Fluidity and flexibility are necessary in managing expectations, I know that full-well! But when it comes to solid decisions, fluidity harms our stability. We slip in and out of places without anyone noticing. There is no finality to anything, except death, and we are all trying to avoid that all costs. Few people want to stand firm on a rock. I know, I was once that person.
We prefer the soft sand squished between our toes. It moves back and forth with the tide. We can dance fluidly here, but it also brings sharp shells and uneven surfaces that confuse and contradict our reality. Eventually we virtually exist and swallow all manner of materials being pushed at us by the waves.
Concrete decisions, on the other hand, feel formal and constrictive, so we jump on a slip & slide instead. We slip in and out of relationships without really making intentions clear. We slide in and out of religions claiming they all lead to the same place. We slip and slide into identities at any time-- never really knowing who is whom, up or down, right or wrong, man or beast. Everything is acceptable even that which was once detestable.
Deciding to stand on the Rock, does not mean you abuse, condemn, or offend those slipping in the sand. Rather, you make a decision once. Then you don't have to keep asking yourself what to decide later. When life becomes emotional, confusing, or unsteady, that Rock on which you stand will never shake or shift. Your certainty and safety are assured, and your peace will lead others to ask about how to get on such a stable foundation when the rains arrive.
When you live on shifting sand, it only feels good on sunny days. The first cloud rolls in, the winds pick up and that once-soft sand begins to pound your shins. It moves up to your thighs, and finally your eyes are stinging and blinded by tiny shells and rocks sharp as glass. Your joy turns to pain. A new hatred of the sand emerges. You want to escape and move to higher, more solid ground.
You hear murmurs of a mountain that withstands all types of weather, terrain and manipulation. This mountain of transfiguration will transform you. You'll never want to leave. God meets you there, cleaning your battered body, comforting your tired soul, and cleansing your mind from the spiral of cluttered thoughts.
Once the respite settles your very being, you make a definitive choice to live on that mountain. You never fear another storm, and you put your own little light in the window, helping guide others away from the dangerous sands. You live forever on the unchanging Rock above the beautiful mess of the ocean floor.
"Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress." (Psalm 71:3)
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