In The Long Run

Been thinking about commitment, renewal, revitalization.

Truth is, I’ve been thinking about these and associated issues off and on for most of my lifetime as a follower of Jesus.

See, just as it’s surely a deep need for the people of Israel (and Judah) to turn back, to turn again, to consider the memorials/standing stones, to REMEMBER Who it was, is and will be by whom they are fed, sustained, protected and nurtured both spiritually and in the practical, so it is with each of us professing Christ followers individually. Why?

We age. People, jobs, churches, small groups, local and larger neighborhoods all change over time. Sometimes it’s just “same-old, same-old” and we need something fresh, new, different.

There are a stack of reasons why but here I simply wish to convey the obvious… renewal costs but so does camping out in cement -demanding all things never change… because they do and even each of us do!

So it seems to me it’s in the details, the way we do X, Y or Z be it it daily work, exercise, rest and recreation, various spiritual practices and more are elements of which a changing landscape (literally or metaphorically) happens and often whereby we genuinely cannot control it.

Then there are our own desires to step out of ruts, habits we used to find life-giving which now seem thin and sometimes even useless. Off we go to search for ideas and reach for possibilities, creatively considering “what might this or that bring my way?”

In the long run we may discover our original place, point of reference and sense of solid, genuine nurture was what we left behind. Conversely, we might find authentic growth, life and fruitfulness by the new things we try. Often we won’t know which is which until we move down the road a bit.

I’ve lived long enough to experience all of these and both basic outcomes over and over. I’ve also seen and heard others all over the world who have much the same life experience.

It seems a deep and core issue in it all is not making a change we cannot reverse. Some bridges (what God’s Word the Bible refers to as “sin”) are best burned and discarded while other bridges must be built over time. It is often the lack of patience, humility and willingness to consider a different path that sticks us tightly to destructive forces where on the other hand it is also quite possible to leap in a river, quickly get over our heads as we weren’t willing to consider the current, undertow or listen to the wisdom of those who barely escaped without drowning.

I’m convinced we must live as students of God, His Word and this life, church and world history, willing to navigate admitting our own failings and dependence on the Lord. Renewal may be exactly what we need. Without each of and the effort involved we may come to a bitter end by our own slack.

People who got tired of solid ground got creative. It lead some to discover flight. Flight of course, can also lead to a fatal crash.

Where we are in relationship with or without the true God is both ground and sky.

As always, thanks for stopping by! -Glenn

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