A thought God gave me after dwelling on his creative and dynamic interaction in our lives:
Be courageous enough to embark on a new journey of living! Take steps into unknown places, like many saints from the past, and eventually the wind from the east will standstill. Stay clear of the barters and desert storms that may sway you back. Watch for the sun; respond to sweet breath from the north. Soon after sojourning un-reached places, you will notice the lands are simultaneously unknown and utterly familiar, and the sun beams evermore.
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I will not fear the unknown places. I will not fear. I just have to keep bathing in His goodness, and casting out fearful thoughts. Fearful thinking saps out all the courage and leaves us looking for security. Has the pure Love of God penetrated us deep into the heart of our hearts? Have we trusted Him without reservation? Can we have courage if we have not believed in His basic goodness toward us?
The “journey” first brings to my mind a physical adventure. The fears associated with simple geographical movement/relocation are real, but I suspect that for most of us reflection upon the words “unknown places” is most penetrating as a metaphor for those areas of our lives that we have yet to entrust to Him. The pain we won’t let Him heal, the bitterness we hold on to, the forgiveness we haven’t fully offered others. Are we mostly afraid that if we choose to fully trust Him, he will fail us? Probably. Do we hold on to all of these pains because they provide ample stalling ground, lots of conversational material and ambiguous excuses for our continued living out of fear and doubt, grasping for security, and making it look necessary? Probably a lot of this also. Are we content to limp along, preferring the pity of others to the deep healing and love God offers? Honestly? Sometimes I have been.
One question… You write “stay clear of the barters,” and I’m wondering, are you referring to those who would trade things with you? What does this mean? Without further explanation, this is how my mind has worked around the phrase you’ve offered. There are many offers from many parties that invite us to trade in genuine faith, hope, and love for something we perceive as more “safe” than reliance on God’s goodness. This is the same lie told to Eve in the garden, which led her away from her mate, creating such an unnatural breach in all relationships that we may not be able to imagine what life was like before the fall (although I appreciate Lewis attempt in his portrayal of the Malacandran Adam and Eve).
I think about the choice Adam had during the time between Eve’s downfall and his own. He might have maintained perfect relations with the Father, his Creator. Surely, God would have blessed Adam’s faithfulness with another perfect mate, or found a way to restore Eve to innocence. But Adam chose Eve! It was so built into the heart of this man to long for this woman, to need this companion, that he risked everything, and in fact lost it all! I thank God that he has provided a way of forgiveness and restoration. The Creator knows that we need His love and companionship, that of a special life-long companion, and the other relationships and bonds of a healthy local community. This is His design, and when we embrace it all together, we flourish. When we try to operate outside of reliance on God and embodiment of his nature, as the first two humans were tempted to do, we are diminished, we are anxious, we become fearful, we hide, we are embarrassed, because we are naked (read ashamed) without His covering (read perhaps blessing or design).
This is the same lie proposed to Jesus by Satan in the Desert. And we can counter it by remembering the words Jesus spoke to that subtle, deceiving serpent. “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth… Don’t you dare test the Lord your God… Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”
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