Interpretation of Psalm 1

Psalm 1

We like to say there are many paths and many ways, and while that may be true, not all paths lead to life. Some paths lead us away from God, away from the treasure of our own true selves, away from who we were created to be.

To find the right path we cannot listen to those with malicious intent, we cannot follow those who are corrupted by greed and selfishness.  The right path is not found by mocking the faith of saints or the words of prophets.  

Some will heap scorn on you for believing, but the path that God gives is the path that leads to life. On this path you learn the holy ways of God. As you learn to walk in God’s way the Spirit of Life plants you by streams of living water and makes your life fruitful and beautiful to behold.  You are blessed to be a blessing through all the seasons of your life.  

The alternative is to be like those who have no roots and no purpose in life.  Such people are blown away when the winds come.  They will not hear the words, “well done my good and faithful servant.”      

There are many paths, as many paths as there are people, but only one choice that matters.  There is only one choice that leads to a blessed life:  Will we choose to love God and seek the unique path that God lays out that only we can walk?  Or will we choose the dead end street of wearing masks and trying to conform to human ideas of who we should be?  Will we seek the treasure of our own true selves and use that treasure to bless the world God loves? 

 

This is the beginning of a New Year.  It is also my very first blog post.  I wandered along with the dog and wondered what I would blog about.  What would my focus be?  This title came to mind,  "Redemptive fiction, psalms, stories and whatnot."  Pretty broad.  There is room for the awesome pancake recipe that is good for diabetics with heart disease.  There is room to share some Psalms paraphrased in modern language.  I can ramble on about the latest movie watched or a book read.

Most of the movies and books that touch us deeply have a redemptive theme.  I watched three movies over the Christmas season: The Hobbit, the Hunger Games, and the Book Thief.  Each of these movies had the theme of characters making a sacrifice for the good of others.  Bilbo goes on a quest to help the dwarves regain their home from an evil dragon.  Katniss is willing to die for her sister when she takes her place in the hunger games.  Then she is willing to give her life so that Peeta might live. In the Book Thief several characters make a sacrifice for the sake of others.  Rosa and Hans hide the Jew Max Vandenburg and share their very limited rations with him. "I've nearly starved us to feed him," Rosa says "I am not going to see him die now."  Max chooses to leave their home when it becomes too dangerous for them to hide him. And Liesel is determined to remember her friend Max always, when fond remembrance of a Jewish friend is a subversive act.

Redemptive fiction is fiction I care about.  It is fiction worth writing and blogging about.  Redemptive fiction inspires us to live lives that matter and make a difference in the world.