Footnotes

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 290: Today, I am grateful for footnotes.

I was of the generation who wrote 10-page papers that included footnotes. Some teachers/professors were specific and picky about footnotes. I dreaded them.

My first two "big girl" purchases were a camera and a typewriter with limited character memory. The typewriter allowed me to correct mistakes before they were officially on paper. It did not help me type without looking at my hands.

Still, there was grace in the time to make typing corrections without starting over, because I had a chance to review what I was putting in. Mistakes could be caught and corrected prior to the official printing. It helped me to know that what I was doing was correct. I could vet mistakes before they were officially made for the world to see. No one wanted to retype an entire page over a silly error. We could focus on the real struggle of guessing how much room was needed for the footnotes and the required formatting.

It really was a sight to see. Note cards all around, a handwritten draft, a dictionary, and a thesaurus nearby meant we were set up and ready to roll. Coffee or hot tea was kept nearby, but not close enough to risk spilling. Oh, the memories! My 19-year-old self would not believe the magic of "Google Docs" and Microsoft Word.

That memory was sparked by this short passage having three footnotes in two verses.

"The (a) friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and (b) he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will (c) pluck my feet out of the net." -Psalm 25:14-15

I feel like footnotes are a reminder to dig deeper and rest a bit on the various words that might have been selected for a passage. It is from a psalm of King David, who knew a true intimacy with God that began in childhood. As the overlooked son of Jesse, David was not called when Samuel came to identify the future king. David was tending sheep.   

I imagine David's days with the animals were often lonely. Perhaps in the fields was where his boyish conversations with God took root and flourished into intimacy, wise counsel, protection, and direction. David was not perfect, but he had a perfect God. God was his everything... his enough. The footnotes add so much depth to this scripture. 

(a)Psalm 25:14 Or counsel; or intimacy
(b)Psalm 25:14 Or And His covenant, to make them know it
(c)Psalm 25:15 Lit bring out

The footnotes add clarity and context. They help us dig deeper.

Today, I am grateful for footnotes.