Reflections on the Water

As I gaze out of the glass door that leads from my bedroom to the world outside my house, I observe that the earth has been saturated by a heavy and steady rain. The little stream that ordinarily trickles at the side of the yard is gushing this morning. I notice something in the middle of the yard that I have seen before on occasions such as this. There is the suggestion of a stream that winds through the pasture where the ground is low, and when there is enough water it stretches out toward the more constant stream. I can see it running, but it falls short. The ground soaks it up before it ever reaches its destination. On dry days the path it follows is barely visible.

The stream at the side of the yard with its foaming rolling waters has a defined path that it follows. Its source is a spring in the wooded bank, and for most of the year there is at least moisture in its bed. At the bottom of our valley there is a larger creek that faithfully flows through town after town, pasture, field, wood and meadow.

This picture has caused me to reflect on life. That small trail of runoff is a sad sight. It brings to mind Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Praise be to God for sending His Son Jesus to become the bridge by which we may reach our destination which is everlasting life. John 3:16 tells us "for God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes on Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The stream is me. As a growing Christian there are times when I am bubbling up to the brim. There are also seasons when all that can be detected is a bit of moisture. Many times I merely trickle. I would like to be more like the creek down in the valley. I know it has times when it is high and times when it is low, but it is always flowing, always moving toward the river.

I love to see water flow. It is one of my favorite parts of nature. I love to hike along a stream and watch the waters tumble and swirl. I praise the Lord that "He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6) He is my source and my supply. The ground will never be able to soak me up completely. I have a guarantee that I will make it to my destination - eternal life with Him!