Way Back When?

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On a Saturday morning, as I was cleaning off my kitchen counter, I picked up a local newspaper that covers the news of all of the nearby cities.  One of the regular columns I like is titled Out of the Past.  It offers excerpts of news in increments of 10, 25 and 50 years ago.

I always think it is fun to read about "way back when." What did people do in another era?  How did they think?  How are they different from us today?

Imagine my surprise, when on that particular morning, I noticed that the date from 50 years ago was only 5 years prior to my high school graduation!

Whaaaat?  How could that be?  You mean I actually lived in the Out of the Past time-frame?

Oh my gosh, was I ever shocked.  Since I am not accustomed to counting the years between now and my graduation, I didn't realize it had been so long.  It's just not something I think about.

This got me to thinking . . . what would I tell someone about that long-ago era, a time before they were even born?  I suppose I would tell them about my experiences and the people I knew as I prepared to enter high school.  Maybe I would tell them what little history I could remember.  I probably could not fill them in on everything, though, because surely there were things going on in the world around me that I missed. 

Interestingly, my older brothers, who lived through those exact same years, would have perspectives different from mine (and even each other), based on the people they knew and the experiences they had.

It seems to me that one could argue that this is somewhat similar to biblical authors.  Various writings from the different books of the bible, when examined closely, could even appear to have contradictory content.  This is, of course, because there were different authors, from different backgrounds, with different experiences, perspectives and human skills, writing to people from various cultures.

Once we realize this, any apparent contradictions we might read in the books of the bible makes total sense, and doesn't diminish the author's credibility, nor the divinely inspired content.  When we read scripture, we should always pay attention to who the author is, the audience he is writing to, and the experiences that are foundational to his thought.

The second thing we must remember is that ALL scripture is inspired by God.  He used the natural talents of the people who lived at the time to write his Word.  In scripture, God reveals himself to us in varied ways.  We can trust all of it, and it does help to realize that it's not just some book somebody wrote.  It is a collection of books, written under God's inspiration, revealing what God wants us to know.

Truth be told, there are things from the "olden days" that are valuable and their message transcends time.  Scripture happens to be one of them.  Do not let your bible sit on a shelf collecting dust.  Do not dismiss it because it was written a long time ago.  Do not worry about the contradictions.  Pick it up, brush it off, and give it a try.  If you get stuck, find a wise guide to help you.

All things being relative, I guess my nearly 50-year distance from high school doesn't seem so long ago!

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com

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