The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake...
Psalm 23, KJV. Perhaps the most comforting and lyrically beautiful language that has ever been translated into English.
Sheep and shepherds didn't live in barns when this was written. There were no 800 bales of alfalfa hay. The shepherd watched the rain clouds and knew the treacherous pathways he had to navigate through the thorny desert to get to where the rain fell. He led the flock from oasis-to-oasis and protected them from lions, leopards, bears, wolves, jackals and humans. He did not bed them down in wadis where flash-floods are a possibility.
The joy of running
After the runner has accumulated enough "miles" of training, casual running has almost the same "apparent effort" as walking. The runner can look around and see the ripe berries and mushrooms, he can find the bird nests and watch the butterflies feed. He can hear the chickens in backyards and savor the aroma of his neighbor's barbecue wafting through the air.
Being an intimate part of God's creation restores the runner's soul. "...paths of righteousness..." becomes more than a metaphor. The lone runner experiences something close to what young David did while tending his family's sheep in the wilderness. He also experiences some of what David experienced as he fled Saul...A light load, minimal footprint on the land and a sojourner's existence.
Key point: "After the runner has accumulated enough "miles"..."
Random image
No comments:
Post a Comment
Readers who are willing to comment make this a better blog. Civil dialog is a valuable thing.