“It’s action that tells you who a man is. We’ll see what kind of tracks he makes.” –Louis L’Amour (Utah Blaine)
“With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.” –Daniel 11:32 (HCSB)
We were hiking in the Chiricahua National Monument a few days ago. My there is some grand scenery and unusual terrain. The rocks formations are awesome and Annie took some pictures. One of those pictures had me in the cleft of the rock. It was a place that would be protections from the storms that can assail that area.
I am convinced that every person takes refuge in something. The type of escape may not be feasible or sensible but people must at times take refuge. A former Air Force Chaplain wrote, “Life is such that no person is free of trouble. Responsibilities produce worry and tension. Our tasks are often dangerous, monotonous, unpleasant. People are sometimes difficult. World conditions are disturbing and threatening. Events occur daily to disturb and sadden our lives. Death stalks our paths.” (Leonard S. Edmonds)
What kind of refuge do you seek? How do you try to relieve fears, anxieties, and hostilities? Perhaps you escape into a book or movie. Shopping or indulging in food may be the refuge. Some will try and get lost in the crowd or have friends over to hear them laugh. Hobbies can become a refuge, or parties, or sports. Sometimes we seek refuge in ways more harmful than helpful such as alcohol and drugs. Many seek the refuges of a pillow and covers.
None of these are truly adequate. They are merely an ointment instead of a remedy. The true refuge is in God Himself! Sure, the ordinary troubles and tensions of the day may be taken care of with the above mentioned refuges, but when they are not adequate turn to God. In the midst of great tragedies, or storms, or when life seems to be shattered we need a Refuge that nothing in this world can provide–God.
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“We live in a society that tries to keep us dazzled with euphoria in a bright cloud of lively and joy-loving slogans. Yet nothing is more empty and more dead, nothing is more insultingly insincere and destructive than the vapid grins on the billboards and the moronic beatitudes in the magazines which assures us that we are all in bliss right now. I know, of course, that we are fools, but I do not think any of us are fools enough to believe that we are now in heaven.”
–Thomas Merton
(Read that in light of the statements made at the DNC)
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“The worm don’t see anything pretty about the robin’s song.”
“Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once and a while.”
“In a New York drugstore: We dispense with accuracy.”