Psalm 1
Mobility
I was 23 when I got my first car. To me, the concepts of freedom and mobility are intertwined. People who are engaged in struggle often describe the frustration of being "stuck." They feel there is no way out. Nothing they do can change anything. They want escape. I know that feeling well.
Getting away
So often, I've wanted to "get away." I wanted to leave it all. I searched for solutions and answers. The easiest answers meant abandoning what I believed to get what I desired. They often do. This creates war within our souls. We know what is right, we know what is wrong, and our struggle compounds the feeling of stuck-ness. We know we shouldn't walk in the way of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But, dang, it seems so easy, so practical at times. Our souls writhe. James asks, "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?"
Trees aren't mobile. But they flourish.
Unless you live in Middle Earth and have Ents in your backyard, you know that trees don't go anywhere. Sure, the weak ones will keel over and die, but the healthy ones stay there for centuries. In one sense, they are very much "stuck." They aren't going anywhere. But in another sense, they are very much "rooted."
There is something better than mobility. Health. Because when the solution to the oncoming storm isn't to pick up and leave. There will always be storms. The solution is to become strong. And strength comes from the Lord. When we meditate on the Word of the Lord, we become strong, sturdy, and healthy. We may not yield fruit on-demand, but we will yield fruit in season. When the storms come and the environment changes, we will not wither. We will not be chaff in the wind. We will not be tossed to and fro by the waves. We will not be left to our own devices.
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.
I was 23 when I got my first car. To me, the concepts of freedom and mobility are intertwined. People who are engaged in struggle often describe the frustration of being "stuck." They feel there is no way out. Nothing they do can change anything. They want escape. I know that feeling well.
Getting away
So often, I've wanted to "get away." I wanted to leave it all. I searched for solutions and answers. The easiest answers meant abandoning what I believed to get what I desired. They often do. This creates war within our souls. We know what is right, we know what is wrong, and our struggle compounds the feeling of stuck-ness. We know we shouldn't walk in the way of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But, dang, it seems so easy, so practical at times. Our souls writhe. James asks, "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?"
Trees aren't mobile. But they flourish.
Unless you live in Middle Earth and have Ents in your backyard, you know that trees don't go anywhere. Sure, the weak ones will keel over and die, but the healthy ones stay there for centuries. In one sense, they are very much "stuck." They aren't going anywhere. But in another sense, they are very much "rooted."
There is something better than mobility. Health. Because when the solution to the oncoming storm isn't to pick up and leave. There will always be storms. The solution is to become strong. And strength comes from the Lord. When we meditate on the Word of the Lord, we become strong, sturdy, and healthy. We may not yield fruit on-demand, but we will yield fruit in season. When the storms come and the environment changes, we will not wither. We will not be chaff in the wind. We will not be tossed to and fro by the waves. We will not be left to our own devices.
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.
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