By the River

When I was in divinity school I took a devotional classics class in which we read the book, "Sayings of the Desert Fathers."

A large number of men in the monastic groups were going to the river. For what, I wasn't sure. So many sayings included phrases such as, "I went down to the river one day....."

I finally asked my professor, "Why do all these guys keep going to the river?" I honestly don't remember what my professor said, but I have been thinking about it recently.

Not too long after I moved to Greenville I took a journal and went to a local park, spending some time writing my thoughts and praying.

You know what I realized? I was sitting by a river.

I don't know what it is about bodies of water that invite us to them: rivers, oceans, lakes. Water can be a very serene and peaceful thing, or it can be a vast rush of change, depending on the conditions.

But what I realized from my time by the river is how wonderfully connected we are to all generations of faith. The God who never changes is God of each generation. Just as monks thousands of years ago were drawn to the river, I, too, was drawn to a river of my own in the 21st century.

I like to think how generations of believers are united in our faith and common practices.

And I suppose I will take quite a few more trips to the river.