Knowing Stuff
/“God, I am your servant; give me discernment so I may tread carefully in the world and understand your ways” -Psalm 119
One day while we were on vacation, Clivie and I were climbing around on rocks at Utah’s magnificent Dead Horse Point State Park. Clivie makes me nervous climbing on rocks because he climbs higher than I think he should and manages to get into places he has to figure out how to get down from. One way I have coped with my parental anxiety is to climb around with him- at least to a place where I can see what he is doing, encourage him, and give directions.
We climbed up to one of the overlooks and a twenty something year old hiker asked if I would take her photo. (A common occurrence in beautiful places). I did so, and she then offered to take a photo of me. We chatted for a while. She was traveling alone from North Carolina- trying to clear her head after a challenging breakup. I told her I was a Minister from California, on vacation trying to find the ground and fend off my exhaustion during the pandemic. She nodded, and laughed as she handed my smartphone back and said “It is so cool to see a Grandma climbing around up here!”
I started to correct her about the “Grandma” part. People often mistake me for Clivie’s Grandma. I did choose to enter parenting later in my life and I usually don’t correct the observation. But it triggered me because I had also been noticing my age on this trip. I was leaning more on my walking stick for balance, wearing a knee sleeve (like Dr. K has asked me to- Because we need to “keep an eye on that knee.”). I was also noticing the heat more, and had been treading more carefully while hiking, telling myself “maybe not today” on a couple of slickrock trails with sheer drop-offs that I would have scrambled up without thinking much about it when I was younger.
But Clivie piped in matter of factly during my silence, “Mommy might be old. But she knows stuff.”
It is true isn’t it. As we journey... As we age with the help of God. We hopefully learn and know more stuff. Our Scripture Seekers Bible Study has talked a lot about “authority” in our work together. We have asked the question- To what do we give the most authority in our lives? The Scriptures, Jesus, God, Country, Family, Tradition -all are options we draw on. Our relationship with the Divine should always be high on the list. But another authority we should let guide our lives in tandem with the Holy- is our personal life experience and knowledge of our present moment strengths and limitations. This is the stuff of the spiritual practice of discernment- the art of “treading carefully” on the journey as the Psalmist writes, so we can walk in wisdom and understand God’s ways.
What stuff do you know where you/we are standing (with the help of God)? What is it time to jettison as you/we look out over the vista in the high place you/we have climbed? What trails suit you/us at this point? Where are you/we treading wisely? Where is that not happening so much? What gifts and limitations are you/we carrying around in our packs (aka: collective wisdom) that will need to inform our journey?
It is great to be home! And I look forward embracing our journey together in coming months no matter what climbs, descents, rest stops, and unmarked trails we decide to navigate (or have to navigate) together. May streams of living water rain down on all of our heads. And may we-with the help of God- remember the stuff that we know and the wisdom we carry together.
Much Love and many Blessings. Rev. Jeanne
