|
When
they reached the slopes of the mountain, Grace and Glory stood
still in delighted surprise, for stretching before her were
fields of slender reeds, swaying in the breeze and tossing
lightly in rhythmical motion like waves on a slightly rolling
sea. On this sea there were lines of foamy white crests, for
at that season of the year the reeds were all flowering and
each sheath had opened out into a frothy white cobweb around
the brown stamens. It was the wind blowing through this sea
of gently swaying reeds which produced the low musical murmurings
which so delighted her ears. …
… the King began to tell his companion about the reeds
of gentleness. He said that the chief product from them was
a lovely perfume extracted from the lower part of the canes.
This perfume lingered about the persons who wore it, all day
long, very fresh and fragrant and soothing. He explained also
that it was the pliability of the reeds and their perpetual
motion which developed the spice from which the perfume was
made, and he pointed out to her the exquisite grace and lovely,
unresisting meekness with which they bowed themselves before
the wind, sometimes right to the ground, only to sweep upright
again from that low position, without apparent effort or strain
of any kind, as soon as the wind had passed over them. A lovely
gracious submissiveness characterized their every movement
and yet at the same time there was something grandly regal
about the poise and perfect control of their motions, no weakness
of any kind but the most perfect command.
"They know how to be abased and how to be exalted,"
thought Grace and Glory with sudden understanding, and she
realized that the lovely fragrance which exuded from them
and which men call gentleness, sympathy and loving understanding
was developed by the daily practice of bending submissively
to life's hard and difficult experiences without bitterness,
or resentful resistance and self-pity. She saw quite clearly
that no force of storm or tempest would be able to harm or
break the reeds because they had learned to bow themselves
so easily to the least breath of wind, without offering any
resistance at all. It was this gentle movement of submissiveness,
combined with perfect balance and graceful motion, which produced
the cadences of music sounding all over the mountainside,
for the wind turned every reed into an instrument through
which to play the harmonies of heaven.
—
Mountains of Spices
Hannah Hurnard
|
|
Healthy biblical communities are flexible communities. Not
flexible buildings — like earthquake-proof skyscrapers in San Francisco
— but flexible people, who know how (and when) to submit, to yield
and to abide.
When I first read Hannah Hurnard's depiction of the undulating reeds on
the Mountain of Calamus (see inset), it occurred to me that gentleness
— and the other fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23
— may well be the very essence of flexibility. But there's a great
deal more to know. And like Grace and Glory in Hurnard's allegory, I realized
that the reeds have much to teach us about the eternal importance of flexibility
and why it must be a fragrance lingering among us in the church.
Submitting
Picture a reed bowing down gently, nearly caressing the ground before
it, submitting to the force of the wind. Now picture the love of Christ
(1 Corinthians 13) reaching out to welcome and accommodate those who may
be different or difficult. Flexibility seeks peace and pursues it (Psalm
34:14); it doesn't love only with words or tongue, but with actions and
in truth (1 John 3:18). Flexibility gives and cooperates and honors; it
reaches out to include and connect — not looking only to its own
interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4).
Yielding
Picture a reed bowing down backward, blown over by the force of the wind,
wanting to resist yet choosing to yield, awaiting the opportunity to lift
and rise once more. Now picture the mercy and forgiveness of Christ demonstrated
through believers who clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience; and who bear with the shortcomings of others
(Colossians 3:12-13). Flexibility yields to the idiosyncrasies and foibles
of the fainthearted, choosing instead to speak the truth in love and seek
the highest good.
Abiding
Picture a reed at rest, standing tall, its flowering top crowned with
beauty and brightness. Now picture a tree firmly planted by streams of
water, yielding its fruit in season (Psalm 1:3); or a branch abiding in
the vine — also bearing fruit, much fruit (John 15:5). The wisdom
that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate,
submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (James
3:17); and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs
1:7). Flexible people abide in Christ. And it is this abiding that allows
them to submit and yield, yet always to return to a position of rest,
of confidence, of strength. There — standing tall once again —
they lift their arms and voices in praise to an eternal God who loves
and guides them as they endure the challenges and difficulties of life
in the dust and dirt of the field.
The
Importance of Being Flexible
Inflexibility can be one of the biggest impediments to the growth and
fruitfulness of a healthy biblical community. Why would seekers desire
to become part of a group of people who want to label them and squeeze
them into a preset mold? Why would people struggling with addiction or
prejudice or shame want to be part of a group who refuses to acknowledge,
accept and minister to their struggles and pain? Unfortunately, without
flexibility, that's the way it is.
And while the saints in such an inflexible church might at first appear
to be flexible — stretching and twisting like a brand-new rubber
band — when the pulling subsides they don't quite return to that
nice, round shape you'd expect. Instead, they end up flimsy, sagging and
shapeless. The rubber is shot, and the rubber band is useful no longer.
Both seekers and members drift away.
"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being
saved and those who are perishing" (2 Corinthians 2:15). "We
have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16). And, like the reeds
on the Mountain of Calamus, we have the ability to be flexible. To submit.
To yield. To abide.
When we answer the call to do — and be — like those undulating
reeds, our flexibility becomes an alluring fragrance, an enduring aroma
that beckons us, and others, to draw nearer to God.
|
