Peace like a River- Reflective

The story Peace like a River has so many themes and topics I could write about. The underlying theme is clearly faith. But within that one theme alone is a thousand subjects. For this blog I want to zone in on fog- walking by faith.

                I love the story of August and Reuben horseback riding early in the morning while it was foggy. Fog creates and alludes to things unseen, mystery, and even apprehension. But the fog dissipates the more the light comes and the stronger the day gets. When the light rises, it puts to rest the apprehension, mystery, and the unseen. Things become clearer and you can be more confident of where you are going.

                This is a perfect analogy for faith. We go through different seasons and trials in our lives, and things become a little foggy. Sometimes the road God calls us to walk on is filled with things that are mysterious. It’s like walking blind. Walking without seeing where you are going can cause some apprehension; I know it’s not just me. You’re afraid you’re going to run into something, stub some toes, fall down, or get lost. But you keep going, because you know you have a destination. And you realize the more you walk into the fog, the closer you are to the light; Jesus. The closer you are to Jesus, the more the fog lifts, and your road starts to come to focus.

                I think this is a subtle moment of foreshadowing for the rest of the book. The Land family is on a journey through the fog. Not just in the moment when Reuben was riding with August through literal fog, but they are embarking on a spiritually foggy journey. They have no clue what is one step ahead of them. But they are willing to run into things, stub some toes, fall down, and get lost. Because the goal of finding the lost one is more important to them than what happens along the way.

                Well that’s challenging. I had to sit and reflect that if the way I am living is with the ultimate goal and destination in mind or if I am more concerned with the falls and bumps along the way that will hurt. I want to find the joy of the destination before I even reach it. That’s some real faith.