I was born and raised in the South, so I'm use to the severe heat and humidity that claims the moisture from our throats, soils our skin, and invites the nagging insects to disturb us. I can truly appreciate a cool, refreshing glass of water that quenches our thirst on a day when the heat index is above 100 and the atmosphere is so thick with hot air that it hurts to swallow. Today, however, it is not hot outside. As a matter of fact, the calendar shows us that it's springtime, the time of year when the weather is your friend and the melodic tunes from feathered creatures evoke feelings of calmness and serenity. Nevertheless, I am certain that today, 4/10/2008, I experienced a most refreshing encounter when I received one of the greatest revelations that will be revealed to me in my lifetime.
After experiencing a season of frustration, I shared with a friend, my thoughts, conclusions and analysis of what I had been going through. After whining, complaining and attempting to solicit some pity, at some point during our conversation, God used her to help me receive a revelation. There was no thunderous voice from the clouds that spoke to me. Nor was there a vision of an angel whispering God's word in my ear. It wasn't Sunday morning, and we were not dressed in our "church clothes". There wasn’t a prayer line, nor were we waiting to hear a word from our pastors. We were leisurely riding along in the car, traveling to our homes from work, and it happened suddenly.
Today, this very afternoon, I had a breakthrough on the driver's side of my vehicle, when I made a connection...when I received a revelation...when God's word came alive and became practical, with the understanding of one scripture. It literally started with one scripture, but what happened next brought me such joy and peace that I had to share it with someone. The best way I can describe the impact this had on me is for me to ask you to remember Helen Keller (who was deaf, blind and mute) and the moment she made the connection that the cool, wet substance that dripped onto her hand from the water pump is the thing that her teacher (Annie Sullivan) had spelled into her (Helen’s) palm several times. The moment Helen understood that the liquid on her hand was the same thing as the letters, W-A-T-E-R, that she learned to spell using sign language, the child immediately began to understand that everything else around her had a name.
In that car, I had a Helen Keller moment when I began to understand that God's word is not just a book of scriptures that can offer me hope and encouragement when I am sitting in church learning about it. Now I know, I mean, really know and understand that the moment I face a challenge, there is an immediate word from God that is and always has been available to speak directly to my situation. THAT REVELATION IS SO AWESOME! If you're reading this, I know you are probably thinking, "Duh. Is that all? I could have told her that!" And maybe you could have, but it wouldn’t have been a revelation. It would have been information. I would not trade my experience for a more prolific or religious version of it. Today, I am charged to begin to look at the Bible, the same Bible I've always read, in a new and more enlightened way, knowing that not only does it contain the tools I need to apply it to any part of me that needs maintenance, but I’m fully equipped to access it myself. I don’t have to hire a maintenance worker to tell me what the Father has already deemed true. "To God Be the Glory."
Nateisha (Samuel) Taylor
