The Deep and the Undertow

by Lynn Anderson

    His scrape with disaster began as a beautiful deep-sea diving experience. Ronnie plunged off the reef and swam downward toward the stillness and wonder of the deep, leaving the frothy, noisy surface far behind. Then, what felt like an extra burst of energy flooded him, making his descent seem effortless. Till he realized he was in the grip of a powerful undercurrent that spun him, smacking him against boulders and raking him across sharp coral. Losing his oxygen tube Ronnie fought in panic, not sure of up and down till finally, totally spent, he surrendered to the inevitable. Just then the undertow threw him to the surface, and washed him landward where he lay gasping in the shallows on the reef. Safe. Secure. But.... Ronnie had missed the wonder of the deep.

    This can also happen to our longing for the depths of God. Unintentionally, of course, not deliberately. We dive beneath the surface of life, drawn toward the heart of God. Then some sort of deceptive undertow creeps round us, mingling with our hunger for God, even appearing, at first, to be carrying us toward the deep. But if we are not vigilant, the undertow may subtly betray us at first, but once in it's grasp, powerfully sweeping us away from the depths, tumbling us across deadly reefs and finally washing us up again into the shallows, defeated and exhausted.

    Spiritual movements often drift here: As Calvin Miller says, "Institutions (and most were established to do noble and sacrificial service in obedience to God as they understood Him) degenerate at last into little more than ladders of egoistic advancement."

    Genuinely God hungry persons can wash up here as well. In fact, no one walks in greater spiritual peril than those who presume to lead God's people. As Catherine of Siena saw it:

"The Church leaders of her day lived shackled to luxury. They were ignorant of Latin and so could not perform sensible masses. They were barons of power, with nothing but empty lives and weak preaching to define their competitive, non-compassionate lives. Their service to God was hurried and pretended."

    So my prayer for 2001 is: Depth and Peace, Oh Lord. Please lead us deeper. Ah! But how the undertow often mingles itself with a hunger for the depths. And I find myself flailing conspicuously on the frothy surface of religious activism, rather than running deep. You have always known, Oh Lord, what others are slower to see, that I so easily drift toward the shallows, seeking stimulation and approval. O Lord Jesus, you so deftly probe the secret places of my heart. Especially so that long ago day when you breathed, "how can you believe if you receive glory from one another, but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God." (Jno. 5:44)

    Help me finish strong, Oh Lord. Grant that the secret places of my heart grow incrementally more authentic with the passing days. May the last quarter of my life be by far the best. You have "begun a good work in me." I beseech You, please "bring it to completion." Depth and Peace. Amen

Posted: 02/14/2001
URL: http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200102/20010214_undertow.html

(C) 2001, Lynn Anderson. Used by permission." -->

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