I captured the above image in a mountainous Ugandan village not far from the Kenyan border. Our short-term missions team had been ministering to imprisoned children in various government facilities. We looked the horrible face of injustice in the eye, felt its tragic reality within those prison walls. It was heavy, yet we were filled with joy unspeakable as we ministered to the children and worshipped in song with them.
After one of those difficult visits, our team was given a time of refreshment to enjoy the magnificent beauty of the area. We trod red mud roads, then pathways, which eventually ushered us to the cascading waters of Sipi Falls. A wall of thundering water fell from more than 300 feet above us and showered us with a cooling mist that filled the air.
Leaving that splendor, we then traipsed through forest, field, and finally a coffee plantation until we reached the main road, and a small house. The house was the local coffee shop—a welcomed sight for us weary hikers.
The front verandah of this cafe was the processing hub for its main product. Rectangular, handwoven drying-racks lined the floor, each one was covered in a layer of fresh coffee berries soaking up the intense sun. To the left, a man cradled a round basket with dried, partially processed coffee beans. In measured beats he jostled the basket as he husked its contents. The rhythm was occasionally broken as he flicked the vessel tossing the beans into the air. As the beans ascended, he blew on them driving the chaff away. While the beans settled back down into the basket, the gentle breeze scattered the chaff out of sight. Over and over he winnowed patiently as we sipped strong coffee at a nearby table.
Since that day, this photograph comes to mind each time I read Psalm 1. I’ve never forgotten how easily the chaff was driven away with even a gentle breath.
Psalm 1: The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Dear reader, what will we choose? Will we be like the tree planted by rivers of water whose leaf does not wither? Or will we be like the chaff—dry, unanchored and driven away by the wind, judged by the Almighty? If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say we’d all like to be like the tree planted by streams of water bearing fruit in season, and not the chaff driven away in judgment. One thing Scripture is clear on, we are either one or the other, for there are no other options.
Psalm 1 tells us that blessedness comes from delighting in the Word of God.
Christian, Scripture calls us to walk worthy of our calling and to grow in holiness. Sometimes, though, we stand and sit where we should not be, and walk on paths we have been called out from. How delightful is the Bible to our hearts? How much do we meditate upon it? Will we deepen our spiritual roots and choose to read, study, meditate upon Scripture with more intention in 2026? We are exhorted to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that we may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 LSB) May it be increasingly so with us.
Maybe, my friend, you would have to admit you’re not the flourishing tree of Psalm 1, but the unanchored chaff instead. There is good news for you! As long as we have breath, we have mercy. And as long as we have mercy, we don’t have to be driven away in judgment, but can turn to God in faith. He will give mercy, and give it abundantly. May I encourage you to take up a Bible and read it? Challenge yourself to commit to just one chapter a day for a month (start in one of the gospels, or the book of Psalms) and see what the Lord does with that humble step of faith.
If you’d like me to pray for you as you take this step, please let me know. It would be an honour to do so.
May 2026 be a year of spiritual growth for each of us. Amen.
“The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments is everlasting.” (Ps. 119:160)
“and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32
Take Up & Read
Psalm 1
Psalm 19
Psalm 119
The Light for My Path 