THE STORY OF THE RIVER

Dutch author Henri Nouwen wrote an article titled 'Moving from Solitude to Community, to Ministry', in which he included this story: The little river said, "I can become a big river." It worked hard, but there was a big rock. The river said, "I'm going to get around this rock." The little river pushed and pushed, and since it had a lot of strength, it got itself around the rock. Soon the river faced a big wall, and the river kept pushing this wall. Eventually, the river made a canyon and carved a way through. The growing river said, "I can do it. I can push it. I am not going to let down for anything." Then there was an enormous forest. The river said, "I'll go ahead anyway and just force these trees down." And the river did. The river, now powerful, stood on the edge of an enormous desert with the sun beating down. The river said, "I'm going to go through this desert." But the hot sand soon began to soak up the whole river. The river said, "Oh, no. I'm going to do it. I'm going to get myself through this desert." But the river soon had drained into the sand until it was only a small mud pool. Then the river heard a voice from above: "Just surrender. Let me lift you up. Let me take over." The river said, "Here I am." The sun then lifted up the river and made the river into a huge cloud. He carried the river right over the desert and let the cloud rain down and make the fields far away fruitful and rich. There is a moment in our life when we stand before the desert and want to do it ourselves, says Nouwen. But there is the Voice that comes, "Let go. Surrender. I will make you fruitful. Yes, trust Me. Give yourself to Me." What counts in your life and mine is not successes, but fruits. The fruits of your life you might not see yourself. The fruits of your life are born often in your pain and in your vulnerability and in your losses. The fruits of your life come only after the plow has carved through your land. God wants you to be fruitful. The question is not, "How much can I still do in the years that are left to me?" The question is, "How can I prepare myself for total surrender so that my life can be fruitful?" [Joel News]