Breathless

I started working on index cards to study for comps. I take a stack of about 20 cards, spend the day the library and find as much as I can on each topic. Tedious. Slow, slow progress, but I have to start now instead of waiting until summer. I am in the "c's" today and was looking up Charlemagne. I read about his personal biographer, Einhard, and the CGU library had the book he wrote. I was excited to go find it. When I reached for it - I think my heart skipped a beat, my breathing sped up just a little. I realized that I was about to read the actual words written in the 800s. It struck me that it is amazing we can go to the actual source of so many crucial people - read the words they wrote. Words that changed and shaped generations of people - and even shaped me in some ways. We can read what Plato wrote - not just the commentaries on him.
Einhard was a friend and contemporary of Charlemagne. Had conversations with him. Knew what he looked like day-to-day.

Then I thought of scripture.

We have the actual testimonies of people who walked with Jesus. They knew him face to face. They had conversations with him and heard him laugh. We have stories from Moses about what actually happened on the way out of Egypt. We don't just have to read commentaries. We can read it from people who were actually there.

It should make you a little breathless too.