320 – Isn’t It Ironic, Don’t You Think? Or is it a Coincidence?

#faithbites #faithjourney ironic

I was listening to the 90s radio station this morning and Alanis Morrisette’s “Ironic” came on. I loved that song back then, but even more than the song was the debates and drama about the title. Should the song title be Ironic or Coincidental? The occurrence she talked about in the song was mostly coincidences rather than ironies. That being said, the song is still catchy, but the debate never left my mind.

Flash forward to #LifeInMedSchool. I listen to the words our students use like “edema” but we say swelling. That is just one small example where a word can mean one thing to someone and another to someone else. I am very lucky that I work with clinicians who will help me understand these terms, when to use them and not, and why there are so many more descriptive terms than just swelling for instance.

Add to that, last night I was helping my eldest with synonyms. They had to select the synonym but then decide on the shades of meaning between the two. This was difficult for an almost 9-year-old as we use so many words interchangeably.

Now let’s look at the Bible. There are probably as many different translations as there are pages in the Bible. Some have this book or that, some have extra verses, some use “the desert” to mean “the wilderness”. With all these different words, how do we know what is the word of God? Is it ironic? Is it Coincidental? Maybe just faith.

Scripture

• But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4
• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. – Colossians 3:16
• Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. – Proverbs 30:5

Reflection

Every word of God is truth. The word is never changing always present. Then how can there be so many interpretations of the Word? That is simple and complex. One is that words change in meaning over time. Another is different books were written by different people with different audiences, all with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The main part to me is that one verse or one scripture isn’t what matters. Even Satan used scripture against Jesus during his temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). The point isn’t a single verse but the whole Word of God. We are to look at the overall message which is one of a loving caring God who wants us to love him and love others. Yes, there are rules ton how we should behave and treat each other. We even learn how to pray. The point is that we shouldn’t be having a debate on one word or one verse, but how we live the entire word.

While many English teachers debated about the song Ironic, the point was clear. Sometimes we wait too long to do something or we chose to do something and the opposite thing we expect happens. Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe it’s irony, but it’s not what we were expecting. In the word, we will find scriptures of the Lord anger and vengeance (mostly old testament. We will find where we shouldn’t eat or drink with certain people or associate with them. But in the end, the entire work shows us to love God and love people.

Just like I have clinicians I talk to for medical knowledge, in addition to searching on my own, we all have access to priests, pastors, rabbi’s, imams, and others who can help us understand the word.

Charge

Do you ever find yourself debating with one person over one piece of scripture? Have you thought about how that piece relates to the whole work? Are you debating semantics or actual changing of the overall message of the Lord? When one of these debates happen, think about why the person is taking a difference stance than yours. Find common ground and then relate it to the entire work. Then you may find piece.

Lord, help me to always look at your word holistically. Let me find how it speaks to me today and share it with others. Do not let me get caught up in picking and chosing of scripture without looking at the entire value of your word.