The Write Interpretation: Being Misunderstood

Hey #JustWrite!! We are in November, the 11th month. The number 11 in the bible symbolizes disorder, chaos and judgment and I don't know about you all but this month always reminds me of so much loss in my family and the blessing of seeing more family. I also notice a shift as well because it's the holiday seasons and it's always chaotic for me to see everyone at times but through everything, I make the most of my time with those I choose to see. Throughout the chaos, a lot of misunderstandings can happen from miscommunication. The same can be said about our writings. When we write, what messages are we saying and what messages are we interpreting? I know for me growing up in a small town where everybody knows everybody, I was always misunderstood because people felt like they already knew me. The truth is no one knew me, not even those close to me. It's like the saying goes, "don't judge a book by its cover."

 If you want to know something, just open the book up and take the time to read to understand. Never be fooled by the title (visual presentation), right? The good thing about being misunderstood is that as Christians it's by God's spirit and design that we are peculiar and misunderstood by the world. Everything in the world is chaos and discord. We are commanded and commissioned to be a light regardless of the roads we walk and the chapters we enter. The following article from Crosswalk states:

"When you are misunderstood, repeat these four sentences:

It's not about me. It's not about now.

It's all about God. It's all about eternity."

Last Friday evening, I was on a prayer call and one of the young ladies mentioned how we must focus on eternity and how everything we do or don't do affects us. I constantly have to remind myself that everything that I do now affects my eternity. The irony is that in writing and editing, we as scribes are always searching for clarity and interpretation. When we read something, we are always trying to understand the conveyed message immediately. In some cases, the message we're trying to look for takes time to understand and may not be the original intent of the author. That's what makes any kind of art special and unique.  When acclaimed filmmaker John Singleton passed away earlier this year, I shared a painting of his film, "Boyz N the Hood" on Instagram with the following caption: "As I remember John Singleton's life and many contributions to film, I'm completely enamored with the gift of writing and creativity among myself and my fellow creatives. We are risk takers and at times misunderstood with our gifts. I'm thankful for those gifts and the ability to support and appreciate my fellow creatives who flow in the same vein." My point is in a world full of chaos and discord, let us all not add to it and save the creative misunderstandings and interpretations for our books and other creative avenues. As sister Kim always says, let's "open up" and tell our stories: misunderstandings and all.



In His service,


Lequvia Ousley