Life is a River

 

Life is a river.  

We are all in canoes, just making our way downstream in the river the best we can. As a small child, I mainly just floated along with the current in my little canoe.  My Mom and Dad, in their canoes, kept mine close to theirs as we went down the river together.  They taught me about the river; its currents, eddies, and rapids.  Over time, I learned how to paddle my own canoe.  It was awkward at first, but eventually I got the hang of it.  I got braver and more self-confident over time and would leave the safety of their presence.  I’d paddle out on my own, a little further each time, until the swirling eddies of the river scared me.  Then I’d quickly paddle back to their comforting safety, clinging to the side of their canoes until the river once again calmed.  The river flowed on.

As I got older, I didn’t need to hold on to their canoes for support.  I’d paddle my canoe from one side of the river to the other, checking out every inch of it.  Often I would bump into things, or nearly turn over, but that’s just part of learning how to navigate the river.  I grew more and more confident, and paddled my canoe wherever I wanted to go.  Then one day, it was time for me to leave my parents' sides permanently and make my own way down the river.  I know now that as they watched me paddle away from them, they hoped they had taught me everything I needed to know.  I know they hoped I would remember the lessons I had learned.  And, I know they prayed for me.  The river flowed on.

 

As a young man, I desired to master the river.  I paddled furiously at the water in the river, forcing my way where I wanted to go.  Back and forth, from one side to the other, trying to get ahead of everyone else in the river and make my own way.  I treated the river like something that had to be tamed, a force that was always fighting me, an obstacle of sorts.  You don’t really think to take the time when you’re young to just float for a second, enjoy the current carrying you wherever, enjoy the scenery along the river.  It all goes by so fast.  The river flowed on.

 

And then one day  I saw her.  A beautiful woman in another canoe.  She was across the river so I made my way closer to her, hoping she would see me and notice me.  I crossed in front of her trying to show off my wonderful paddling skills.  I confidently steered my canoe back and forth showing off my navigational skills.  When all of that failed to get her attention, I splashed her with my paddle.  That got her attention.   We paddled our canoes in the same general direction and speed for a while, and then decided we liked each other…a lot.  We lashed our canoes together and decided to turn two canoes into one.  The river flowed on.

 

Navigating the river with our canoes tied together was more stable for sure, but we also had to paddle twice as fast to move or steer the canoes.  We coordinated our paddling to work more efficiently, and we learned to rely on the other’s navigational skills as much as our own.  Our pace down the river seemed to quicken.  The river was a wild ride at times, but we had each other for stability.  The river flowed on.

Not long after, we had kids of our own in their little canoes.  And just like when we ourselves were little, they stayed right next to us for safety.  Every so often they would venture out on their own, and then quickly paddle right back to our side.   As we made our way down the river together, there were dangerous whirlpools and hidden submerged logs.  Big rocks in the middle of the river threatened to overturn our canoes or separate us, but we managed to navigate our way around those obstacles.  The river flowed on.

As we continued our trip down the river, our children developed their paddling skills and learned to navigate the river as we had.  Eventually, they too struck out on their own and made their own way.  They also found the love of their life to lash their canoe to, and charted their own course together down the river.  I hoped I had taught them what they needed to know.  I hoped they would remember.  I prayed…alot.  The river flowed on.

Now, I am at the stage of life where I don’t need to paddle so furiously.  I tend to just sit back and lift my paddle out of the water more often now.  I see where the current of the river takes me.  I watch the beautiful scenery all around me as it goes by, and I thank my Lord for creating it.  I enjoy watching my kids and their kids in their canoes making their way down the river.  I shout encouragement at them often, and when I see an obstacle coming their way I try to warn them as best I can, but I know that they have to handle it themselves, in their own way, just like I had to.  I always try to nudge them with my canoe when they need help and ask me to give them a hand, but I know each of us navigate the river in our own way, at our own pace.  The river flows on.

The river is a beautiful thing, and it is quite an exhilarating adventure.  But, at some point we all have to drag our canoe out of the river and end our trip.  The important thing to understand is…there is something even more important than just the river.  There is a whole ocean of water out there, and it is called eternity.  

What determines your sailing destination on the eternal ocean is your relationship to the creator, Jesus Christ the Lord.  Do you know Him?  Do you have a relationship with Him?  He loves you and wants to enter into your life and make all things new.  He desires a relationship with you.  

