Today the river is high. There has been much rain, causing it to swell and push against the banks which hold it captive. The water is muddy and murky. On the surface it looks rather calm. Moving quickly, but calm. However, if anything gets in its way, it will be carried swiftly away, with no chance of return. And if you set anything in the river to try to redirect it or stop its flow, chaos will erupt, as the rough currents just below the surface will create a set of whitewater rapids.
How often am I like that? Things happen that raise my stress level. On the outside I am still relatively calm. Determined, perhaps, even a little pushy. But calm.
Until you cross me.
Then I rage like a river out of control. All the undercurrents rise to the surface and explode, flooding everyone around me with debris from the storm raging within.
Peace like a river.
What does that expression mean? What is the river like?
Sometimes dark & murky. Sometimes calm. Sometimes raging. It feeds and nourishes, it provides a habitat for plants & animals. It also kills and destroys.
That is an interesting comparison to peace. I don't think this is the tranquility that we so often are asking for when we ask for peace about a situation. As I look at the river, I come to think that this kind of peace would refer more to a complete calm and deep seated trust in the Creator of the river. The One who promises that peace. A calm and trust that will center our souls and enable us to hold on and ride out the rapids and the storms.
The river is at flood stage today. Roads are closed, the waters are dark, muddy, murky and dangerous.
Riverside parks and gazebos are underwater. Firefighters and emergency personnel are everywhere along the banks, preparing for power outages and possible fires as the water creeps closer to power lines.
The water is supposed to continue to rise throughout the day as the rain keeps coming.
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