Capital Offenses

Photo Credit

 

Capitalization, in case the concept wasn’t painted across your forehead in grade two, is extremely important.  For instance, the time I forgot to capitalize God’s “Law” and several other synonyms in an important college paper all about God’s Law…and was docked ten points.  Ouch. 

 

Lesson learned.  If you want to gain points on school papers and camouflage your innate blondness, I highly recommend you capitalize on the discipline of capitalization. 

 

Capitalizing Things Which Ought not

to be Capitalized

 

Here is the case (upper, that is) in point.  I was attending a music class, and you can picture me planted in my cold metal seat in the position of rapt attention: leaning forward at just the right angle, notebook in lap, pen at the readiness, eager to learn from my new teacher.  And learn I did—many things, in fact.  But I also learned that she had her capitals mixed up in that moment when she shared how she views music as a life-changer: “I like to think of Music with a capital ‘M’,” she said.  Message received, and later expanded upon as a New Age one. 

 

I also received the same message when at Bryce Canyon for a park ranger event on astronomy.  Right before the event in which my family and I were interested was a talk that, from the printed summary, sounded strange.  We opted not to go, but when we arrived early for the astronomy event and were simply waiting around, we peeked in at the end of the talk.  The song that was playing with the video at that point blew us all out of the room and back to our seats in the hall where we gaped at each other.  “The Sun is our salvation,” the ranger had also said, and there was no doubt about the capital in that sentence.  Message received. 

 

Last week I was listening to a fascinating book about a true story.  I had gleaned that the author was not a Christian, but was still learning much from the book.  And then I reached the point where the man’s beloved wife died, in which he shared that his one comfort was Evolution—because this was the cycle everyone went through, and those who had not emotionally survived the death of a loved one had previously been weeded out by Survival of the Fittest.  I doubt he actually used capitals (remember, I only had the audio book), but that was what he meant.  Message received. 

 

Capital Offenses Slip Through Spell

Check and are Revealed in Heart Check

 

The curious thing you’ll notice from these stories is that I don’t even have to capitalize words on paper—everyone can tell from my life what things are capital in my heart. 

 

• 100 adorable projects pinned on Pinterest, yet I have no time or only a few minutes to spare to read my bible.
• My Plans are wrecked, and I’m upset with mama or sister or papa or brother.
• I jumped up on the double when a friend I am doing Work for calls, and I put off a family job I had committed to. 
• I love spending time on Myself, but I put off ministry to a needy girl. 
• I steer my life by my Emotions, but god’s will is as foggy as pea soup. 

Yet God says, with correct capitalization:

"You shall have no other gods before Me."  ~Exodus 20:3

 

Capitalization, you see, is not second grade stuff. 

Photo Credit: Arielle Fragassi

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.