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 By Rob Des Cotes
[other pieces By Rob Des Cotes]
Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of freshwater there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, The water is ours! So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land. Genesis 26:19-22
There are places in life where we belong and other places where we don't. It takes wisdom to know the difference and courage to move accordingly. Sometimes we have no choice but to learn to adapt to a situation that is ill-fitting. Other times God might use us to transform an environment into something that is more suitable for ourselves, and for others. But often, when we discern that a situation is not a good fit for us, we are simply called to move on until we find rest in a more hospitable landscape. This was certainly Isaac's experience of God's leading.
Jesus taught His disciples a similar means of discernment on another occasion.
In Matthew 10:11-14, Jesus sends His disciples to the surrounding villages to minister wherever they can. The Lord tells them, as they go from place to place, that they are to stay wherever their peace rests. If they find no peace in a town they are to take this as an obvious directive to move on. In other words, Jesus tells them that one of the ways they will discern God's direction in their pilgrimage is by the spirit of hospitality they encounter along their way.
This is similar to our passage from Genesis. Isaac's servants are sent to dig wells in a new land. It takes three attempts before they are finally able to stake a claim. In the first two attempts they are met with resistance from competing herdsmen who quarrel with the servants about ownership of the property.
The third hole, however, is dug without incident. Isaac gave names to each of these three wells and the names he chose for them can give us insight into a strategy of spiritual direction that might, on occasion, be worth considering.
Isaac named the first well Esek, a word which means dispute, and then left it unfinished. The second well he named Sitnah, meaning opposition,and again he left it in order to continue searching for God's leading. Isaac recognized the inhospitality of these first two attempts, named them as such, and then moved on. The third well, the place where his peace finally rested, he named Rehoboth, which means room.
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In his great joy at having finally found a place of rest and stability he stated confidently, 'Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.' Isaac recognized the hospitality of this environment as a confirmation of God's direction and as a promise of His further blessing.
These passages certainly resonate with some basic principles of spiritual direction. The presence of God's peace or disquiet within us can often be indicators of whether we belong somewhere or not, and there is wisdom in heeding the insights our experience offers us in these matters. Our souls can sense when we are trying to put a square peg into a round hole, and we should be careful that we are not stubbornly trying to force ourselves into situations we weren't made for.
Jesus told His disciples that they should remain in the places wheretheir peace rests. Where are those places in your life, or on your horizons at present? Are you in-between wells, meeting with opposition or disputes that are forcing you to continue searching for where you belong? What are the places or conditions of hospitality to which God is presently inviting you to take rest? Where is the Lord giving you room to flourish?It seems an important matter in spiritual direction that we be attentive to signs of hospitality and wait for peace to be firmly established, as we discern our way with God.
Rob Des Cotes is a spiritual director and pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He teaches Contemplative Traditions at Trinity Western University, as well as courses on spirituality and the arts at Carey Theological College and Columbia Bible College. Rob also directs Imago Dei (www.imagodeicommunity.ca) a network of faith communities that encourages the practice of prayer and a transforming relationship with God. Rob is a regular contributor to canadianchristianity.com. To obtain 'Higher than I' go to: www.clementspublishing.com
November 20/2008
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