Commas,

I knew that a lot of time has passed since I last posted, but since September?  The best explanation I have may be best expressed with an excerpt from "Meet Me in the Meadow" by
Roy Lessin:




Punctuation Marks (II)


"In this time of change, God would not use an exclamation point. An exclamation point would leave you with a sense of high emotion. Exclamation points have been called "screamers" or "gaspers". These are the things that would lead you into panic and fear. God has not given you the spirit of fear, and He has promised to give you His peace.
   Since God would not use a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point, which form of punctuation would He use?
   God would use a comma. The reason God would use a comma to punctuate a time of change is because a comma means a brief pause. A comma lets you know that the sentence has not come to an end. A comma says that after the brief pause, something else will follow. God wants you to know that there is something ahead that He has planned for you."






I have encountered many commas since last fall. Surgery, ministry adjustments, voluntarily resigning from my job of  19 years, have all served as significant  commas to varying degrees. I have developed a greater appreciation for commas during these past months. They were not periods that could have lead to despair or discouragement. They were not question marks that left uncertainty. They were commas, temporary commas. Commas, allowing for change. God will pen the period.