A Blank Page

There is a certain purity to a blank page. Whether it is an empty computer screen or a piece of paper, it awaits your input without judgment or condemnation. There is also a calling inherent in its presence, as if crying out for words to fill the void. I believe that the artist senses the same feelings when he surveys the empty canvas. I imagine he sees the completed canvas as a projection of what is in his heart.

Perhaps this is the province of amateurs. Do professionals operating on assignments have the same thoughts? Perhaps under the guidance and demands of editors and time constraints they must complete the thoughts of others. I find that notion an affront to liberty, but then putting bread on the table often is. This is possibly the reason I am so attracted to websites which are written for the most part by persons with little hope of ever making a living as a result of their efforts. If they dealt in oils and canvas they would fit the name, starving artists. As it is, they are mostly those with firm opinions on one of an immense variety of topics which in themselves are very narrowly confined as the subject of the sites.

We deal with others in our lives in much the same way. We are presented, at their birth, with little ones with the same blank page. These precious souls come equipped with little more than instinct and a genetic code. The rest is up to us. But, you say, our job as parents is past. Really! Where in the manual (you did get one didn’t you?) does it say you can quit parenting at some arbitrary time? Is it after college graduation? Is it when they get married? Is it because you never had any children of your own? Did Jesus Christ shun the children because they weren’t His? No, He gathered them unto Him and shared stories and Himself with them. Although He didn’t say so, I’m certain He listened to them as well.

When I address those in the faith by the title "brother" and "sister" I assume a familial relationship which assigns their children’s care and keeping to me as well. I must maintain an example for them. I must be aware of their needs. I must be ever alert to present the face of a joyful Christian and follow it up with action as well. I am always thrilled to hear an adult refer with rapt remembrance to a Sunday school teacher who guided them in their formative years. Do we not remember the various plays and other offerings we performed to enhance a holiday worship service? Some very patient adults were there to guide the youngsters to sing or recite.

Even the most dedicated reader of scripture finds passages which require interpretation and explanation. I doubt the validity of any proposition which cannot be explained to a child. Practice and be prepared to render understandable those laws and doctrines which we hold dear. This is not preaching but loving sharing. If one tells a child. “You wouldn’t understand” it diminishes the child but demeans your willingness and spiritual condition even more. This whole process is not work; it’s love.

So, here we have a very valuable “blank page” just awaiting our positive and spiritual response. We can cover it with an appreciation of the Master, His life and teachings. Or, we can just doodle and waste an opportunity to truly be of service to Him. The most precious resource of our church is awaiting our input. Without them, we will eventually expire as a faith.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon