Crater Lake National Park

Still Upright

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

--Ephesians 4:14 (NIV)

You've heard of the Loch Ness Monster, but have you heard of the Old Man of the Lake?

With a name like that, you might expect some mysterious creature lurking beneath the waves. Instead, the Old Man is a tree. More specifically, it is a massive mountain hemlock log that has been floating in the waters of Crater Lake National Park for well over a hundred years—since before the lake was protected as a park.

That alone is unusual. What puzzled scientists for years, however, is how it floats. Unlike most driftwood, which lies flat on the water, the Old Man floats vertically, with several feet protruding above the lake's surface. Wind pushes it. Waves carry it. Storms batter it. Yet somehow, after more than a hundred years, the orientation stays the same—perfectly upright.

There is something deeply spiritual in that. Constantly pressed by the forces around it, it refuses to give in. It moves, but it never surrenders.

There’s a lesson there.

A hardship comes, and we question God's goodness. A skeptic raises an objection, and we begin doubting what we once believed. A cultural trend gains popularity, and we feel pressure to adjust our convictions. The winds change. The waves rise. Before long, we're being carried wherever the current happens to flow.

The Old Man paints a different picture.

It is not rooted to the shoreline. It is not protected from the wind. It does not control where the lake carries it. Yet through it all, it remains upright.

Christian maturity does not mean life stops changing. Circumstances change. Cultures change. Seasons change. Life presses us. The question is not whether we will encounter wind and waves. The question is whether we will remain oriented toward Christ when they come.

The goal is not a life without movement.

The goal is to remain upright.

Reflection: What habits, relationships, or truths help keep you oriented toward Christ when life becomes uncertain?

Prayer: Lord, help me grow beyond spiritual infancy. When the winds of doubt, distraction, or difficulty come, keep my heart anchored in Your truth. Teach me to remain upright, not because life is easy, but because You are faithful. Amen.