A word - a world

Words are ideas, words are thoughts. Since "the limits of my language are the limits of my world", as Wittgenstein has put it, entering the world of words is an amazing way to increase our understanding of our world. And improve it. Because words are not just words: They are thoughts. Our world and our words are linked. My grandmother told us grandchildren to increase our understanding of God continually, because, as she put it, "God is for you only what you let Him/Her to be in your life." What an incentive for spiritual progress.

Recently the initiative "Wallpaper for Refugees" asked for words that make refugees feel at home, by tapping into the heart and soul of humanity. Words which represent goodness and describe the inner landscape of a culture. I participated with one of my favorite German words "Seelenfrieden", which can be translated as "peace of mind".

I have picked another word for you to discover. It is Vertieftheit.

Vertieftheit means to be absorbed  in something, being deeply occupied by a concept good and constructive. The word stresses the now, not the future. It focuses on "being", not becoming. It also applies to a state of "being in the deep" - as when you are deep in prayer, and time doesn't seem to pass (and sometimes doesn't at all) or you are deep in reading a book, and you forget where you are. WithoutVertieftheit we don't reach into the reality of life, with Vertieftheit we find the place of quiet, healing and meaning. Mary Baker Eddy, herself an avid fan of etymology, writes:

"We must look deep into realism instead of accepting only the out‐
ward sense of things." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 129)

For the deep, quiet observation of the real, you need Vertieftheit. Being in the now, listening and understanding being the same. We learn in satisfying, substantial ways. This state of being is not an achievement, it is a gift of grace. And you invite this state of being into our experience as you would invite a cat to join you on the sofa: By being just there and loving. The cat will come. But you can't force it.

This is all so mysteriously and meaningfully linked to the deep things of God, which Paul writes about: "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." (1. Cor. 2: 10) They are within our reach. 

Do you have a dictionary of etymology? Or do you already know about the online etymology dictionary? You might start with the word "deep". Or with "thought". Or with your favorite word. Can you learn more about it? What is a word you want to discover today in order to move right in and start a new life? Nothing is too wonderful to be true.