More Than Words

The other day I was talking to a good friend of mine about blogging. He was asking if I took a special class or studied it in college. I had to be honest and tell him that my English teachers would find it rather hilarious if they knew I was keeping a blog and writing on a regular basis. Let’s just say I wasn’t the best student (as evidence by the frequent rate with which I destroy grammar on this blog). Sure, I’ve dreamed of writing a book one day, but whenever talks get semi-serious, I bail. A blog is so much less intimidating. So why even keep a blog?

In 1862 a 16 year old kid named William Ralph Featherson put pen to paper to write a love letter of sorts. I like to think that if blogs existed back then, ol’ William would have just written a post and clicked “publish.” But there were no blogs so his letter went unnoticed. William would pass away at the age of 27. Three years after William passed away, a man named Adoniram Gordon put music to Williams “Love Letter” and got it published in a hymnal the same year. You may know the love letter by it’s official title…..

My Jesus, I Love Thee

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus ’tis now.

I love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus ’tis now.

In Mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

“We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

Near as I can tell, William Ralph Featherson has no idea that his love letter ever made the impact on the world that it did. Just today, the words of that love letter have been rocking my world as I heard the song. I’m just one of the many, many people that cherish this old hymn. I’ll never get to meet William this side of heaven. I’ll never be able to thank him (or Adoniram) for putting it together. Yet it’s words have impacted my life.

His poem is so much more than words.

At the end of this road, I guess that’s the goal of this little piece of real estate on the internet too. I don’t have a platform, vision or even mission statement. I’m not looking to write books or sell advertising space. I guess I just put it to paper (or the web) like William did all those years ago. My greatest hope is that my kids will forever have an archive in my own words to look back on. Hopefully they see my heart. Hopefully they read my thoughts. Hopefully they know it’s more than words.