Go with the Flow?

An autumn leaf floating leisurely down a mountain stream can easily convey the idea of carefree tranquility. Indeed, this image reminded me of a couple of past trips I’ve taken down a river: floating in an inner tube on the Green River in North Carolina and onboard a raft on the Snake River in Wyoming. These were idyllic times when I needed to exert little effort and just go with the flow.

The desire for less stress and more peace in life is, I would imagine, fairly common. I know that’s true for me. But there is an important distinction between the leaf and me. This descendant of a tree didn’t really have a choice in which direction it went.  I do.  And that is increasingly important in the life of faith.

One of the most well-known examples of choosing between human law and God’s law is illustrated in the lives of three Old Testament men. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had two options. The first was to bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. The other alternative was to be tossed into a blazing inferno. They consciously made the decision to continue to serve God.

Fast forward hundreds of years to the First Century A.D. The world had changed. But the choices had not. Jesus was very clear on this point.

Go in by the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction, you see,
is nice and wide, and the road going there has plenty of room.
Lots of people go that way. But the gate leading to life is narrow,
and the road going there is a tight squeeze. Not many people find their way through.

– Matthew 7:13-14 (New Testament for Everyone)

Now, in the first half of the Twenty-first Century A.D., the world is exponentially different from when Jesus trod the earth. But in spite of the tsunamic changes in the last two millennia, there are still only two alternatives in life. And in today’s culture of flexible, adjust-to-fit, rubber-band values, it is important for me to make intentional, Kingdom-oriented choices and NOT go with the flow.