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A Noble Oak

My word to think on for the last five days of the Lenten season has been “noble.” It’s one of those words I know the meaning of, but when I tried to define it for myself . . . I wasn’t so sure.

So I looked it up.

“Of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence. Admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition. Of an admirably high quality; notably superior; excellent.”

So how do I think on what is noble?

When I walk in the woods, it’s easy. The mountains are noble. Quite a few trees are noble. Shoot, nature itself is pretty noble.

But the rest of my days . . .nobility can be a little harder to come by. Flipping on the television certainly doesn’t turn up anything noble. At work . . . well . . . there’s plenty that’s good but noble feels like something bigger and better. Even my reading often leaves me wanting . . . except . . . my Bible reading each morning.

Romans 5: 3-5 – “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who he has given to us.”

Hope in the face of suffering. Now that’s noble. Persevering when you’d just as soon throw in the towel. That’s noble. Character that holds true even when you long to be no better than the latest reality TV character. (They’re making MONEY at it!) Noble.

Turns out noble is hard. Turns out it’s deeper and wider than I thought. It’s rich meat for thinking on.

Give it a try this Lenten season.