From: Laura McGibbins larura_mcgibbins_@yahoo.com
To: Phil Price
Date: Oct 17, 2015, 3:15 PM
Subject: RE: What Does “Holy” Really Mean? (Plus… the Interview!)
Hey Phil,
Thought I’d drop you a quick update—interview went alright! I managed to speak in full sentences (mostly), didn’t spill tea on anyone, and only mentioned Leviticus once, which I think shows growth. 😅 Still waiting to hear, so trying not to check my email every six seconds.
Must admit I was impressed with your flower arranging. I didn’t realise you had such an eye for that kind of thing. It’s amazing the horticultural skills you must have picked up from going through the Kryptgarden Forest during those Dungeons and Dragons marathons.
Anyway, you asked me about the word holy. It’s a funny word that we use a lot in church but I’ve not given that much thought to what it actually means before. So, this week I’ve been giving it a bit of a ponder.
I wonder what it means to you? If I asked you to imagine a holy person, who would you picture? Someone gliding through a monastery in a sheet, with a blackbird humming Handel’s Messiah into their ear?
Thing is, if you’d asked me last week, I probably would’ve said “definitely not a murderer or a coward.” But then I got thinking about Moses.
In Exodus, right before the whole burning bush moment, Moses kills an Egyptian and runs away. Not exactly saintly behaviour. And yet—he’s revered as holy. Weird, right?
Even weirder? In that whole passage, the only thing actually called holy is the ground. The dusty bit Moses is standing on when God turns up. So, why’s the ground holy? Two things, I reckon:
- God was there.
- God had set it apart for something special.
And that’s basically the same deal with Moses. God was with him—even when Moses was full of doubts and excuses. God’s response wasn’t “You’ve got this!” or “Believe in yourself!”. Let’s be honest, that response would’ve made a great thing to write on a fridge magnet or cushion, but isn’t really the most helpful thing to hear when you are in hiding from the authorities and find yourself face to face with a supernatural bush. Instead, God goes with simply: “I will be with you.” That’s what made Moses holy. Not his track record, but God’s presence and purpose.
And you know what’s mad? That’s true for us too. The Spirit of God lives in us—more subtle than a flaming bush, but every bit as real—and He’s got a plan for each of us.
Rick Warren puts it like this (yes, I’ve gone full Purpose Driven Life, no regrets):
“Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God.”
If God’s present in us and has plans for us… then we’re holy too. You, me, even the guy the pasta and paintball expedition (you know exactly what I am talking about!) 🤪
The thing is, we don’t always feel holy. We mess up. We forget to pray. We binge Netflix instead of reading the Bible (Exodus will still be there tomorrow). We look at ourselves and see all the ways we fall short. But holiness isn’t about what we’ve done—it’s about who God is, and the fact that He lives in us.
It’s not a pressure thing—it’s an identity thing. Not “act holy so you become holy,” but “you are holy, so live like it.” Here’s a little prayer I’ve been leaning on:
Lord God
Thank you for declaring me holy. Help me to see myself as You see me—holy and blameless—and to live that out every day. Amen.
Let me know how you’re doing—and if you’ve finally recovered from that curry incident in third year. I still can’t walk past a Wetherspoons without flashbacks. 🥵
Hugs, kisses and a glow-in-the-dark kazoo
Laura
xxxxyz
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