If you know much about me, you know that I cherish words. I love finding the perfect word to articulate a unique situation, explore words in other languages that apply directly to our lives, or create a metaphor that stands as a base in communicating a standard. Most recently, my heart has been set on the word “indelible.” It means, “not able to be forgotten or removed.” Some synonyms include permanent, persisting, enduring, and ineradicable.
Mmmm. Doesn’t that just give you the greatest sense of peace? I want to make an indelible impression. I want to consume indelible art. I want to live among people who I find to be indelible.
Unfortunately, I have not found many things in this life to be permanent, persistent, OR enduring. Indelibility is hard to come by. How, then, can we pursue being indelible, or even surrounding ourselves with indelible things. What does this look like practically?
A few years ago I was in a book study with Campus Crusade for Christ, and one lesson from our time has really stuck with me since then… “You cannot rely on yesterday’s walk today.” The concept reminds us that just because we’ve laid down our burdens or embraced our joys in one instance does not mean that we will not need to again tomorrow. It reminds us that consistency lies not in epiphany, but in persistence. Henry David Thoreau famously says, “as a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”
As I’ve pondered this idea, I’ve been reminded that the Christ urges us in this same way. The bible tells us again and again of our renewal and the value of our constant pursuit. We are told that we are being renewed day by day, that we must push on towards the prize, and that our spirits are being refreshed towards steadfastness.
In my experience, only Christ fulfills the expectations of true indelibility. The only way we can hope to share in that consistency is to chase after Him with everything we have, renewing our inspiration and joy in the discoveries of His unfailing character and permanence.
