Run For The Wall

A while back I ran across the above quotation by author Tolkien and it got me to thinking about the word "wander." Of course, the first thought it brought to my mind was in regards to my recent trip from California to Washington DC and back. One of the definitions of "wander" is to "roam aimlessly about" and that is not the definition that fit my trip. There's another definition of "wander" & that is; "to travel the open road." That's the one for me. The segment from California to DC was highly structured and organized. The return segment was up to me and it was there that I occasionally "roamed", but I always had a destination ahead in mind.

As you've probably guessed by now, we're going to discuss the term "wander" for a few moments and see if we can't apply this word and it's various definitions to a spiritual lesson today. The most common usage of the word "wander" indicates things like; "to roam, to rove, to deviate or to go astray." Sometimes it relates to a "slip or trip," a "stumble" or "to err."

I'd like to tell you about a few things that happened to me or in my presence as I made my journey across our country. Besides all of the welcoming parades in many of the towns we passed through with the school kids waving flags and the breakfasts, lunches and dinners provided us, I made note of some special things that got my attention.

As we traveled across country on our Run For The Wall, donations are collected for a fund that helps a school in a small mining town in West Virginia. One of the ways of bringing in funds is to hold what is called a 50-50 drawing wherein the donors have a chance of receiving 50 percent of the funds collected in a drawing. In Junction City, Kansas a 6 year old boy made a donation and was the winner of the drawing. He was awarded $50. His grandmother asked him, "Can you eat $50 worth of candy?" He looked at her and returned $40 to the fund.

Another thing that I learned while on this journey was the method I will use if I ever decide to move from where I now live. During a breakfast conversation with the wife of the Goodland, Kansas Chief of Police, we asked her if they had any "drive-by shootings" in their city. She replied, "What's that?" If I ever move I will determine my new home by the answer to that question and one other one: "Do they have a graffiti removal crew?"

As to the emotion producing events, I considered it a good day if I only cried 3 or 4 times. It's hard to say what affected me the most during the journey, but it's a toss up between the classes of school children waving flags and singing to us, older WW2 veterans standing alongside the road saluting as we passed or the one little girl with her grandmother standing on an overpass in the middle of nowhere, waving an American flag. Or, a Medal Of Honor recipient speaking to us at dinner in New Mexico, thanking us for making this journey to remind America of the sacrifices of all its veterans and citing the words of Romans 13:7 "...honor to whom honor is due."

I have to mention one other emotion evoking incident I happened to observe. On Friday night, at the Vietnam Memorial Wall, is a very moving ceremony. After the bagpipes and bugles had been put away, the light-sticks had stopped glowing and everyone was leaving, an elderly gentleman, having the appearance of a retired commanding officer, came up to the section of the wall near me, put his hand on the wall and said, "Good night, fellas."

Now let's take a look at how the word "wander" applies to a spiritual lesson. To do so we have to consider the other definitions of this word. You know, Christians are on a journey too. A journey through our lives on this earth. I've mentioned to you before of a line from a western movie where an old cowboy says, "We travel between the eternities." The gist of my lesson here is - how we travel between our eternities.

On our journey, do we spiritually "wander" as in; "roaming aimlessly about?" When we think of the "way" Christians are supposed to travel as described in Matt. 7:14 do we sometimes "deviate" or "go astray" from this path? Carrying that thought another step, when we "go astray" or "deviate" from the "narrow way," aren't we liable to "trip and stumble?" Keep in mind that this "way" that Christ was speaking of in Matthew 7 is Himself, as He explained in John 14:6 "I am the Way" and then amplifies this by telling us in John 14:23 that it is His words (commandments) that defines the "narrow" path that leads to an eternal home with The Father.

Mankind, including God's Children, have "wandered" off the path since the dawn of creation. A great example to look at is the Children of Israel having to "wander" (roam aimlessly about) in the wilderness for 40 years (Num. 32:13). Another one is found in Jer. 14:10 where the prophet says that Israel "loved to wander (go astray)" and if they did not return to God's "way" Jeremiah warns them that "He will not accept them" and that He will "remember their iniquity." If the same scenario fit us, then the same warning applies.

Or, as Solomon puts it: "The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead." (Prov. 21:16)

Yes, as human beings, we can "wander" during our lives as in "traveling the open road" and not be lost. But we can "spiritually wander" and, in opposition to the words of JRR Tolkien, all who do so "are lost." And if they do not find their way back to "The Way," they will be "eternally lost."

In closing, let's adopt the principle of the Psalmist where he says,

"With my whole heart have I sought Thee; O let me not wander from thy commandments." Psa. 119:10

Ron Covey