Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?
The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things will never be shaken. - Psalm 15
"Whoever does these things will never be shaken."
Does this seem realistic? When I read these verses, I see landmines everywhere. Each one of these seems to me something which makes my life more uncertain. It feels like playing king of the mountain and everyone and every circumstance threatens to dethrone me so I would have to be on the defensive all the time. Whenever my character is called into question there is always a tendency to defend myself, to "prove" that I was doing the right thing. So it always feels shaky.
I think it feels shaky because I really feel like I will cross one of these lines. It is shaky because these key ideas: respect for neighbor and respect for God and not at the core of my being. Instead, they are tracked on the edges of my character so that any strong wind can dislodge me and my determination to "do better" So these need to move from the fringes of my convictions to the center of who I am so that the casual or serious storm won't catch me off-balance. God, my rock, be my stability.
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