Ink Well

My favorite pen ran out of ink the other day—right in the middle of composing a letter to one of my family members. Thankfully, I had some refill cartridges readily available, so I was able to get the letter finished before my train of thought completely derailed. Then, I addressed, stamped, and delivered the letter to my local post office.

The next day, I began reflecting on the ink running out in my favorite pen. It wasn’t very long before my thoughts wandered to an old-fashioned quill pen and inkwells. Unlike our modern ballpoint and gel pens, the quill, made from a large feather, would frequently be dipped into an inkwell. The inkwell was a small reservoir of ink into which the quill would be dipped. The hollow cavity of the quill would absorb the ink, allowing its author the ability to write on parchment of some sort. Because the capacity of the feather quill shaft was rather limited in its ability to hold ink, it required constant refills by dipping the tip of it into the inkwell. For many centuries, this was the standard method of writing documents and books to record history, facts, ideas, and thoughts. The fountain pen was introduced in the early 19th century, but it was relatively short-lived. The ball-point pen became the prominent handwriting instrument around the mid-20th century. From the first handwriting implements with inkwells to the modern ball-point pen, I am sure the question has always remained the same: “How much ink do I have left to write with?”

I am not sure why this made me think of life and our time on earth, but I was drawn to contemplate the words of the Apostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians. There he writes:

“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3, NIV).

It made me reflect on my own life, how much “ink” I have left, and how long my letter might be. Will it be enough? For the sake of Christ, I want to make sure I use the “ink” well. Of course, there are times we may not use our ink in the best way to reflect Christ’s love. Maybe our words or actions project a message that is not gracious or kind. Thankfully, Christ has provided redemption and forgiveness to wipe out our mistakes and allow us to begin again. A new chapter, a fresh start, and the hope that He will guide us in composing a compelling story about His love.

I know this analogy is somewhat limited and falls short of reality, but I think something in it is true. After all, this is the very idea Paul had in mind—that Christians are to be living translations of Christ to those around us. This is a great calling and responsibility, and is always met with every resource of God’s grace to convey a message of His unfailing love and commitment to save us all from the effects of sin and death.

In other words, God provides the ink using His Spirit. The more we are in tune with (abiding or rather dipped in) His presence, the more effective we will be in understanding and communicating Christ and being more like Him. This requires a certain stillness in His presence—praying to Him, meditating on His Word, worshiping Him in private and within community, and learning to trust Him daily to be all we need. Then, we will find our reservoir filled to overflowing—so much that not only will we have enough for our life’s letter, but we also will have some to share with others whose spiritual inkwells may be deficient.

Today, let’s resolve as Christians to allow God to fill us and use us. May we be instruments of grace, sharing His message of faith, hope, and love to those who desperately need it—especially ourselves. Use your ink well, my friends.