Build Upon the Boulders

This past weekend, my husband and I visited Quebec City in Canada. Living in the Northeast it is not too far a drive to our neighbors in the north. Walking through Old Quebec City is fantastic. It is such a lovely place with the best views of the St Lawrence River, fascinating history of the English and French, delicious food and a very European feeling about the walled city.

We stayed in a neighborhood just outside the UNESCO world heritage assigned city (the only fortified walled city in North America, north of Mexico). Walking from the lower old part of Quebec City to the upper part- we came across this retaining wall. So much of the city one either has to trod steep inclines or ascend multiple (and I mean multiple) steps. When we were walking back to our airbnb I noticed the above. I was astonished. Because of the incredible boulders and rock structure there was probably no way or reason to move it. There were so many places that looked like that- structures or outcroppings on boulders. (One of the many reasons Samuel de Champlain chose the city’s location in addition to being “where the river narrows” meaning “Quebec” in Algonquin.)

So what to do? They simply just built around and on top of it. We also saw this same system on a smaller scale- there was a wooden fence surrounding a back yard. But in looking at the bottom of the fence where the structure would’ve met the ground, the fence was all cut out in half-moons and irregular shapes in order to meet the boulders that were lining the bottom.

It made me think of the adages- when life gives your lemons, make lemonade. Or, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. We could add another one: when boulders stand in your way, just build on top.

All of us have hard rocky places in our lives. I think of loved ones who seem to have insurmountable boulders: health issues, job insecurity, financial problems, squelched plans and dreams. Situations that seem impenetrable, overwhelming, unconquerable and hopeless.

But are they?

Samuel de Champlain and Jacques Cartier before him, conquered the cliffs of Quebec, not by force but by befriending the indigenous tribes that were there. Even subsequent “conquerers” couldn’t do much with the natural fortification of the area. They and future generations had to work with what they had.

So too with the boulders in our paths, whether they are physical, emotional, spiritual or psychological- While there may be no other way to remove the obstacle, is there something that can be added to the boulder? Something that can be embraced- like a new attitude or a different dream?

God may be providing boulders, not to trip us up but to give us a bedrock on which to stand. How much more credible are we, in our sharing life with others, when we have also experienced difficulties. I think of the New Testament Apostle Paul. He had a burden in his life for which he prayed to be removed. We do not know what was his problem but we do know from his writings that it bothered him. He wanted it completely removed from his life. But it was not to be.

His description and testimony of living with the “thorn in his side”, inspired and still inspires, future generations to move along in life and not be roadblocked by this boulder. He demonstrated how to live in the face of his ongoing struggle- with gratitude, thanksgiving, and prayer.

What about you? Are you facing an insurmountable cliff in your life? Is there some way you can “embrace it” rather than allowing it to paralyze your next steps? Not ignoring the difficulties, but rather incorporating it in your journey?

The thing about cliffs- the view from the top is spectacular.

Standing near the original trading post in the upper part of Old Quebec, overlooking the St. Lawrence.

Knots

Monkey’s Paw. A useful and beautiful doorstop.

Recently I was doing my spring cleaning. Part of it entails washing windows and curtains. I had some valences in my office that I had added some seashells to dangle along with the fabric. The shells were attached to the tab hangers by a thin filament thread. As I hand wash the curtains I thought that I did not need to remove the filament nor the shells.

As I should’ve realized if I thought ahead, the thread would get completely tangled. And it did. I tried many different ways to untangle but to no avail. I eventually had to cut all the threads and remove the shells. Actually, I now like the look better without the seashells.

As I was working through the knots I thought what a good analogy about life: we will encounter tangles and knots in our lives. Many times they come upon us unaware. Or they happen due to our lack of thought. There are many types of techniques to untangle knots as well as ways to handle difficult life situations. Regardless of how we do it, we must be patient as we work out our entanglements.

