Walking in the mud, sensing spring

I had never heard of “mud season” before I moved to New England. When the phrase was introduced to me, it came out of people’s mouths more like swear words than anything else. It’s that in-between season when our feet are stuck in the mud left behind from winter, while the slowly warming (than suddenly back to freezing!) temperatures tease us into thinking spring might really be here.

Standing in the mud’s not all bad, though. Feels kind of squishy-cool between your toes. You just don’t want to be stuck in it for too long, don’t want to be held back when new life seems to be bursting out around you.

Sensing new life on it's way can be thrilling… but what if you can’t get there? What if you feel like something’s got a leash around your neck, keeping you from moving on? Not fun.

Or sometimes you see others who seem to be stuck in one place when you’ve stepped beyond that. You can’t pull them along. They’ve got to step out of the mud themselves. It takes patience and creative tantalizing, being who you are and allowing them to do the same, but giving them a peek into something else, something spring-y.

There was a time when God’s people of old were on the verge of stepping into a new life. God had rescued them from being enslaved by the plantation owners of Egypt. They’d been slaves for so long that it was going to take some time to learn anything else. Led and fed by God, they lived as nomads in the dusty, muddy wilderness lands, slowly learning how to be God’s freed people.

The time came to step into the next level, to stop wandering around and to start gardening the earth, putting down roots and creating a new way of life. It was a big step to take. Their leader, named Joshua, had all kinds of instructions from God on how to lead the people into this new life. Sprinkled throughout these instructions were the refraining words: “Be strong and courageous.” Here’s one of those times:

Haven't I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don't be timid; don't get discouraged! For the Lord your God is with you with every step you take. (Joshua 1:9)

Obviously, it wasn’t going to be easy. Otherwise God would have said something like: Go have a blast! It’s party time now that you’re on your own. I’m sure you’ll do just fine!”

Be strong and courageous. Every day can be a day to step out and see where God is leading you. It’s not ever easy. And when you’re feeling weak and fearful instead, God, the one who is with you wherever you go, will be strong and courageous beside you, for you, with you.

This Thursday 7pm, at btw’s space at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua, we’ll be taking these ideas into reality, exploring how it is that God keeps that promise to be with us, to infuse us with that courage. Please come if you can. And feel free to come back here to the blog on Friday for a re-cap.

In the meantime…

God, it stinks to be enslaved, to be wandering for too long, to be stuck in any kind of muck. But it’s also hard to be on our own. Walk with us through the ups and downs, and fill us with confidence in you.

~ Kari Henkelmann Keyl