What You Can Learn From Wingdings Font

The other day I was playing around and typed “JESUS” in various fonts and, of course, gave in to the temptation to see the Wingdings font version.  Surprisingly, I found the eclectic character set has some pretty deep meaning to be attached to how it represents my Savior’s name:

(J) : There is joy in Christ.  Real, lasting, see you through the storms of life when all else is crumbling, joy.

 (E): It’s interesting that between the symbol for J and the remaining letters of the Lord’s name is a finger pointing to the smiling face.  There is a finger in the character set that points the opposite way, but the one in Christ’s name is pointing this way.  This reminds me of what He said in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father but my Me.”  It is also a firm reminder that the joy we all seek and the peace with God we need only flow from what the last three letters are representing.

 (S): The Lord shed His blood for me.  Death is the punishment for sin, not from caprice but because sin involves rejecting God.  God is the source of life and when you reject Him, death naturally follows.  But what could pay the debt needed to reconcile someone who has enthroned him or herself as god to the God Who rightfully rules?  Christ didn’t die by caprice.  He paid a very necessary price, no one else could properly afford.

 (U): It is unavoidable.  The name of Jesus must take us to the cross, where all of human history hinges. That is where our debt was paid and is a reminder we carry that act of love with us, our redemption with us, everywhere we go and every time we speak His precious, holy, and blessed name.

 (S): The Lord shed His blood for you.  I say this, because at times we remember all too clearly Christ died for believers, but His atoning work is available for all to embrace.  The most obstinate atheist and ruthless villain still has an opportunity.  A choice to embrace the Savior and the life we were always meant to have.

I feel like that’s quite a lot to pick up from a simple character set swap, but isn’t that what pictographs, and all linguistic expression, are intended to convey?  Not only literal meaning but deeper meaning.  The sense of a word, its sound, all of it is meant to impart understanding to the hearer and reader.  My greatest hope is that when I hear and see the name of Jesus, whatever form it is in, I will regard its Bearer with the reverence, awe, and gratitude He deserves.