Later in the week I was able to do one of my favorite things. Spend time around water.
In the valley between the giant peaks where our house was there was a beautiful, raging river. Humongous boulders dotted the banks on either side. Rocks worn smooth jutted out defiantly in the middle. The water was as cold as you’d expect it to be, coming from some unseen mountain source.
I was in the zone.
I ran about the rocks with my camera and acted like I was 10 again. The same amount of wonder and fun I used to get playing in rivers and streams took me. I had a fantastic time.
Finally I jumped, ran, and maneuvered my way onto a rock in the middle of the river (nearly fell a few times, but it’s whatever). This is where I was going to talk to God.
As I’ve mentioned in several other blogs I hear God incredibly clearly near water. Oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, ditches. If water is there, I can hear from God.
Having spent my time up on the mountain, now I was going to spend some time hearing what God had to say by the river. So I asked Him what He was thinking. What He wanted me to glean from our meeting. We talked as if He was sitting on the rock right next to me.
He had me consider several things.
First He reminded me that change is coming fast and hard, no matter if I’m ready for it or not. Like the river, it charges forward. I asked for His calling, for whatever He wanted me to do. It was as if He was asking “Are you sure? Because it’s going to be a bit like the roaring river you see before you.”
Have you ever been caught up in a river? I imagine it’s not the most comfortable or slow thing in the world. Rivers don’t wait for you to catch your bearings. Rivers don’t stop to make sure you’re up for it. They don’t strap you in and tell you how to handle their bends and drops. They just take you.
God was reminding me that if I really wanted this, it wasn’t going to be easy. That if I bought into this, then I better get ready for a wild ride. Not always in a fun way either. I said I was ready. So then he directed my attention elsewhere.
He had me look up at the high mountains surrounding me. Then the large boulders on the banks. Then the big, but not boulder size, rocks next to them. Then the smaller ones that were in the river, but still large. The ones that had been worn down by the torrents of the river. Finally He had me look at the small ones that were polished and worn to absolute smoothness.
Before the small stones can reach the pinnacle of sleekness, they start out as parts of the mountain high above. Or at least part of the Earth around the river. They are rooted in place. Stuck to a larger piece. Stubbornly affixed. Then they are separated by the river. Large and proud at first, but over time they are broken down. Made smaller. Their edges are polished. Their sharp points made smooth. They’re sculpted and polished for their purpose. Which could be anything. Making up the bank. Making homes. Skipping on the water for pure pleasure. Whatever!
Throughout life I had broken myself away from the rest of the mountain. I had found myself a stubborn boulder on the bank, resisting change. Slowly but surely I had allowed myself to be broken down, to be worn. To have my edges smoothed and my whole self polished. By coming on the Race I had entered the river. More brokenness. More refining.
What God was saying was if I really wanted to go forward with His plan. If I really wanted everything He had for me, He had to do some more polishing. I had to fully submerge myself in His plan. Let the waters roar and take me. Let me be sculpted and shaped to my purpose. A purpose He hadn’t revealed to me.
He was calling me to equip myself. To get ready for my purpose. That I would know what to do after the Race soon. That I would feel that pull. That He would confirm it somehow for me. He said that I needed training. I needed to be mentored and prepared for whatever this calling was. This excited me.
I was ready to be the polished stone. To be used for whatever end He called me to. In true Racer spirit, I thought this would take some time for me to find out. I assumed it would be long after I got back to the States.
I should’ve known better. The river always runs faster than it looks. And a little over a week after my experience at the river, God brought the rage and roar of His calling all over me…
Seth
This is Part 2 of a three part series. Read the other 2 posts here:
Part 1: Mountain
Part 3: Calling
