Holding on

Progress.

Growth.

How much has been cast aside in pursuit of the bigger and better? And what truths have fallen victim to these stampeding giants?

What if our perspective on progress and growth became distorted somewhere along the way?

What happens as a tree grows? It becomes more stable. I drove by some newly planted trees this week, and one of the giveaways they were new was they had to be supported by stakes. Trees surely grow and branch out and cover more area than might be imagined looking at a sapling, but as they grow their roots take hold and their trunks gain stability.

Or watch a child grow from its wobbly first steps to the solid paces of maturity.

Supporting progress and growth that will last and endure is a holding on. Supporting the new is the stability of an old that has been tested and can endure these tests.

I often have situations bring a scene from Narnia to mind, and this is no exception. In Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis, Trufflehunter the Badger has this to say:

"Don't you go talking about things you don't understand, Nikabrik," said Trufflehunter. "You Dwarfs are as forgetful and changeable as the Humans themselves. I'm a beast, I am, and a Badger what's more. We don't change. We hold on. I say great good will come of it. This is the true King of Narnia we've got here: a true King, coming back to true Narnia. And we beasts remember, even if Dwarfs forget, that Narnia was never right except when a son of Adam was King."

 Narnia had lost faith. The men were superstitious and cruel. The Dwarfs were mistrusting and doubting. The animals were driven into hiding. All because the created order of Narnia was denied and suppressed in favor of the desires of men. Remembering and hanging on to the the truth was feared as dangerous and stamped out by violence. The society that grew could not support itself. It was unstable and prone to collapse. A kind of growth and progress could happen quickly, but would not endure through generations. Refusing to hold on out of fear of being held back is a road leading to ruin and destruction.

But progress supported by growing in the stability of the truth will be able to support a fruitful society and provide restful shade for the oppressed. This growth supported by holding on to the truth may happen slowly, but it can stand up to being challenged and tested by each new generation exploring its branches as they learn to hold tight to what will support them as they grow and mature.