The Path that lays no traps

The Bible is filled to overflowing with metaphors that describe God in all the ways we know God. This past Sunday I preached about the Holy Spirit and played with three of the most primal metaphors- fire, wind and water- each of which is used at one point or another to describe the Spirit's presence.

A few weeks ago I began rereading Augustine's Confessions. There hasn't been a year in recent memory where I haven't reread at least part of this great book. The Confessions and Dante's Divine Comedy are probably my two favorite books outside of scripture. Both are what Gary Wills has aptly described as theological books with autobiographical elements. They give vivid account of the human struggle with and journey into God. In the case of Augustine, the book is like a long prayer. The book is written as though we are overhearing a soul addressing God.

I reread both of these books because every time I return to them I find something new. Last week, I read a metaphor that I hadn't remembered. It comes early in the book as Augustine is looking back on some of the foolish decisions he had made as a young man- his decision to pursue a career as an orator at all costs, his devotion to astrology and the strange philosophy of Mani, his desires for adventure and sex. In the midst of these stories he addresses God longingly as 'the Path that lays no traps.'

I was struck by this metaphor. Jesus, in one of the famous verses in John, calls himself 'the way and the truth and the life.' (John 14:6) Because of this, the metaphor of Jesus as a way or a path was not new to me. What was new was the thought that he, and he only, lays no traps.

It is not bad to have ambitions, but ambitions can lay the trap of consuming our lives so that we have not time for the people we love. It is not bad to be intellectually curious and open, but our curiosity can trap us into believing or trusting in things that are false. It is not bad to desire adventures or even sex but these can easily leave us without roots or lead us to poor choices.

None of this is true with Jesus. If we give ourselves to a living relationship with him, who is God, there are no traps. We can trust God to have our best interests all the way through. This doesn't mean that there will be no pain or difficulty. It doesn't mean that we will always have a very full understanding of who we are following. I only receive this metaphor as an encouragement to return again and again throughout my bust day to my very best intention to follow Jesus. Like all of us, I think, I spend my days actively pursuing other paths- ambition, knowledge, friendship, even sex! And yet, I've come to learn that if I don't at least have the intention of returning again and again to Jesus, I fall into traps.

Boy, I am so grateful for these great minds and great souls who have lived faithful lives! We have inherited a bottomless tradition, worth many lifetimes of exploration.