I am struck reading this by the words of the prophet Jeremiah:
"Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon: Build ye houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city, whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in peace thereof shall ye have peace."
Regardless of the state of affairs we find ourselves and our culture in, and regardless of our feelings on this state of affairs, we are called, nevertheless, to grow where we are planted, and to do what small good we can with what we are given. Dreaming of how Babylon might be bettered may inform and guide our own action, but when we cease to do this and instead develop an obsessive need to return to our own ideal Jerusalem through sheer force of our will, then we have turned aside from our journey toward the truth and become lost in the Shadowed Forest. I am so thankful for this reminder as I make my own journey in a world given to enmity and hatred of our brothers and sisters.
I am struck reading this by the words of the prophet Jeremiah:
"Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon: Build ye houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city, whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in peace thereof shall ye have peace."
Regardless of the state of affairs we find ourselves and our culture in, and regardless of our feelings on this state of affairs, we are called, nevertheless, to grow where we are planted, and to do what small good we can with what we are given. Dreaming of how Babylon might be bettered may inform and guide our own action, but when we cease to do this and instead develop an obsessive need to return to our own ideal Jerusalem through sheer force of our will, then we have turned aside from our journey toward the truth and become lost in the Shadowed Forest. I am so thankful for this reminder as I make my own journey in a world given to enmity and hatred of our brothers and sisters.
This is profound. Thanks for sharing!