Between Maps and Meaning

I’m sure we’ve all enjoyed a beautiful ride in the country at some point. Perhaps even just a ride passing a beach, rolling down your window, taking in the sea air, and enjoying a warm sun. I found myself on a bit of adventure this past weekend in Sedona, Arizona. I highly suggest taking a trip there as walking amongst the red rocks was a surreal experience. I could say more, but the topic at the top of my mind isn’t Sedona related, but adventure related. I often take these adventures at random. Even this trip to Sedona was booked only a day in advance. I am grateful to be in the position to do something like this on a whim. I know not everyone has the situation to just run off like that, and I want to acknowledge that before moving forward. It is important for us to understand where in our lives we are blessed, and although my life isn’t always ideal I’m blessed enough to run off on occasion. I find myself running off when I can’t seem to get out of my own head. Perhaps something from my past is creeping in my mind, or maybe there’s an impending assignment that scares me at work. Whatever the reason, my solution is to run away essentially. What this has taught me time and time again is you can be in the middle of the most beautiful meadow, and truly you would enjoy it. The issue is when you head home to lay down your mind doesn’t forget.

There’s a lesson here and really there’s three. The first is well we can’t run away from our problems. It is nice sometimes to have a break from them and adventure can take my mind off things for a while. Similarly I’m sure that is why drinking and doing drugs are so popular. It’s hard to deal with the world and even harder sometimes to deal on the micro scale of our individual lives. No matter how we choose to escape we have to face the reality of our existence. We have to face the enemy of our life. Similar to King David we must rise to the occasion and face the Goliaths in our lives. Yet, remember just as David slayed Goliath we might slay our giants, but in David’s life other Goliaths grew. Most specifically we can say lust became a giant in David’s life. My point being, remember we cannot hide, we must fight, and the fight doesn’t end.

Lesson two is realizing feelings are just passing moments. Sadness, hurt, anger, happiness, excitement, all these things are moments. A moment can last minutes, hours, days, weeks, maybe even months, but all moments end. I remember being in the red rocks hiking my way towards the Devil’s Bridge. All I could really think was how beautiful of a place I was in and how blessed I was to be there. How thankful I was to live in this beautiful world God created. Of course that fleeted away at some point to deal with the issues in my mind. Similarly though the issue mind also tend to fade away. Although this life is a fight that never ends it isn’t consistently throwing punches. Like a real fight a round may end and period of rest is experienced. Within that rest is when we can breathe, recover, and understand in our minds, that all things have a beginning and an end. No cycle, no thought, no feeling, will last forever. That is a very comforting thought and I hope I can remind myself of this, the next time my mind decides to remind me I’m fighting giants.

The last lesson is that there truly is an escape to the fight. There’s only one real way and it is by the grace of God, and by the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ. I want to leave you with two examples, but I could leave you with 200 because God cares for us so much and he speaks on the comfort he brings to the harshness of our lives often in his word.

Mathew 11:28-30
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light
– Why try to run away, why turn to the bottle, why escape on a date? Jesus is the comfort we seek.

1 Peter 5:7-10
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
-Truthfully we must suffer a little bit, but God reminds us it is only for a little while. There’s a hope and a promise that this suffering isn’t forever, but while we are here living our lives. God is here to help us defeat the giants, and when the giants seem too big God is here to restore and recover us.

I hope we all seek comfort in the right places this year. I pray that for myself, the people in my life including my few readers who I dearly appreciate.