Detail of a door at the church in Rocamadour, France

Today's Scripture Reading

Listen to "Be Thou My Vision"

An ancient Irish hymn played on a mountain dulcimer

Today's Devotion

“Earworms.” This is a new word for me, not yet in my dictionary. I read it somewhere, and the syllables were so intriguing I couldn’t forget them. From the context in which I read, the word means: something that sticks in your head--a phrase, a word, an idea--and continues to play over and over until you are nearly mad.

For days I mulled over the word. Earworms. The sound of it almost made me shudder. But the word was somehow glued to my senses, and because I struggle with forgiveness on a daily basis, I decided to use the silly expression to remind me again and again, to pray about this blot on my character. So, a dozen times a day, whenever I thought of it, I replayed the word, forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness. By the end of the day I was sick of being reminded of my need to forgive, and resolved to work on it harder! I wanted badly to erase it from the forefront of my mind.

The next day, I chose another word. Grace. I had to do a bit of research to make sure I knew exactly what I was dwelling on, and in the process learned a great deal about this wondrous and generous act of God. I though, what a beautiful gift to be reminded of by such an ugly word. Earworm.

And so on. Fear, worry, anger, joy, a virgin birth. Promis, peace, servant, humility, witness. Each word had a special day, and a special dwelling point. I began to have fun with my earworms, and at last (as I was studying the Book of Revelation) I discovered that if I approached the word correctly, it became a blessing. The wondrous birth of Christ, yes--but who would have thought symbolic dragons, a cosmic war in heaven, or the earth swallowing the river of death would find such an exquisite spot in my faith journey? I am truly blessed.

I encourage you to find your own earworm and play with it. Read about it, think about it, pray about it, meditate--and during this season of Advent, the season of anticipation, give thanks and look forward to a greater awareness of what you believe.

Almighty God, author and giver of all good things, I am grateful for discovering earworms, and grateful for Your guidance as I research each of the special words I choose to study. Lead my thoughts, I pray, and teach me whatever it is you want me to know. Amen.

Today's devotion was shared by

Marilyn A. Gardner

Thanks to Marilyn Gardner for permission to use material from "Whispers From The Heart", an Advent Devotional. Marilyn is a professional writer and the mother of Nelda Seger, an associate at DisciplesNet Church.