Streams of Comfort

What I have written this week references 1 Peter 5:8. Where Peter tells believers that have been dispersed to various places to “Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” His use of the term sober minded equates to being alert and watchful. As we journey through our day to day we face attacks from the enemy and the darkness of this world. I sometimes find myself leaning toward having a distracted mind so I do not have to see or address the dark reality. Even though I know that my sustainment and joy is found in Jesus. I pray as you read, you are reminded to look to Jesus. Who shines light in the darkness and is your place of safety.

“I don’t think I like it when my mind is sober,
As life becomes quite unpleasant,”
I curl my toes into the coarse sand,
And watch the waves of the ocean crash and roll into each other,
Just a few feet in front of where we sit on the sand,
The salt water is both murky and dark.
I continue my thought,
“It feels like my wings are clipped,
And I can no longer fly away to a safer place.”
“A sober mind does that?” my friend says thoughtfully,
I turn my eyes to him where he lays with his back on the sand,
His clear eyes staring up at the blue sky.
“Where are you trying to fly off to?” he asks nonchalantly.
I sigh,
“Does it matter where I want to fly off to?
What matters is that I see what I wish I could not,”
He nods in understanding.
“Does seeing what you would rather not see cloud your vision?”
I furrow my eyebrows as I think about his question.
“Well I guess it’s actually the opposite,
The only reason I see what I would rather not is because of clear vision,
And it’s extremely uncomfortable.”
A small smile forms on his lips,
“Isn’t it hard to fly anywhere if you cannot see?”
His words cause me to grow silent,
The only sound remaining comes from the waves crashing in front us.
“Clear eyes,” he says softly,
“That’s the only way to fly to a safer place,”
I say nothing as I lay down on the sand next to him,
And look up into the blue sky as he is,
Searching for what he sees with his eyes.
A flock of birds come into view,
And I watch them fly across the sky in formation,
“Where is the safe place you fly off to?”
I ask, finally breaking the silence,
“With your clear vision I mean.”
I hear contentment in his voice as he replies,
“Wherever Jesus is.”
And I feel my perspective begin to shift a little,
As I think that maybe having a sober mind isn’t so bad after all.