Thursday, June 20, 2024
We long for something solid, like a fortress or a rock upon which to stand, to press into, or to lean upon. I wish that I could say that there was such a foundation, but I’m hard-pressed to find it. I can’t be sure, for to be absolutely certain has with it an equal amount of absolute uncertainty. I can’t have benefit because that comes with an equal amount of cost. I can’t claim victory, for that comes with an equal amount of victimhood.
I might stand on the shore, thinking I am sure, but surely the shore is being drawn back into the sea, and what I sense as solid ground is shifting beneath my feet. Even my feet are decaying. I’ll let myself go and float then. This feels right until I long to walk and stand upon the shore. I seem damned if I do and damned if I don’t. I just want to be on solid ground; but the ground vanishes and blows away, to be no more, one day.
What if I stand on a promise? That feels good – standing on the promises of God. But what if God lets me down? For now, don’t stand on the sand. Stand on the AND. Every benefit comes with a cost. Every victory comes with a reason to be victimized. Every setback comes with a breakthrough. There’s an upside and a downside. There is a price and a reward. There is a beginning and an ending. Can you see both and? Center yourself AND you’ll be free. But pay attention, you’ll slide. Life is shifty. Don’t worry – the AND is a delicate balancing act. Live a little; let yourself go – but don’t get lost. The shoreline is being drawn back into the sea. Hover AND stay aligned in the shiftiness. But remember, it’s all in tandem.