Literal, Figurative, True

I said I believe the scriptures. I do. Having said that, some people will think literal and some figurative and there are probably other positions on the spectrum.

If I've already told you this story, you can skip this post. My husband and I are different in many ways. One, is that I always read Genesis 1 as a literal account. I read all of scripture literally. He reads Genesis as a figurative account. A couple of years ago we butted heads on this. Knowing how highly he regards the Word, I couldn't understand how he could possibly not read the scriptures as literally true.

"How can you possibly say that this is only figurative?" And I probably did say, "only" figurative.

Then he said, "But I believe it's all true".

Now I have to say that this was one of the more profound mind-boggling moments of my life. What if it's not literal but just as true? Or more true? In my husband's brilliant, creative mind, God is too big to be "only" literally true.

In any culture, words are layered with meaning. As as we mature, as our experience grows, consciously or unconsciouly, we add layers of meaning to our thinking. Child development experts have their varying models for progressive stages of development often formulated as steps to some unseen, never fully realized pinacle. But sometimes it's profound to see things someone hasn't noticed before, and sometimes it's profound to see the obvious.

After my momentary quandry, it made perfect sense. Of course God is bigger than the literal and the visible. He's the invisible God. He's the Living Word. We don't really understand all the varying discrepancies or seeming contradictions in the scriptures but somehow, it's all true because it's God's word and He doesn't lie.

Somehow our doctrines and the seeming contradictions of scripture divide us because we have to be "right." Yet respecting the authority of His word, gathering, listening, learning from one another, digging deeper, pondering, always doing what we know (despite our differences) we can draw closer to the Living God and perhaps see sides of Him that we'd never see alone.

If eternal life is to know Him, Him being God and us not, it will take an eternal life to do that. Even if we're always seeking to know Him better, there will always be more of Him to know. A healthy mix of confidence and humilty. The stuff we want to give our kids.