My advice is to invite Him into your canoe as soon as possible.  Give Him your paddle, and let Him do the steering and navigation.  His way is much better and easier, and in the end leads to life more abundant.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

 

Many of you may be familiar with the children’s nighttime prayer above. Some of you probably even recited that exact prayer every night before bed. I had a version of this prayer printed on a piece of paper and hung on the wall of my bedroom when I was a young boy. I remember reading the prayer nightly before going to bed. However, the version I had on my wall was not the gentle, coddling one above. My version was from the 17th century New England Primer. It was decidedly darker in tone:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I 'wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

It starts off the same…”Now I lay me down to sleep.” “I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” So far so good. Peaceful sleep, praying to the Lord, asking Him to keep my soul. Calming, soothing, and theologically sound. But then it takes a turn, a darker one: “If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” What! All of a sudden we are discussing dying in our sleep, and the Lord “taking my soul” like the grim reaper! This is the opposite of calming and soothing! This was enough to cause a child to pull the covers up tight around their chin and ask for the nightlight to be left on.

It makes me think of other childhood songs and lullabies. For instance:

Rock a bye baby in the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.

What a beautiful, reassuring, gentle lullaby to sing to your baby…not! What were these people in the 1700’s thinking anyway! I guess life was hard back then, and the stuff they taught their kids was proof.

Here’s another fun little tune for children:

Ring around the rosie,
A pocket full of posies.
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down!

Some scholars say this 1800’s song sung by children while playing a game refers to people dying during the Black Plague in Europe during the 1600’s and 1700’s. The song is said to refer to a rosie ring on the skin which accompanied the plague, posie petals which were believed to ward off the sickness when carried with you, and those who “fall down” dead due to the plague are then cremated and turned to ashes. Again, pretty dark stuff for children to be singing!

Even songs we think of as happy and uplifting have darker additional verses not typically sung:

Jesus loves me—this I know,
For the Bible tells me so:
Little ones to him belong,—
They are weak, but he is strong.

Jesus loves me—he who died
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let his little child come in.

Jesus loves me—loves me still,
Though I'm very weak and ill;
From his shining throne on high,
Comes to watch me where I lie.

Jesus loves me—he will stay
Close beside me all the way.
Then his little child will take
Up to heaven for his dear sake
Anna Bartlett Warner -1860

This song sung in every sunday school class and children’s church in America, is believed to have been a poem written by Warner to comfort a dying child.

So how to wrap up this very dark and strange article…that’s a good question. I don’t have a great theological point to make here. I can’t really explain why these types of children’s songs contained such serious, dark topics like death. But, I can say that unfortunately it is true. Death is a part of life unfortunately. Due to Adam and Eve’s sin in Genesis chapter 3, death entered into the world. Both a physical death, and a spiritual death. The people who lived two or three centuries ago dealt with death a lot more than we do nowadays. We are sheltered from it somewhat it seems in modern times. Modern medicine has advanced in leaps and bounds, and more of the world has access to doctors and medicine than in the recent past even.

But, death still exists, and is the final outcome for all of us eventually. The bible tells us however that God knows the number of our days, and they are even written in a book. And, the bible also tells us that if our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then we will not endure the “second death” as those not found written that book do. We will experience eternal life. Life with God, forever.

Now that is something to write a child’s song about….

This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine,

This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine,

Let it shine, all the time, let it shine.

"Eternal"

Can we take a second and talk about the word "eternal" as used in the Bible?

"Eternal" is typically thought of as meaning "forever", or "everlasting", or "time without end."  There seems to always be the aspect of time built into the definition of "eternal".  But that really lessens the meaning of that word and waters it down.  It skews the way the word is used and understood in the Bible, particularly the New Testament. 

You see, it is so much more than just a descriptor having to do with time.  It is a word associated with God, and His domain of heaven (eternity if you will).  And time is not something that applies to God.  Time only applies to humans, and to this universe in which we were created to exist in by the timeless one - God almighty.

The Greek word used primarily for "eternal" is aiōnios.  It is defined by Strong's as "perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well):eternal, forever, everlasting, world (began)."  We see it used primarily as a descriptor of the life we have in Christ - "eternal life"  (John 3:16, Rom.6:23, Jn 5:24, etc).  

But, it is also used to describe things that do not last forever, as in time un-ending.  For example, Jude 1:7 says “Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns committed sexual immorality and perversions, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”  The fire is described as eternal, however, there is not fire still raining down on Sodom and Gomorrah.  And, Jude 1:6 says “... and the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day.”  The verse itself implies that the chains described as “eternal” will in the future be unchained on the day of judgement, so again, they are not eternal.

The following verses from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians I think give us a clearer picture on how to rightly understand the use of the word “eternal”.  2 Cor. 4:17 “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. “  2 Cor. 4:18 “So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Cor. 5:1 “For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.”  The idea is one of temporariness versus permanence, temporary as opposed to permanent.  This describes the type of life we have in Christ, not one that is temporary and ends in death, but one that is permanent, everlasting, final.

When we read through the New Testament and we see the word “eternal” or “everlasting” or “forever”, hopefully we take time to stop and consider the usage.  What is being described? What is the word qualifying?  Think beyond just the time aspect of the meaning, because as we have seen that is really not what is being addressed.  It is more than that, it is the permanence of the word or thing.