A Wandering Thought
WE must find sources of strength and renewal for our own spirits, lest we perish. My favorite thinker Howard Thurman taught me this. Life is arduous. For it is only in life, we occasionally consider death as an alternative. And if you live long enough, you’ll amen, too, Langston Hughes, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” Life’s great test tests our endurance. Can we preserve under trials? Or do we wither like a raisin in the sun? Unless we have a foundation, unless our feet are secured, unless our hearts are guarded, we will slip and fall and never rise again. Our hope is in the fact that our strength is outside of ourselves. The source our strength isn’t dependent upon us in any facet. Thus, the strength that is available is always available at its fullest. Our renewal lies in our will to replenish ourselves. In other words, the survival of our will is in our ability to feed our desire. Once we drink of the Water and eat of the Bread, the mountain before us will be mere pebbles. But, if we miss Thee, the Fountain of mercy, we will wither in the desert as we spend our energy chasing a mirage.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is an eternal God, the creator of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom. He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble. But those who wait for the LORD’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.”
