This was such a lovely reflection! I find myself often torn on what it means to be rooted. On the one hand, I see the beauty, value and necessity for traditions and communal life. There is another sense in which I see how quickly such things can become idolatrous. Where tradition refuses to flex with the demands of what it means to love people in a changing world. Or other instances where people are so immeshed within a way of life that they subsequently become closed off to those who do not easily fit in with uniformity. And how do we reconcile being rooted when God could at any time call us to pick up and go? What if the conditions of our environment change beyond our control, and the fragile ecosystem that we are rooted in suddenly evaporates?
The takeaway for me, which you have reflected powerfully here, is that Christ is the firm foundation which we root ourselves into. We can withstand the fluidity of location, community, tradition, even cultural norms with grace and compassion if we are ultimately rooted in Christ's eternal love.
Thanks for this post. Very insightful! I felt like I followed along for your walk!
Ian, thank you for this thoughtful and reflective reply. I suppose working out how to strike these balances are some of the perennial questions of existence.
Thank you, Rachel, for taking me along on your walk. While my walks tend to be at sunrise, more than sunset, I also seem to hear echoes of conversations with Wendell Berry or William Blake or C. S. Lewis or T. S. Eliot running through my mind.
So, I would humbly suggest that if you had a dog as a companion, amongst all your encounters, you would be happily accepted and warmly received...and there's more than one dog who would love your company :-) Speaking as one who, while not wearing anything orange or crocheted, had the good grace to have such a companion...God put dogs on earth for a reason...and perhaps, that reason is us.
You might enjoy this song called St. Therese by The Stillwater Hobos (who are now The Hillbilly Thomists). I learned of it from Sara Dietz but was reminded of it after reading your reflection.
I've listened to The Hillbilly Thomists but haven't checked out their earlier work as The Stillwater Hobos. Thank you for the recommendation! Listening to it now, and adding to some of my regular playlists! 🎉
“The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world: but joy, pleasure, and merriment He has scattered broadcast. We are never safe, but we have plenty of fun, and some ecstasy. It is not hard to see why. The security we crave would teach us to rest our hearts in this world and oppose an obstacle to our return to God: a few moments of happy love, a landscape, a symphony, a merry meeting with friends, a bathe or a football match, have no such tendency. Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.” - C.S. Lewis, "The Problem of Pain"
This was such a lovely reflection! I find myself often torn on what it means to be rooted. On the one hand, I see the beauty, value and necessity for traditions and communal life. There is another sense in which I see how quickly such things can become idolatrous. Where tradition refuses to flex with the demands of what it means to love people in a changing world. Or other instances where people are so immeshed within a way of life that they subsequently become closed off to those who do not easily fit in with uniformity. And how do we reconcile being rooted when God could at any time call us to pick up and go? What if the conditions of our environment change beyond our control, and the fragile ecosystem that we are rooted in suddenly evaporates?
The takeaway for me, which you have reflected powerfully here, is that Christ is the firm foundation which we root ourselves into. We can withstand the fluidity of location, community, tradition, even cultural norms with grace and compassion if we are ultimately rooted in Christ's eternal love.
Thanks for this post. Very insightful! I felt like I followed along for your walk!
Ian, thank you for this thoughtful and reflective reply. I suppose working out how to strike these balances are some of the perennial questions of existence.
Thank you, Rachel, for taking me along on your walk. While my walks tend to be at sunrise, more than sunset, I also seem to hear echoes of conversations with Wendell Berry or William Blake or C. S. Lewis or T. S. Eliot running through my mind.
You're welcome! I'm so glad you could come along for my musings!
So, I would humbly suggest that if you had a dog as a companion, amongst all your encounters, you would be happily accepted and warmly received...and there's more than one dog who would love your company :-) Speaking as one who, while not wearing anything orange or crocheted, had the good grace to have such a companion...God put dogs on earth for a reason...and perhaps, that reason is us.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this Rachel. I felt like I was walking with you, seeing the sights and delighting in the view. Lovely.
Thank you, Ishah!
You might enjoy this song called St. Therese by The Stillwater Hobos (who are now The Hillbilly Thomists). I learned of it from Sara Dietz but was reminded of it after reading your reflection.
https://youtu.be/BnOLNDDvmxw?si=qpgSC8Epgr-CojD-
I've listened to The Hillbilly Thomists but haven't checked out their earlier work as The Stillwater Hobos. Thank you for the recommendation! Listening to it now, and adding to some of my regular playlists! 🎉
Rach, you failed at being a Cdom grad if you've never listened to the Stillwater Hobos.
“The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world: but joy, pleasure, and merriment He has scattered broadcast. We are never safe, but we have plenty of fun, and some ecstasy. It is not hard to see why. The security we crave would teach us to rest our hearts in this world and oppose an obstacle to our return to God: a few moments of happy love, a landscape, a symphony, a merry meeting with friends, a bathe or a football match, have no such tendency. Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.” - C.S. Lewis, "The Problem of Pain"
Such a perfect quote to summarize my sentiments. Thank you for sharing, Keith!