Soaking it all in

A good reputation and respect are worth much more than silver and gold. The rich and the poor are all created by the Lord. When you see trouble coming, don’t be stupid and walk right into it—be smart and hide. (Proverbs 22:1-3)

Every day in our lives is an opportunity to leave a legacy of some kind. It can be positive or negative, uplifting or kind of a bummer, rewarding or just plain dumb. Some days are the type we might call 'transition moments' - a time when God is taking us from one place to another - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or even relationally. Transition is just a big word for change - moving from one position to another, passage from one state into another. The old adage certainly holds true - there is one constant in life and that is change. Sometimes change comes in ominous, crashing ways. We need to know we have an opportunity to not take those change moments alone - Christ walks at our side, even leading the way so we have a clear pathway through even the most difficult of change.

How another "estimates" our worth or value is based on what they observe in our practice. We might think this is kind of sad since what someone may see might not fully represent who and what an individual is on the "inside". I daresay this is often the case with my own actions - for sometimes my actions align well with what is at the core of my being, and at others they just go all askew and are totally out of character to the truth that Christ dwells in me! All of life is a journey from one point to another. We are to be "smart" about how we face the transition points of change. The one constant we have in the midst of transition is Christ!

Change equals growth. It almost seems like our passage tells us to go somewhere and hide while transition is coming our way, but I want us to consider something a little closer to the point. To ensure we face transition well, God is telling us to avoid the unwise choices, running instead into the place of safety we have in Christ Jesus. After all, God is our hiding place, is he not? When the winds of change in our lives come, are our roots deep enough to help us stand strong in the midst of their force? If we want to know how deep our roots are we need only look as far as the soil in which they are planted. 

Hardened hearts don't allow for deep roots. The occasional watering (only going surface deep) of our hearts with a little of the Word of God once in a while is not enough to give us depth in our lives. In fact, we will be deceiving ourselves if we think a little "taste" of God's Word is enough to help us endure the forces of change in our lives! We need good soil - in order to be made good, it has to be worked. We need depth of watering - in order to get to the depths of our soul, we need to allow time to be soaked in his presence and his Word. Just sayin!