March 31: On Discernment of Thoughts
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♫ Music:
Day 35 - Tuesday, March 31
Rung #26: ON DISCERNMENT OF THOUGHTS
Scriptures: Hosea 14: 9; Phillippians 1: 9-10; I Thessalonians 5:21-22
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them.
For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
Poetry:
The Hold-fast
by George Herbert
I threaten'd to observe the strict decree
Of my dear God with all my power and might;
But I was told by one it could not be;
Yet I might trust in God to be my light.
"Then will I trust," said I, "in Him alone."
"Nay, e'en to trust in Him was also His:
We must confess that nothing is our own."
"Then I confess that He my succour is."
"But to have nought is ours, not to confess
That we have nought." I stood amaz'd at this,
Much troubled, till I heard a friend express
That all things were more ours by being His;
What Adam had, and forfeited for all,
Christ keepeth now, who cannot fail or fall.
ON DISCERNMENT OF THOUGHTS
When I was a girl, my family and I lived a short drive from the beautiful Monterey Bay. On one particular Sunday, we decided to go tide-pool wading spontaneously. We were not dressed for this occasion, since we were all dressed for church. Nevertheless, we started navigating the slippery rocks covered in moss, as the waves were crashing in. My father led, while my sister and I followed close behind. We came upon an area that was too wide to cross for my sister and I to step without falling. So, my father proceeded to stand on two rocks over the gap, giving my sister and I his hand for support so we could cross safely. Although hesitant at first, I was able to make it over with ease. My sister however, looked at the incoming waves, the width of the gap, and the slippery rocks. She grew fearful and distrusted my father’s support. When she tried to jump over, she ended up slipping, and dragged my father down with her into the water.
How often do we find ourselves in a position like my sister? Are we fearful of what is to come? Do we forget, to trust in the One that holds the world in the palm of His hand?
Trust becomes something that most people put at the back burner of their minds; we don’t think we need to worry that we trust in God, but then the trials come.
I have found that in times of looking to the Lord for guidance, I often distract myself with fear. When fear highlights my thoughts, I lose the ability to trust God and as a consequence of that, His leading. Oftentimes in order to better discern and follow the Lord’s way, we must place our trust in Him, instead of focusing on our fears.
The artwork for today, Vertical Desire, illustrates this concept beautifully. If we focus on things down the ladder, the fears that weigh us down heavily affect how we build the ladder. So, how do we build the ladder? We have to turn and leave the fear behind, and look upwards towards the Lord. Looking up to the Lord and trusting the path that He has already set before us gives us a framework for how we should walk with Him.
If we fail to commit our focus or fail to recognize the one who is in control, the one who holds “all things,” how can we as people be able to know what is excellent and know what is good? How are we to ultimately be able to follow the Lord? A wise man puts His trust in God, in that he may be able to better follow the straight and narrow path. We must continue to pray that we have the courage and boldness to do so, especially in these trying and difficult times.
Prayer:
Lord, let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Amen
~ Ps. 143:8
Ashley Yukihiro
Laboratory Supervisor
Department of Biological Sciences
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, poetry, and devotional writer selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab To learn more about the themes of this year’s Lent Project, please go to: https://ccca.biola.edu/lent/2020/#day-feb-25
About the Art:
Vertical Desire
David Robinson
2007, Edition of 12
Bronze, steel
41” x 20” x 24”
Vertical Desire presents us with a lone nude figure standing on a landing midway up a staircase that twists and turns upward in open air. He stands as if at the edge of a precipice, at a point of indecision, holding a ladder and looking down to an empty abyss, his back turned to the next flight of stairs headed upward. The staircase, which appears to be suspended in open air with no clear end, is strangely secured by what looks like a weight hanging down like a plumb line, descending from some unseen place above. It is a profound image of the spiritual life that requires persistence and faith in things unseen, with no shortcuts lest we find ourselves turning back from the ascent. For a pairing with a wonderful poem title “Missing God” by David O’Driscoll go to: https://www.artway.eu/artway.php?id=1051&lang=en&action=show&type=art_poetry
About the Artist:
David Robinson (b. 1964) is a contemporary figurative sculptor based in Vancouver, Canada. Robinson's striking sculptures incorporate a variety of materials ranging from bronze, steel, and silver to concrete, mirror and paper. While his oeuvre is the figure, he often adds psychological and mythological twists to his subjects by situating them in environments that speak to the inherent tensions of human life. Robinson has a deep reverence for imagery and symbolism, and this, combined with his remarkable skill, allows the viewer to surmise and discover the allegorical through contemporary form.
https://www.robinsonstudio.com/
About the Music:
“Trouble on My Mind” from the album The Way Is Read
The Lyrics:
Trouble on my mind
Trouble on my mind
Trouble on my mind once again
I feel it all the time
I feel it all the time
It's trouble on my mind once again
And you know it when it comes and goes in a way
Leaves you balancing
Could it be a moment golden
I wanna wanna why I never know it's happening
And there's trouble on my mind
Trouble on my mind
Trouble on my mind once again
And you know it when it holds you under away
Cold and dying
Moving in reverse slow motion
I feel it's in my skin, oh, it's in a part of me
Trouble on my mind
Trouble on my mind
It's trouble on my mind once again
About the Composers/Lyricists/Performers:
The Staves are an English Indie Folk trio of sisters Jessica, Camilla, and Emily Staveley-Taylor. In 2012, the Staves toured the United States while supporting The Civil Wars, an American musical duo. They followed with performances at South by Southwest and with Bear's Den, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Ben Howard. In addition they have toured with Bon Iver and produced “If I Was” with Justin Vernon. On 24 November 2017, The Staves released The Way is Read − a full-length album created in conjunction with NYC-based chamber music ensemble yMusic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Staves
https://www.thestaves.com/
About the Performers:
yMusic is a sextet chamber ensemble from New York City. Consisting of a trumpet, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, and cello, the group was formed in Brooklyn in 2008 by trumpeter C.J. Camerieri and violinist Rob Moose. The ensemble has released three studio albums of original compositions written for the group and has toured extensively with artists such as José González, Bon Iver, and Paul Simon. In 2015 yMusic collaborated with Ben Folds on his album So There and toured with him in support. yMusic made their Carnegie Hall debut in 2016, premiering a piece by Caroline Shaw and one by Chris Thile. The ensemble performs with The Staves on that group's 2017 release The Way Is Read.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMusic
About the Poet:
George Herbert (1593-1633) was a Welsh-born English poet, orator, and Anglican priest. Herbert’s poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets and he is recognized as “a pivotal figure: enormously popular, deeply and broadly influential, and arguably the most skillful and important British devotional lyricist.” He was born into an artistic and wealthy family and largely raised in England. He received his education at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1609. He went there with the intention of becoming a priest, but he became the University's Public Orator and attracted the attention of King James I. He served in the Parliament of England in 1624 and briefly in 1625. After the death of King James I, Herbert gave up his secular ambitions and took holy orders in the Church of England, spending the rest of his life as the rector of St Andrew's Church in Salisbury. Throughout his life, Herbert wrote Christian poetry with a precision of language and a masterful use of imagery. Some of Herbert’s poems have been turned into hymns and are still in use today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Herbert
About the Devotion Writer:
Ashley Yukihiro
Laboratory Supervisor
Department of Biological Sciences
Biola University
Ashley Yukihiro is an alumna of Biola University (2019). She is currently juggling her job as Biology Lab Supervisor while studying in the Philosophy program at Talbot School of Theology. She deeply desires to care for people well while pursuing the truth.