“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4 NRSVue
Reflection:
Most of us are familiar with the 23rd Psalm, having heard it repeatedly over the years. Though many of us know it not with the phrase “the darkest valley” but rather with the phrase “the valley of the shadow of death.” That is some powerful imagery!
I have had more moments of despair in my life than I would like to admit, including personal tragedies, losing loved ones, professional challenges (I’ll be honest, professional tragedies!), health scares, moments of fear, disappointment, and rage.
Usually, I am a pretty chill guy, but there have been times when all I can do while driving is scream into the void of the cabin at the injustice of it all.
Once, I had a panic attack. Maybe I’ve had more than one, but this one was serious enough to send me to the emergency room, weeping uncontrollably. I’m a big guy, 6’5”, and 250 pounds at the time. It had to be an odd sight to see me walking into the emergency room crying uncontrollably. Recently, I’ve gone through something pretty tough that left me lying in bed at night crying until nearly dawn. I know the valley.
At times, people have called me a hero for standing up against injustice. I’ve experienced people praising me for “fearing” no evil. Sometimes it was bravery and knowing God was with me. More often, though, it was just not realizing how evil some situations can be. Sometimes my actions are based on pure stubbornness.
Like most of us, I need to get better at relying on the comfort of God’s rod and staff. His rod and staff are not tools with which to beat us. When appropriately framed, we see they are tools to lovingly guide us. He isn’t smacking us harshly on the nose to keep our heads from getting stuck in the thorns. He uses the staff and the rod to lovingly turn our heads away from the thorns.
When the big, bad, scary monster in the forest comes to deceive us, to devour us, the guiding staff can be swung with more force. The scary monster can be sent back to the woods with a hard crack and a yelp.
In the metaphor of Psalm 23, we are all sheep. We are gentle, trusting, and honestly stupid creatures incapable of defending ourselves against the beasts of the wilderness. We try to pick up the staff, but we lack opposable thumbs. We aren’t made in a way that allows us to really defend ourselves. Too often, we wander off, get caught in the briars, and then try with our clumsy hooves to pick up a stick and defend ourselves.
When we are within the protection of the Shepherd, we are safe from every evil. When we rely on ourselves, we are… lunch.
A Quote to Consider:
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
-Anonymous (often attributed to Aristotle)
I saw this floating around as an Aristotle quote for years. It turns out it isn’t his, but it is still a great quote.
Ideas are powerful. Sometimes that power works toward the good, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes people run from ideas because of their potential downside. They cloister themselves, trying to surround themselves only with good ideas. But that doesn’t seem to work. We are broken people, and even if we only surround ourselves with good ideas, we find ways to distort them.
Navigating life by running from ideas is not the way forward. We need to learn to listen to ideas, to entertain thoughts that are different than our own, and discern if they are good or not. Sometimes, the ideas we thought were good weren’t. They were just what we knew. Sometimes, the scariest ideas are found to be the best ones. We need to entertain and test a variety of ideas, but then cling to those that are good, true, and beautiful.
Prayer:
Lord,
Shepherd of our souls, thank You for walking with us through the dark valleys of life. When we are overwhelmed with fear and feel lost, remind us of Your presence, strength, and the gentle guidance of Your staff. Help us to seek You and rest in Your comfort.
Amen.
Image: Pamela Reynoso
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