--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One difficulty that people seeking to…" description: "\"“One difficulty that people seeking to modernize hymnals and the language of worship inevitably run into is that contemporaries are never the best judg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/kathleen-norris-7283_poetry_one-difficulty-that-people-seeking-to-mo_1163152.png" --- # One difficulty that people seeking to modernize hymnals… ![“One difficulty that people seeking to modernize hymnals and the language of worship inevitably run into is that contemporaries are never the best judges of what works and what doesn’t. This is something all poets know; that language is a living thing, beyond our control, and it simply takes time…” quote by Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/kathleen-norris-7283_poetry_one-difficulty-that-people-seeking-to-mo_1163152.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/kathleen-norris-7283_poetry_one-difficulty-that-people-seeking-to-mo_1163152.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/kathleen-norris-7283_poetry_one-difficulty-that-people-seeking-to-mo_1163152.png) > ““One difficulty that people seeking to modernize hymnals and the language of worship inevitably run into is that contemporaries are never the best judges of what works and what doesn’t. This is something all poets know; that language is a living thing, beyond our control, and it simply takes time for the trendy to reveal itself, to become so obviously dated that it falls by the way, and for the truly innovative to take hold.”” [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modernizing worship language is hard because current speakers lack perspective; language evolves naturally and only time reveals what endures versus what becomes dated. **In simple terms:** Updating worship language is tricky; time shows what works. Key Takeaway Allow language to mature organically before judging. Themes tradition innovation language worship Mood reflective hopeful Type theoretical practical When to use this quote - church services - songwriting - scripture translation - faith community meetings Key Concepts linguistics cultural evolution theology Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance tradition with fresh expression? - What signs indicate a worship phrase has become dated? A Different Perspective Rapid changes may alienate congregants. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hymnals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hymnals-3338633/) [Hymnals Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hymnals-language-3338632/) [Language Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-worship-2017467/) [Modernize Hymnals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernize-hymnals-3338631/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Worship Inevitably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship-inevitably-2256140/) ## Related quotes > [ Those songs \[from church\], I think, shaped to some degree how I would evolve as a writer, pentameter of songs, the melodies of those… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-yoakam/those-songs-from-church-i-think-shaped-to-some-degree-how-i-would/) [Dwight Yoakam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-yoakam/) > [Where God is at the center of things, worship inevitably follows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-b-ferguson/where-god-is-at-the-center-of-things-worship-inevitably-follows/) [Sinclair B. 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