Keep me as the
apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings, Ps 17:8 (NASB)
I grew up hearing
my parents and grandparents use the expression apple of my eye. I was often
told I was the apple of my daddy’s eye. There was even a polished, wooden
apple, with a small picture of me in it, sitting on my daddy’s desk. It was a
constant reminder that I was precious and important to my daddy.
One day, I began
to wonder what that phrase actually meant and very shortly was surprised to
discover the saying originated in the Bible, specifically, the Old Testament.
So I went back to Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament and discovered
that the apple of someone’s eye is the pupil. It’s even more than that—it’s the
reflection of yourself in the pupil of someone’s eye. Imagine standing close
enough to someone to see yourself reflected in their eye. This is a perfect
picture of the close relationship God wants to have with us. He holds us so
close and so precious that we can see ourselves reflected in His eye.
So what does that
have to do with my writing life? It has to do with God’s character—Who He is.
He is a creative God. The very first thing we see Him doing, in the first
chapter of Genesis, is creating. We all have that aspect of God somewhere
within. For me, it’s reflected in my writing. And I’m never more in tune with
God than when I’m writing. Rather than looking tolerantly at me when I’m
writing, I know God is rejoicing that I’m using the gift He’s given me to
create.
So I encourage you,
draw close, gaze into your Creator’s eye—revel in the fact that He loves you
with a love that defies description—and then feel His joy as you become a
living example of Who He is.
