Recently I spent an afternoon tubing with some friends down the Toccoa River in the North Georgia Mountains. I have always loved water, however, I usually prefer to be on it, rather than in it. Tubing tends to provide the best of both, and on a hot, humid day in July, being ‘on’ and ‘in’ at the same time was actually quite refreshing.
A poignant lesson jumped out at me while making my way down the Toccoa. I realized very quickly that the more shallow the water, the more rapid the flow and the more obstacles to navigate. Conversely, the deeper the water, the more still and calm the surface.
There are always obstacles in a river. The riverbed is full of rocks, tree limbs and the natural flow of the terrain. However, in the places where the water was deep, the journey down the river was not adversely affected by them. In the shallow water, I had to pay close attention and hold on while going through rapids and dipping over short waterfalls and paddle swiftly away from rocks or fight my way out from being stuck on them. In the deeper water, however, I was able to relax, lay back and enjoy the ride.
I began to think about the spiritual truth that was brought to life within the created order of this river. This is a method God seems to love to use and I believe he is thrilled when we take time to notice. He speaks through everything if we are listening.
There will always be obstacles in our lives. The human experience is littered with difficulty, pain, injustice and loss. When we focus our attention on the externals of looking good and doing good, without giving attention to the inner life, we live out of places of strife and frustration. The surface of our lives is disturbed, out of order, chaotic, stressful and laced with anxiety and fear.
When we give attention to cultivate the inner places where values and motivations lie and where the journey toward Christlikeness is intentional, it is there that we will begin to live from the deeper waters. Our lives will flow with more peace. We will have a better sense of our true selves. It is not about the absence of obstacles, it is about facing them from a place of deep intimacy with the Father, for it is in knowing Him that we learn to trust Him.
Living from the inside out is to be intentional in following the example of Jesus who cultivated a life of prayer, worship, reading and memorizing scripture, fasting and Sabbath rest. He lived from the deep waters of personal relationship and intimacy with His Father.
His life was not without obstacles, pain, suffering, injustice and loss. Though without sin, He became one of us and understood all the ways we humans suffer.
“We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.” Hebrews 4:15 MSG
Jesus knew why He was here. He knew what He came to do. He lived within His element, and He lived out of a place of peace because He cultivated actions and habits of spiritual formation that enhanced what He was here to do. He spent time with His Father, He knew His Father and He trusted His Father. His waters ran very deep. Ours can too.
