First Person Point of View

It was a wondrous time…

My eighth-grade literature class with Kitty Sue Barber. She passed recently, and I often wish I had made a better effort to reconnect with her later in life. She was a “life-changing” person!

Not only did I get to focus on what I really enjoyed doing – reading, but Ms. Barber also made it so much fun. She tried to get us to look at stories from various viewpoints. We were exposed to various styles of literature, albeit they were conscripted by the frame of the “schoolbook” we were assigned to use. The scope of the class was wide. Although we could not read what we wanted, we had to read the literature pre-selected.

For me, it was a glorious time. That last year of Junior High and just before Senior High. I had missed the first month of school due to a hernia operation I required when getting my physical for sports tryouts. This year, I was told that my IQ testing was the highest in the entire school system. Both events changed me, but those hours of literature were the best I could ever hope for. Everything else in the class was sort of fuzzy, and I do not remember all the details of anything else I read, but I do recall one particular incident in my Literature Class.

Ms. Barber had been bragging about a book she was currently reading – a Gothic novel. The suspense was just dripping from her words as she alluded to the book’s details. She was willing to share the book with a student when she finished it. Just about everyone wanted to read the book. We clamored for her attention to be the next reader! As she held the book up and asked who would be interested in doing a book report after they read the book. A few hands dropped. Early interest was losing steam. She then asked if the selected person would do the book report from the “first person” perspective.

More hands dropped. Mine stayed in the air. And I was chosen!

The only problem? And you know there had to be a problem!

The hero of the book was actually the heroine. That’s right. The main character was a female, the opposite gender from me. Can I really do this?

I inhaled the book and finished it in a couple of days. My only problem was writing a report from the heroine’s point of view. How could I do that? And do it so that I would get a good grade? Again, I do not remember all the details, but I do remember having to stand before the class and read my book report from the heroine’s point of view.

A round of applause, a bow, and a good grade, as I recall.

Growing Up

Growing up with a last name like mine (Gurley) as produced many experiences.

I have always been teased about being a “girlie…” Over the years, I’ve learned to take it in stride. It’s not like my first name was “Sue” (Johnny Cash song).

In fact, I have begun a collection of “Gurley” memorabilia. I have books by various Gurley authors, including my son, brother, and uncle, but I am happy to say I have other Gurley books! I have an ashtray from Gurley Hall at a university in Pennsylvania. 25-pound paper flour sacks from Gurley Milling in one of the Carolina states. A can of motor oil from Gurley Refining (with the oil still inside the can!). Surveying equipment from Gurley Surveying equipment out of New York. Pictures of Gurley towns I’ve visited in Alabama and Nebraska, and Gurley Hollow, TN… Pictures of Gurley Street in Prescott, AZ. Gurley, Australia! Tokens from various Gurley mercantile stores. I want to get something from Phineas Gurley (Abraham Lincoln’s Pastor) and Helen Gurley Brown (a cousin).

I am always looking for “Gurley” stuff to add to my collection. It is my hope to visit “Gurley” places everywhere I go and record the events for posterity’s sake.

My name belongs to me! It is the name of my family heritage. I can share things about who I am from the “first person” point of view. Recently I picked up some information from the House of Names in an effort to track back the heritage of my name. I’ve submitted my DNA to Ancestry and have enjoyed tracking back through the centuries to find out where I hail from.

Where To From Here?

This causes me to think about something that is important to me…and I am blessed to be able to share things about this from a First Person point of view.

God tells the story of history to us from His “first-person” point of view. He uses others’ viewpoints and life events, but everything within the pages of the Bible is what He gives us to use so that we can understand who He is.

Here’s an example. Take this rather large chapter from the writings and collections of King David. Psalms 119. This chapter is devoted to presenting the Word of God from every letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 sections, and each represents one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section focuses on the Word of God from a different perspective.

Verse 11 is my favorite, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee.”

This gives me a thought in line with this concept of writing “first-person” stories.

When I agree to something, whether politics or something based on my culture or personality trait, I become what I agree to. In other words, I am what I am… (Sounds like Popeye, right?) 

When I share what I have become, I am communicating from my “first-person” perspective the words that describe me to others.

When I read God’s word, I must read it from His Point of View! Only then can I apply it to my life and understand His plan for His creation. His Word becomes my “first-person” point of view because everything becomes layered by that I accept and agree with.

I am a “first-person” relayer of His information that I accept and agree with!

How about you? What’s your best “first person” story you can tell others? What you share will tell everyone what you have agreed to and accepted as a definition of who you are. Are you ready for that?

(Updated 07/31/2022)