Sometimes we need to calmly lay the knot out and back track the way it was woven. Other times we need to walk away from the knot, take a break and come back later when we are refreshed. When I was younger and I encountered a knot, I would ask my mother to help me. She was very patient in pulling the threads apart and trying to see the pattern of the entanglement. Sometimes we would have to get a needle or something slender to push through the knot in order to help loosen it. At the last resort, we might have to just “cut out the bloomin’ threads” and start again.

When I have encountered difficulty, I can start panicking and thinking that my situation will never get better. I can feel the tightening of anxiety and the grip of hopelessness. I need to remember that if I calmly look at the problem, I may be able to backtrack to where things began. Or I could ask for help from someone more experienced with the situation. I might need a tool or technique to help me handle the problem. At other times, I may need to cut my losses and get rid of the problem so that I can go forward.

What about you? What are some knots in your life? Are they getting tighter? What can you do to loosen them? Need to back off? Retreat? Ask for assistance? Learn some strategies? Cut the tangle out?

The thing about knots- they can be quite lovely. We have a couple of how-to books on knot tying. Most of the knots are tied for some type of practical purpose- hauling, supporting or attaching, But sometimes the knots are purely decorative. While the monkey’s paws (picture above) was originally intended to be the weight at the end of a line so that it would be easier to toss, nowadays it is mostly decorative. I have seen them used as key chains, cuff links, drawer pulls, lamps, doorstops, bookends.

Perhaps instead of thinking of knots as a major problem, we should think of our knots as decorative challenges.

Bad News

What do you do when you hear bad news?  Cry?  Stomp your feet?  Give up? Shake your fist at God? Automatically counter with good news? Hide behind busy-ness?  Numb yourself with alcohol or pills? Refuse to listen? Deny that anything is happening? 

Some days it seems as if every where you turn, everyone has bad or sad news. Life is tough and it doesn't get any easier with age. Probably it is statistical in nature- the more years you live, the more people you encounter and the more problems you witness. 

Some days I want to cry out to the universe - "Enough already!  Do we have to have all this sorrow and angst in the world? Can't something good happen spontaneously?"

Generally in those moments I don't get any response. It is for me an exercise to blow off steam and to realize that is just how life is at the moment.  

With every situation of bad news, there can be an analysis: Could something have been prevented?  Was this a case of poor choices?  Did the person not seek help earlier?  The list can go on and on.  Many times, the bottom line is that the situation is horrible.  There was/is nothing that could/should have been done.  And it stinks.

I have also come to the realization that I might question God and wonder what the heck is He doing but ultimately in my soul I know that He is in control.  As much as I may rally against Him at times, I know that He is patiently loving me as I cry out in anguish. 

I think of stories in the Bible when there was horrible news and horrible situations for individuals yet God was right there for His people.  I am sure the moments when Daniel was condemned to the lion's den or his friends to the fiery furnace there was some fist shaking at God from family members.  Or  the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and all the terrible encounters (Potiphar's wife's  accusation and then sitting in jail for years) he had to face. By all accounts Joseph did nothing to cause the problems that occurred in his life.   There may have been a "why me?" thought from Joseph but we never see that.  He recognizes that even though his brothers might have meant harm, God used that situation for good.  Ultimately in all the troubles and trials of the Bible characters, God's plans were accomplished.

While I do find comfort in knowing that God is in control, my heart goes out to those experiencing difficulties.  Words of encouragement for them can be hollow and seemingly pat.  I realize that in my heart I need to pray for them and their situation and pray that my words, if I share them, may be what they need to hear at the time. I know that when I go through tough times it is comfort to have the presence and concern of people who care. 

What about you?  Who can you comfort by your presence and prayerful words?  Are you going through a rough patch?  Is there any way you can view your situation with the lens of perspective?  Or do you need time to just be in your situation and to give yourself permission to cry out to God and tell Him that the situation stinks. Bad news is as it sounds- bad.  But it won't always be that way and that is good news.