This past week, I was blessed to take my family on a little camping excursion. The memories that we create are beyond compare. I think, like most parents, I want to give them some of the same memories I have, and growing up, I truly cherished being outdoors.
Our camping spot was tucked in right next to the Wenatchee River, a beautiful mountain stream fed by tributaries in the Cascade Mountains. The river flows and darts around monstrous granite boulders that trace its edges. Which gave me an idea, one of my favorite pastimes growing up was bouldering.
Now I know there is an “official” sport, but what I call bouldering is finding these big rocks and leaping from one to the next. It is a combination of the “floor is lava” and parkour. The boys loved it. It requires mental problem-solving and athleticism, perfect for young bodies and minds.
Sometimes, as we were bounding over the rocks, there would be some that were split in two. They didn’t get this way from falling or defects; these rocks split because of root wedging. Root wedging occurs when a plant, typically a tree, finds a small crevice in a rock and, over the years, grows, pushing the rock apart. Essentially, these massive granite rocks are hewn into pieces because a tree wanted access to the lush vitality of the Wenatchee River.
Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Oh, that persistent root. I imagine how long that took, imperceptible to the naked eye. Day after day, year after year. Weaving, stretching, growing…breaking through granite, until at last it was fully satisfied. May we also be like a tree. May we hunger and thirst in ways that break through the monotony of life. That shatters our old way of living. That destroys the strongholds of the world.
We do this not to improve our station in life or our comfort level; we do this in a pursuit of a better relationship with God. Righteousness- to be right with God. This is our ambition and our destination, full reconciliation with God. It is why Jesus died, so that we might live fully reconciled to our Maker and Master. There should be nothing that stops me from this objective. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness- the source and fulfillment of life.
Revelation 22:1-5 NLT – “Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. 3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there–no need for lamps or sun–for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.”
I consider my Savior on the cross, and I pray to echo some of his final words… “I thirst.” (John 19:28).