Caught in a Current

As a boy I would swim in Blue Creek which ran just 75 yards from my front door. This tributary of the Elk River (aq tributary of the Kanawha, a tributary of the Ohio) was for the most part shallow and swift. Swimming down stream was not a challenge. Returning to the swimming hole after drifting down stream was. I know what it's like to be caught in a current.

As I look at the dates of my postings here, I see that I am caught in a current. This current is not of water, like those in Blue Creek. It is a current of time. And it runs as swiftly and as shallowly as the ol' Blue ever did.

I go 3 days then 30 days then 2 months between times of quiet reflection (or any reflection for that matter.) Swift and shallow, that's my life. Being a husband, dad, pastor, math teacher, master's student, home owner, brother, and son require quick strokes and rapid motion to keep a balance.

But sitting here frustrated and saddened by the fast pace and shallow depth of my living, I have just caught a glimpse of Odie's Swimmin' Hole. Even on the shallow and swift Blue Creek there are deep, slow places where the water is cool and deep green and the floor is sandy not rocky. Whether dammed up by someone or hollowed out by God himself, swift streams have slow places.

God, lead me beside still waters and restore my soul...