable the words seem to be, especially when the person using the words is under the age of thirty.
I know that words are simply a vehicle we use to express what is within us. A wise person in my youth used to remind me that using slang reflected the limitations of my vocabulary. It was their contention that there were words that precisely expressed any human emotion. I think they had a point, although the universal use of certain words today means that one’s audience clearly understands one’s point when the bucket words are used.
There is part of me that wishes I could introduce individuals to the broader meanings and examples of divine words. I look at certain sunrises and sunsets and hear the word God in a different way. I consider the beauty that can be found in nature and in those moments know the feeling of the word Holy. Unmerited, unrequested, and uncompensated acts of kindness tell me what Jesus means. These words are not for the exclusive use of one faith system. I believe they are universal words that have been carelessly stolen, often in ignorance. In addition to the theft, there are example of abuse and harm done in divine names when the handiwork should only be described as Evil.
One writer looked around himself and commented; “God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world.” (Psalm 8.9) He saw what many have missed. Today I want to help others see love, experience compassion, and know peace. It is what I can and should do to remind them of the meaning in the words.
