Balancing Stability and Adaptability

“Walk This Way” Reflection Week 9

Readings: Psalm 1; John 3:5-8; Isaiah 43; Jeremiah 17:8; Romans 8; Galatians 5

I find it interesting that as I finish up this reflection today on Stability and Adaptability, I don’t feel stable at all. If you read my blogs or know me even a little, you likely know how much I love my time with my kids and family, and how hard it always is for me to say goodbye. I used to think that would get easier, that I’d eventually get used to it. Nope. Still not used to it. I’ve also sometimes wondered if there’s something wrong with me, that I should be better at the goodbyes by now. But then I realize that this is simply who I am, and I know from talking to other moms of bigs and grandmas of littles that I’m not alone in this. Others share the same struggle. 

What about you? As you read this, are you feeling steady, good, as if all is under control and at peace in your corner of the world? Or are you also a little shaky, sad, upset, confused, or any other word that might describe the opposite of feeling like you’ve got the stability and adaptability concepts mastered? If so, a glance at a tree, the sound of the wind, and the words in the Bible readings for this reflection might give some hope. 

I’ve often said that the wind rushing through the trees is one of my favorite sounds. I remember hearing it best whenever I’m in the mountains, and it always makes me stop and take notice. But that’s not the only place to hear wind, of course. Where I first started this reflection a week ago, in my son’s house while visiting, I could hear the wind rushing through the tall trees outside, and I looked up at those trees, tall and proud, to see them sway back and forth above the creek bed below. Occasionally, the wind has been strong enough in the past to snap a branch from these trees, but that seems to be a rare occurrence. These trees are strong and quite stable. They remind me of the words from Psalm 1, where a tree is a metaphor for a person who delights in the law of the lord, meditating on it day and night. “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers.” (Psalm 1:3)

The trees above the creek behind my son's backyard.

This sounds very similar to Jeremiah 17:8, which reads, “He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” 

I love how a tree and the wind, things we can see or experience so often, can remind me of the importance of staying close to and rooted in God and His word, no matter what might come against us. As Pastor Tim said in his message on Stability and Adaptability, the trees are a metaphor in the Bible for stability, while the wind is a metaphor for adaptability and the Holy Spirit. 

While I often love the sound of the wind, I’m not typically a fan of the strong gusts we sometimes experience in Southern California, particularly fast-blowing dry ones called the Santa Ana winds. In a previous post, I wrote about my daughter reminding me years ago of the value of wind. She was maybe ten years old at the time, and when we got out of the car on one of those very strong Santa Ana wind days, I complained, “I hate this wind!” My daughter countered with, “I like the wind. It reminds me of the Holy Spirit.” And there I received the reminder to be a little more like children, as Jesus reminded us in a previous week’s reading when he said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14) She was my reminder to reset my thoughts that day, to look to him in the windy, the stormy, the chaotic moments of the day. 

The trees and the wind, representing God’s word and God’s Spirit, show us how to have stability and adaptability as we walk in the way of Jesus, which, by the way, is not a walk that’s always smooth and steady. 

One of my favorite examples of how these two seemingly contradictory concepts of stability and adaptability go together came from Pastor Tim’s example from the Biosphere 2 experiment in Arizona. This self-sustaining environment, which started in the early 1990’s teaches us again the value of wind. After two years in this setting, the trees began to fall over. Scientists noted that the missing ingredient for these trees was wind, something trees need because their wood actually gets stronger when it has something to resist. In other words, they needed something to resist in order to be strong. This sounds a lot like humans who need resistance to build muscle, or maybe a few difficulties to build strength of mind and character. 

In the gospel reading in John 3, Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 

(John 3:5-8)

As I reflect on this, I am reminded of that person in Psalm 1, who is compared to a tree that doesn’t wither because he meditates on God’s word day and night. The tree is also planted near water, which reminds me of the living water of Christ. In other words, it has the water and the spirit that Jesus mentions. It is stable because it has these two things. So if I’m going with this metaphor, I also need to be close to the living water of Christ and meditate on God’s word day and night if I am to withstand the ups and downs of life. 

Also, when Jesus says, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit,” I am reminded to focus more on things of the Spirit than of the flesh. This made me think of Romans 8, which says, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:12-13)

Paul tells us this also in Galatians 5 when he says, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) Then he describes what those obvious acts of the flesh are in verse 19: “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” He follows this up with saying, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25)

Seems to me that this is telling me that to walk in the way of Jesus, I need to RESIST desires that aren’t in line with the fruit of the Spirit. While I’d like to say that’s not a problem, that those things of the flesh never come up against me, I cannot say that’s true. I’m reminded that the ending words in that list say “and the like.” The list, then, isn’t even a complete list. Many things could pull me away from being loving, joyful, peaceful, forbearing, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. So resistance is needed. Going with the flow of the Spirit doesn’t necessarily mean going with whatever is easy or whatever I might feel like doing. Sometimes it will require me to resist, to work a little, to be perhaps a little wind-blown, but it will ultimately bring me peace. “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

I realize as I write this that the idea of resistance doesn’t necessarily feel inspiring. It feels a little hard. But again in Romans, I find comfort in knowing I don’t need to resist alone. Romans 8:26-27 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

So when I feel like the resistance is too much, or I don’t know which way to go, or I feel like giving in or giving up, I can pray with whatever simple words, feelings, or strength I have, and Jesus will be right there to intercede and help. 

Today, as I finish up this reflection after resting on it for a while, I mentioned that I have not felt so steady. I feel a little sad, with a little piece of my heart left behind with my kids and grandson. But I’m intentionally focusing my thoughts upward, on God and his constant presence with me, on his love and understanding, even when I don’t feel so strong.  I’m no longer visiting with those loved ones, no longer listening to the wind rustling in their trees, but I am listening to it right outside the window of my home. Here, it’s a little quieter wind, and it blows through the windchimes out back, playing a calming mix that sounds like soft bells, but it reminds me that the wind blows in both places. God’s Spirit is here, and it is also with those I love. I can pray for his presence with them, for his love and protection, for him to fill the distance between us until we’re together again. I can pray for his comfort and strength each day, and it will never fail to be there. And like the prescription in Psalm 1, I can delight in God's word day and night.

One of the windchimes in my yard reminding me where to place my heart and my focus.

I pray you can also focus your thoughts on God, no matter where you think you stand today on the stability and adaptability scale. He is the one who will hold you up, keep you steady, no matter what might be swirling around you or in you. As it says in Psalm 121:1-4:

“I lift my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

Journaling Ideas:

What are some Bible verses that help you when you feel unsteady? Read and copy those in your journal or post them around your home. Write these as prayers or write your thoughts about them. Below are a few I've focused on in the past couple of days, in addition to the ones written in this reflection. They are helping me to simply look up and rest in him.

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 (MSG) "God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

Psalm 73:28 (MSG) "I'm in the very presence of God— oh, how refreshing it is! I've made Lord God my home."

Mark 6:31-32 (TLB) "Then Jesus suggested, 'Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest.' For so many people were coming and going that they scarcely had time to eat. So they left by boat for a quieter spot."