Ineffable: The Word That Explains NOTHING!
by Kristina Flores, Children’s Ministry Manager
There is a word in the English language that makes absolutely no sense to me. Ineffable: too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.
How can a word be used to describe something that cannot be described??? That feels illegal! Please tell me I’m not alone in thinking that makes zero sense. I need everyone to understand the severity of how much this word has caused me to lose my marbles. I can’t remember where or how I first heard it (definitely something I’ll be asking God one day), but I do remember the confusion hitting me immediately. I couldn’t keep this dumb word to myself, so naturally, I asked everyone if they were aware of this nonsense. People laughed. But I was serious. I needed answers. Who created this word? Why would they do such a thing? Were they okay? No one has answers. And so, for years, I’ve been stuck carrying the burden of this word.
But lately, I’ve been thinking, annoying as it is, ineffable might actually be perfect. Perfect for describing God and His beauty. Because no matter how hard we try, words fall short. Language hits its limits. Metaphors fail. Explanations crumble. God is bigger than adjectives, deeper than definitions, and far beyond anything we could wrap up in a sentence. And maybe that’s the point. Maybe the word that refuses to make sense is the only one honest enough to admit that some things, like God, were never meant to be fully explained, only experienced. And fine. I still don’t like the word. But I’ll admit this: it finally makes sense where it matters most.
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