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True Religion and Inner Renewal
The river Jordan flows on south into
another sea. Here is no splash of fish,
no fluttering leaf, no song of birds, no
children's laughter. Travelers choose
another route, unless on urgent
business. The air hangs heavy above
its water, and neither man nor beast nor
fowl wilt drink.
What makes this mighty difference in
these neighbor seas? Not the river
Jordan. It empties the same good water
into both. Not the soil in which they lie;
not the country round about.
This is the difference: The Sea of
Galilee receives but does not keep the
Jordan. For every drop that flows into it
another drop flows out. The giving and
receiving go on in equal measure.
The other sea is shrewder, hoarding
its income jealously. It will not be
tempted into any generous impulse.
Every drop it gets, it keeps.
The Sea of Galilee gives and lives.
The other sea gives nothing. It is
named the Dead. There are two kinds
of people in the world. There are two
seas in Palestine.
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