Row, row, row your boat

This morning I saw four moms exercising at the park. They were using elastic bands to work their arms while singing:

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream

I think they were more interested in friendship and exercise than they were in theology. Who knows what they even believe about God?

But that song!

There are religions that teach life is just a dream—that reality only exists in the spiritual realm. But the Bible teaches otherwise. Both the spirit world and the physical world are very real.

Many Christians see life as rowing a boat gently downstream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily. Just passing through. But the Bible calls us to spiritual warfare. We've been given the Great Commission (Matthew 28). We pray "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Life for the Christian is upstream stuff. And while we are to "count it all joy", it's not always merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily.

There was a time when 'go with the flow' meant fitting in with the community we were born into. Now, we can customize our community with a couple of taps or clicks and we can receive all the affirmation we crave. But now, as before, let Jesus' praise be enough.