Saturday, May 3, 2014

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Exodus 17:1-16

“Strike the rock, so that water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.”

Several years ago, I was on an overnight flight seated near a father and his young daughter. She was fussy and irritable, but he remained calm and compassionate. In a soothing tone, the man gave voice to the feelings of his child. “You’re really tired and you can’t fall asleep. Is that right?” The girl agreed with a cranky and worn-out, “Yes.” “The plane is making a lot of noises and the seats are really uncomfortable aren’t they.” “Uh-uh,” the girl replied. The choice of words and tone fit the situation perfectly and soon, the girl grew more relaxed and eventually fell asleep.

            Simple as it was, I was inspired by this human and compassionate encounter. How many times have I seen just the opposite? Parents who scold their children for being justifiably fussy. Parents who are more worried about disturbing the other passengers than about consoling their children that they end up making more noise with their reprimands. But I was impressed with this father. In the short term, he was calming his daughter, but in the long run he was teaching her to trust herself. He was teaching her to name her feelings and make friends with them instead of letting them control her. I can only imagine that this interaction between the father and daughter was their usual way. Ultimately, being raised by her parents in this way, the girl was learning that the world can be a trustworthy place.

            I thought of that experience as I read this story from Exodus. The Israelites are tired, they are cranky, they are thirsty and soon they are the victims of enemy attack. Despite being dramatically liberated from Egypt, their memories are short. They curse Moses their leader and lose faith in their God.

            Even though the settings and the tone are very different, I like to think that the purpose of this story in Exodus is functionally similar to my story of the father and daughter. As this story was passed down in oral tradition or is re-enacted in liturgy or devotional reading even today, readers are taught to trust themselves. Yes, we live in a world where we get spiritually thirsty. Yes, we are often under spiritual attack with discouragement or despair. And, yes, the same God who brings release from the times of our captivities is also the One who provides water from the rock and victory over defeat.

            The spiritual teacher Richard Rohr reminds us of one of the paradoxes of the spiritual life:  “Life is difficult AND Jesus’ promise that ‘My yoke is easy.’” To deny either side of the paradox is to deny the full truth of lived experience. Difficulties will challenge our fundamental trust in the world. In those moments, how can we all stop, name our feelings and be open to the love our compassionate God has for us?  

- David Shumaker