EROSION

Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you ever found yourself careening down a trail of thoughts unsure of how you arrived at the present one which seems to have absolutely nothing to do with what you were originally thinking?

I find myself in such a quandary right now.

As a sentimental person at heart, my grandmother's passing provoked many thoughts. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the generation that soon will end and the call to step up. With that in mind I began searching the scriptures during quiet time this morning. I ended up in Titus 2:4 which states:

"that they (referring to the aged women) may teach the young women..."

It goes on to list the specific things the aged women are to teach the young women. Although extremely important, that isn't part of this mornings rabbit trail so we'll revisit that another time.

As a lover of words and as one who takes great heed in words I dissect them. It is not enough for me to assume the meaning of words.

My husband so sweetly warmed up the car for me this morning and while I was waiting on Elijah to get his shoes on I sent the other two on ahead. When I got in the car Joshua said, Mommy I ate the ice off of the car and it was good! When I asked him why he did that he said, because Isaiah told me too! I then replied with the statement all mothers have made since the beginning of time.

"Well, son, if Isaiah told you to jump off a cliff would you do it?"

Although humorous it served as a teaching moment. The Holy Spirit is gracious to lead us in these. Without him, it would for me, simply become another yelling moment! I went on to tell the boys how important it is for them to think for themselves and not do something simply because someone else tells them too.

This is matter is of great importance to me as a recovering Pharisee and one I have in the past been terrible at. I took others words at face value because I respected them or due to the pedestal they stood so high upon in my mind. Instead of examining their words to see if they be true I took them for my own and in essence did exactly what my son did this morning with the ice. I ate them because I was told too.

So while researching the definitions of certain words from their Greek origins I came across one whose definition made me to pause and ponder. Who are the young women scripture is referring too? Seems pretty obvious I know but trust me, as I am discovering, words mean so much more than what you think.

The word young in it's Greek origin refers to those who are youthful.

I pulled out an old 1967 Webster's Dictionary (I love dictionaries and the older the better) to find the meaning of youthful:

Being young and not yet mature, marked by or possessing youth, youth, fresh, vigorous

As I read the first three I began thinking of young women around me that are new college students, new brides, new mothers and so on. I read on.

Having accomplished or undergone little erosion

It almost never fails that as I look up the meaning to a word I feel somewhat silly looking up the definition to I will find a diamond in the rough.

Having accomplished or undergone little erosion. I thought of my own life and while certainly there had been some level of pain and disappointment for the most part in my young life I had undergone very little erosion. In nature, wind and rain are two elements that cause erosion. I thought of the parallel between erosion in nature and storms in life that beat upon our houses and reveal our foundations. Both sound unpleasant and seem to lead only to destruction.

I began looking up some pictures of erosion in nature and I came across something so beautiful and I thought you would too. This is the Hamilton Pool Natural Preserve located about 30 miles southwest of Austin, TX. A unique and beautiful natural area surrounds the pool, collapsed grotto and canyon, formed by many, many years of water erosion.

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Yes, erosion did that! It doesn't seem possible that something that was exposed to such harsh elements as brutal wind, relentless rain and freezing ice, over time, could become something so beautiful. Isn't this true of our lives? Just as rain falls upon the earth with a purpose so does the rain that falls upon our lives.

The erosion process has begun in my own life, I can feel it; I can see it. It may appear in the fine lines around my eyes, but more importantly it appears in the soil of my heart. The roots are growing deeper now and I can see beyond the harsh elements to what lies ahead.

The young people in our lives need to know that times of erosion are coming. They need to be prepared for that. Let us be a safe place of shelter when those times come and let us lead them to the Rock that is higher, Jesus Christ.