I have long been intrigued by the image of exilic people making their way through the desert. Throughout scripture, the experience of traveling through barren lands serves as a literary trope for the human condition. In the desert, the Israelites were as honest with God and each other as they ever had been.
As an itinerant preacher wandering from place to place, I draw strength from reading and reflecting the words of exilic people. Both testaments record the joys and sorrows of searching for meaning while on the move. Yet I asked recently, "what characterizes nomadic people?" As I often do when I have questions, particularly from the Hebrew Bible, I call my Rabbi (everyone should have a Rabbi in their life).
"What sustains people on the move?" I asked. With a slight pause and quick wit, my Rabbi replied, "water".
Of course! I exclaimed, slapping my forehead! Finding water in the desert: that's the stuff of life for nomads AND people in static locations!
Blessed with resources and networks, I am fortunate not to have to seek out food and shelter in my itinerant ministry (unless I count restaurants and hotels); instead I seek out "water" for the journey.
"Water": the substance of life. Most of the human body is composed of it. Our world is filled with it. A symbol of death and life: water greets us when we're born, sustains us in life, and cleanses us when we die. To allegorize water is not a far stretch!
My "water" on this journey might be described as exercise:
Spiritual exercise: reading scripture, prayer, attending services
Physical exercise: making time to run, swim, and work out stress
Mental exercise: reading, stopping in places that promise new insight (there have been many)
This is my "water"; exercise sustains me on this long journey. What's your "water"?
As an itinerant preacher wandering from place to place, I draw strength from reading and reflecting the words of exilic people. Both testaments record the joys and sorrows of searching for meaning while on the move. Yet I asked recently, "what characterizes nomadic people?" As I often do when I have questions, particularly from the Hebrew Bible, I call my Rabbi (everyone should have a Rabbi in their life).
"What sustains people on the move?" I asked. With a slight pause and quick wit, my Rabbi replied, "water".
Of course! I exclaimed, slapping my forehead! Finding water in the desert: that's the stuff of life for nomads AND people in static locations!
Blessed with resources and networks, I am fortunate not to have to seek out food and shelter in my itinerant ministry (unless I count restaurants and hotels); instead I seek out "water" for the journey.
"Water": the substance of life. Most of the human body is composed of it. Our world is filled with it. A symbol of death and life: water greets us when we're born, sustains us in life, and cleanses us when we die. To allegorize water is not a far stretch!
My "water" on this journey might be described as exercise:
Spiritual exercise: reading scripture, prayer, attending services
Physical exercise: making time to run, swim, and work out stress
Mental exercise: reading, stopping in places that promise new insight (there have been many)
This is my "water"; exercise sustains me on this long journey. What's your "water"?
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