Have you ever had the last word? I get to do that a lot because I am a college professor and my last word usually ends class. But, other than the classroom, I am not so sure having the last word is really a good thing. In fact, it is a bad habit that I don’t mean anything by, it is just a habit. My mind runs so fast sometimes that I end up putting ideas together in a staccato fashion that I am sure wears people out.
Children, teenagers most specifically, just have to have the last word. For little ones it is usually no, for teens it is usually intended to be rude, defensive, or insulting. You see, when we have to have the last word, it is our own hurt, anger and poor self-esteem that is doing the talking. Teenagers want to be grown up and when they are confronted with their feelings and know they aren’t grown up, they lash out. So do I and I think you do too. We have to be right, we have to be first, we have to win.
Have you ever noticed how the Gospel of John begins? “In the beginning was the Word…..”. Now, isn’t that interesting, the Living God is the first word. With humankind, God is the first word, not the last. Jesus was the first word, not the last. I wonder what our world would be like if we tried harder to have the first word? And what would or should that word be? Hmmm, how about “love”. Notice I did not use a question mark, but a period. It makes it open ended as either a choice or a description or a conclusion.
A world where the first word is either spoken or acted out and that first word is love. Christ is the logos, the word and the first word at that. In Genesis, it says that the Eternal spoke the world into existence. Do you realize that you can “speak” another person into existence? By speaking with your life or with a good word of love, you can “speak” others around you into a new life, olne they may never have imagined. Jesus said he was the way to the Eternal, but it means that we have to do it His way. The way of being the first word and that being Love.
We have made the world more difficult than it has to be. The way to the Eternal is already open to all. We must have the first word and it must be love. I love you Eternal One. You love me. Oh, and for those who want to say that Jesus was the “Alpha and Omega”, I will not disagree. I will point out that if he is the logos, then the last word is the first word……Love. If we truly believe, then when we have the last word it will be love. Now, wouldn’t that fix most of those self-esteem issues we have? Wouldn’t that resolve all of those have toos?
TMM