Signature.

Recently a lot of what has been said at revival here at Olivet has gotten me thinking; I've been convicted more than once to work on some of the "stumps" Dr. Diehl talked about during the services. One of those things is working on coming across as I really am. And so, I’ve gotten into the habit of signing my name at the bottom of messages I send. 

Sounds rather revolutionary, don’t you think? It’s simply putting your name after something that you have written; people have done it since the invention of writing. In fact, it’s so basic of an idea I didn’t do it for the majority of my life. I assumed it was an unspoken fact that what I wrote in letters, messages, etc. was my own work, and also a direct reflection of me. 

But I think signing your name is a whole lot more than it appears; maybe you know where I’m about to take this, and you feel like you understand the concept already. You probably do. I think it’s a matter of owning it, owning the things that you say. You could sign your name all over the place and it could be completely meaningless. Or, you could use your signature in such a way that you understand that signing your name is more than simply printing, typing, signing a name on paper, a computer, or a note. 

You see I have this very non-revolutionary idea; maybe we should own what we say. 

Think about it: every time you sign your name you are making a statement. No matter what you say in the letter, message, note, you are telling your reader that you are inextricably tied to the words that you have written; That, in some way, your words are a simplified reflection of who you are. You may think whatever you want about this concept, but I believe the idea of owning our words can free us: free us from worthlessness. I can say whatever I want, whenever I want, but the minute I sign it everything changes. It’s like tying yourself to words. 

So now, I leave the thinking to you, I’m going to sign this, and you can rest assured I mean every word I have written here, but unless YOU mean what YOU say, your words mean nothing.

-Dave