Dictionary Anatomy

There is a big, beautiful dictionary in my house that I drool over when I see it.
I know. That's weird.
I have made reference to it in another blog post, but it's true. Something about it just draws me in.
I don't even know where it came from. A box of books someone once gave me? A yard sale? No idea.
But that doesn't really matter.
When I opened it up recently, I noticed that the cover of the book is coming off.
It's broken, battered.
And right at the place of vulnerability.
The spine.
When a book is written there are pages and pages of glorious words. Of adventures and heartaches; of love and loss; of learning and growth.
All of those pages need to be bound together so they don't fly around loose, getting lost and mixed-up. So that a reader can make sense of them and sit with them to immerse themselves into whatever story unfolds.
The pages go to a book-binder, the book-printer, for that purpose.
The pages are the skeleton; the binding is the muscles and tendons that hold the structure of the book together. And then the finishing touch ~ the cover.
The cover is what everyone sees.
The outside beauty.
But beauty is not just skin-deep with a book.
The cover has a purpose beyond beauty, beyond attracting the eye of a reader.
The cover holds it all together. It holds the binding, which holds the pages, which hold the words, which capture and affect the reader.
Like the human body where the skeleton is held together by muscles, tendons, and skin, a book has its parts that are supportive and foundational.
In the human body, the spine is a vulnerable place. It is core to our ability to stand, twist, bend, lift, sit, run, breathe ... live.
The bones of the spine protect the spinal cord and the nerves that electrify our bodies.
A broken spine can be detrimental. A damaged spine can increase the vulnerability of the spinal cord.
And the spine of a book ~ that narrow edge of the cover where the name of the book rests, presenting itself at that noticeable part when on a bookshelf ~ protects what is inside. What is tender, what is easily damaged, what is the core of its being.  Its inside value.
The cover's spine protects and supports the pages within.

And back to my precious dictionary ~ its pages are gilded. Another method used to beautify the outside. And also another technique that has a purpose beyond the obvious. The gilding of pages also protects the book from things such as moisture and dust.

How important protective wear is!
The spine, the covering; the supportive structure and outerwear of a body and of a book holds great significance.

Like my big, old dictionary, we humans sometimes get battered and broken. And at the most vulnerable places.
Viruses.
Affairs.
Betrayals.
Injuries.
Finances.
Bullies.
So many ways to bruise. So many ways to break.
Our tender places get hurt. Our insides are easily damaged. Our vulnerabilities are exposed.
We become lost and mixed-up. Our thoughts and emotions fly around loose. Our strength and our hope are diminished.
But ...
But what if our spine was the Word of God? What if our covering was the blood of Jesus? What if our binding was the Holy Spirit? What if our pages were the glorious love of the Father?
The love of the Father, bound by the power of the Holy Spirit, covered by the blood of Jesus, supported by the Word of God.
Because we all have stories to tell.
We all have our brokenness, our battered shells.
What if we became the ones with gilded edges? The ones who have been battered, yet beautified? Who have covers falling off, only to be handled more gently?
I admit that I am a battered, broken dictionary. I am sorely bruised at my spine.
But I am a gilded one.
Where the great Author Himself has taken His fingertip, dipped it in gold, painted my edges, and sealed my protection.
Only to value me deeply and tenderly hold me.

If anything, my old, broken dictionary is a reminder of these things.

There is still beauty in the battered; there is still hope in the broken; what is weak and hurting, is held gently with loving care; what is fragile becomes graceful; what is vulnerable is met with He who is the Protector and Defender, Shepherd and Shield.

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Saviour; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold." (Ps.18:2, NLT)