Psalm 1: 1-3
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
We recently embarked on a trip to Payson, Arizona, a small quaint town in the Tonto National Forest. It was a short two-hour ride from the South East Valley of Phoenix to the North East mountains of Tonto National Forest. As we ascended the mountains at a steady grade, we could observe the changing landscape before our eyes. From the dry valley with scattered small shrubs and cacti, we slowly ascended to larger and taller cacti over the rolling hills with medium sized shrubs. In the distance large mountains were looming, void of any trees. We wondered if there was any water source nearby. Just as the thought crept up in our minds, our GPS display showed a blue snake meandering a few hundred feet from the main highway. Soon, we noticed signs for Salt River recreation sites. There were detours from the main highway to go towards the river.
Our plan was to reach the Mogollon Rim at 7000 ft beyond Payson. In a hurry, we didn’t stop at any of the sites that would lead to the Salt River’s edge. We could see people with boats, canoes and trailers heading towards the river. Ignoring the signs, off we traversed on the highway towards our destination. We continued to see more cacti despite the elevation. Once we reached around 3000-4000 feet, the cacti disappeared and more trees appeared. As we continued our ascent, we noticed that the small trees disappeared and tall Ponderosa pines appeared. As we reached our destination at about 7000 feet, we were treated to a delightful site of the mountains all across the horizon, the highway that we just were on now seemed a distant winding path.
Our life’s journey is so much like our own journey to the Mogollon Rim. We go through life carrying the thorns and thistles so much so that they become a part of our life. The thorn filled cacti have become a part of our life’s journey. The worldly addictions, struggles, pains, heartbreaks and such are something we tend to carry as we journey through life. With all the thistles, we trudge on to make something big or something meaningful of our lives. We are in a rush to reach our destination, hurrying to accomplish everything that we’ve set out to do. We want to feel the sense of accomplishment as we come to life’s end.
We ignore all detour signs, detours to places of some respite, detours to start afresh, detours to turn around, etc., when all along our life’s journey, there is a river flowing with living waters right next to us. We have had glimpses of the river, heard the peaceful sound of gentle running waters as they trickled over the rocks, the sound of chirping birds as they took their dips to cool off, and the occasional neighing of the wild horses as they crossed the river to greener pastures. Yet we pressed on. We reasoned that as good as detours maybe, we must continue on with less distractions. And so, we forge ahead.
It is only at our destination that we realize the path that we were on seems so distant and meaningless. Our destination doesn’t seem to be what we hoped for. All the hard work, pains and struggles seem pointless. We wonder if we had taken those detours, how our life’s journey would have turned out. How desperately we have avoided the running waters considering that they would be a distraction!
Fellow Sojourner, Jesus, the source of our living waters is just a small detour away to find rest, peace, comfort, a new meaning, and a new purpose in life. He is right next to our own path all along, where He is beckoning us to come and wet our feet in the cool springs. He is nudging us to take that detour from the mad dash we are making to find meaning and purpose for our lives. As we journey through this life, let us be alert to the detour signs that the Holy Spirit places in our way. In so taking those detours, we will find the running waters. If we find ourselves planted by those living waters, be rest assured that we will be fruitful in all seasons of our lives. From there on, where ever we go, we can be confident that our roots go deep to the living waters. No storm can uproot us. No valley can scare us. No mountain can stop us. When we finally arrive at our destination, there are no what ifs, no regrets and no disappointments. Instead, our joy multiplies and looking back at the path that we journeyed on, we see the river of living waters meandering alongside our own path, nourishing us, strengthening us and satisfying us.
Dearly beloved, take that detour if God is prompting you to. You will not be disappointed. For our confidence is in the Lord of Hosts, who is the source of refreshing, healing and renewing living waters.
Practical Christian Living 