Joy In A Time Of Drought
Happy People See Streams Of Water
by Eric Elkin
“They are like a tree replanted by streams of water,
which bears fruit at just the right time
and whose leaves don’t fade.
Whatever they do succeeds.”
Our birch trees turned yellow in late July. Soon after, they began to fall to the ground. By mid-August, our lawn was in dire need of raking. Everything in our yard looked like fall, except the air was still warm, and the mosquitoes were still biting.
The state of our trees began to grieve our spirits. A Fall without colorful leaves is like winter without Christmas. We have resigned ourselves to one reality. This will not be a very colorful Fall. How can it be when the leaves have already fallen? At least there will be football and cool temperatures.
This summer’s drought caused the trees to alter their cycle. The lack of water forced them to conserve energy for survival. So, just as they do in winter, the trees shut down and go dormant when water is scarce. Hopefully, good snowfall and abundant Spring rain will bring them back to life. If not, they may wither and die.
The lack of rain is not the only drought affecting our culture. We are also experiencing a lack of hope, a shortage of gratitude, and a deficiency in peace. The stress of these past two years is taking its toll on the human spirit. Collectively, I feel we are shutting down. Perhaps people are just trying to conserve energy for a more abundant season in the future.
“It isn’t what we don’t know that gives us trouble, it’s what we know that ain’t so.”
There is one big difference between my yard and our culture. We have a choice. The trees do not. While COVID-19 has revealed our vulnerability, how we react to it is entirely within our grasp. Life may have some restrictions, but it is still overflowing with blessings.
Psalm 1 opens with a grace-filled warning. “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked.” To me, the wicked are those who seek to convince us we are in a season of drought when in fact, we are living by streams of water. The wicked are those who can only see what they do not possess. They are like a child the day after Halloween who holds a large bag of candy but complains they did not get a Snickers bar.
How do we cure ourselves of this condition? Again, the psalmist provides guidance. Happy people meditate on the law of the Lord. That sounds like an ominous task. Yet, theologian Paul K.-K.Cho reveals the simplicity of the chore. To meditate means “to speak the human words of each psalm to God.” Read the psalm out loud as though you are talking to God.
I invite you to consider starting each day by naming something you are grateful for possessing. Then, speak out loud these words. “I am a tree planted by a stream of water. I will bear fruit and will not wither away.” This activity might seem juvenile, but it is effective. The words can open our eyes to see our abundance. Then move our spirit to find joy beyond understanding. These are the things happy people do.
Click to read Psalm 1
Reflection Questions:
Name something you are grateful for this day?
What is the joy this blessing provides you?
Who, besides yourself, benefits from this blessing?
Speak the words of Psalm 1. Speak them as though you are talking to God.
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