People respond to life differently.

Some respond like a wild fire. They move in every direction overtaking everything, leaving only ash in their wake. They simple live erratically, jumping from one consumable thing to the next. Whichever way the wind blows that's the way they go; whatever the popular fad, philosophy, or opinion might be at the moment. Their emotions smolder and then torch into raging storms that make them fearless and many powerful. All in all a perceived excitement and robust energy in "fiery" lives turns out to be only a flash in the pan. Character is eventually extinguished with everything else.

Others respond like a river. They flow in one direction by a force greater than themselves. They are going somewhere, disciplined by principles that act like tall banks protecting their integrity and creating deep currents that are undeterred. The content of their lives grows stronger with each storm. Whatever is in the way never gets in the way for it is circumvented, embraced or dissolved. Their emotions become a rhythm of ebbing and flowing with the terrain without ever losing focus on what powers them forward to their destination. This truth in the “flowing” life brings blessing all along the way.

© 2008 Lawrence O. Harper