Today I was reading a passage from the Old Testament/Hebrew Scripture. The book of Joshua contains these words…

^{(Chapter 3) 14-16} And that’s what happened. The people left their tents to cross the Jordan, led by the priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant. When the priests got to the Jordan and their feet touched the water at the edge (the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest), the flow of water stopped. (Chapter 4) ^10-11 The priests carrying the Chest continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything God had instructed Joshua to tell the people to do was done (confirming what Moses had instructed Joshua). The people crossed; no one dawdled. When the crossing of all the people was complete, they watched as the Chest of the Covenant and the priests crossed over.

It was very clear to me that in these verses are clear statements about the nature of pastoral care; pastoral care to be exercised by pastors but also by those in loving, mature and growing relationships.

The priests went ahead into the turmoil of Jordan! There are times when pastor, partner, parent, child has the task to lead their beloved into a place of fear. Here is needed courage and fair but all made possible by the active commitment of love.

The priests stayed in the middle of the challenge until all the feet had passed by and until the task of building was completed. It is sometimes so very difficult to sit with the one we love while they are in pain; we want to fix or solve the problem. Simply being is profound support, simply staying an eloquent expression of love.

The priests follow the people and then resumed the lead. There is often a time in relationships when our charge is to step back, allow our beloved to move ahead with freedom; oh the gift of liberating our beloved is rarely easy for us but it is a powerful part of producing the visible mural of love.