Opposite Words and World

As Claire McGarry admires authors who use opposing words to make their point, she realizes the Author of Life did the exact same thing.

My teen boys can be pretty sarcastic. It drives me nuts when, in response to one of my questions, they say the exact opposite of what they know I want to hear. It thrills their little teenage hearts to get me so annoyed.

So, I find it ironic that I love opposites in writing. I admire authors who can combine antonyms to illustrate their point. The smart wordplay is a great attention-getter.

Jesus used opposing words to explain how we should all live. He taught that in order to be great, we have to make ourselves small. To be first, we have to put ourselves last. To be rich, we have to give our wealth away.

The punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5b)

More than teaching, though, Jesus lived out Opposite World. He allowed Himself to be punished so we could find peace. He took on our sins so we could be washed clean. He accepted His wounds so we could be healed.

Everything Jesus said and did pointed to the best writer ever, the Author of Life Himself. Not only did God write You and me, but by turning His Word into flesh, He redeemed us. Now, no matter how opposite our lives are from what we imagined, there's hope of a happy ending for each of us.