The Making and Naming of a Waterfall

When we were in Costa Rica we hiked up in to the rain forest.

Along the way, we witnessed incredible beauty.  Tall, strong, green trees and delicate ferns, flowers of every color and fruits hanging from vines and sprouting from branches surrounded us circumferentially.

It was lush and moist and green – and it was alive. And then ...

... we entered a place of desolation.  Unexpectedly, we came around the corner and stepped out of the beauty of life and onto a path – that was not really a path at all -- over rocks and dried out dirt.

Three months prior, during a very rainy and stormy time, a mudslide powered down the mountain.  Rocks and debris, slipping from the mountainside,  tore through the forest, plowing over and through trees, flowers, and plants – destroying the beauty.

The contrast was obvious.

“Do you see that waterfall?” the guide said, as she pointed to a small stream of water, in the distance, that flowed over the cliff. 

“It was not there before the mudslide.  The storm and the damage created a new waterfall for us.  We would not have had it if not for this mudslide. It once was an underground spring, now it is a waterfall.”

Hmmm …. the damage created a new waterfall for us.  I love waterfalls.

Mudslides occur in our lives, too, at times.   Rainy seasons and stormy seasons result in the ground underneath us slipping away and we find that a vein of destruction tears itself through our otherwise green, living life.  The boulders, rocks and dirt of uncertainty, fear, and sorrow are scattered on the hillside of our lives.  Little sign of what once was remains, and what does remain seems to be knocked over, tangled and ugly.

But if we look carefully, in time, we just may see something new, like the new waterfall that was created as the mountainside exposed a spring.  Now, instead of the water running deep within the mountain, it flowed down the side, bringing refreshment and life -- and a new sort of beauty.

So, too, the Lord creates new streams and new waterfalls in our lives. It is hard to see – or even believe –  but if we look, we see what God has done.

 A new waterfall. A new stream. A new opportunity. A new source of refreshment. A new provision for life. A new strength. A new dream. A new kind of trust.

“You’ll have to name this waterfall, just the like the others,” I said to the guide, smiling, as I thought of the some of my mudslides and began to see more clearly some of the waterfalls that resulted.

What would I name them? I’m not sure, yet -- maybe “He Makes All Things New, ” or “The Value of Learning to Wait,” or “A Spring of Strength”

What about you? Can you see the waterfall of life that God has brought or is bringing out of a time of trial?  What would you name it?

Exhausted but Encouraged

Today my life felt like a game of Kerplunk. All the little plastic straws were removed from the plastic tube and it felt like my marbles fell out and were lying in the plastic dish.

The details aren’t as important as the fact that I was just plain old emptied out of all energy. Dried up. Wrung out. Deflated. Hollowed out. You get the picture. In simplest terms, I was exhausted.

It didn’t have entirely to do with just today. I think there was a cumulative effect going on, but today the last straws were pulled and I had nothing left. So, I snuggled up with one of the children who was not feeling well, scratched her back for a little bit (with the last bit of energy I had) and then fell asleep with her for two hours.

Oh, there were a thousand things that needed to be done and even some that I would have liked to do, but I needed sleep. It was the only solution at that point, and the last thoughts that crossed my mind before I fell deep in to the sleep of my nap were these --

I am so thankful that God does not slumber, sleep or nap (Psalm 121:4). He does not doze off. He does not get tired. He is constantly watching over us. He does not take a break, put our life on the back burner, or lose track of His priorities. He does not dry up, get wrung out or deflate. He does not come and go. He lasts. He does not pause to catch his breath. He knows everything inside and out. He is never feeble or weak or faint (Isaiah 40:28). He is always strong, safe, and in control of everything. He always gets everything done that He desires to do –

and I was relieved. Greatly relieved.

Dear reader, even on days when we feel that we have nothing else to give, He comes in and gives us what we need to be strengthened again. Often times, He refreshes us by His Word, and other times He refreshes our physical needs in His own ways. Today, He knew just what I needed, I am convinced, and He provided me an opportunity (not often had!) to snuggle up with my daughter and get some sleep. It was a sweet sleep, and I am very thankful because I knew that I could sleep, because He never does.

Feeling like your marbles are all laying in the dish, dear reader? Ask the Lord to refresh and restore you. He will. He will give you just what you need, when you need it, and these things will be the straws that He puts in to place to hold what you need, so that you will be filled up again.

Let Us Encourage One Another

"Don't fear the future -- God's already there."

"Be strong in the Lord."

"When you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, turn to the Light of the world."

Stuck to the mirror in my bathroom were three sticky notes. I was not expecting them when I looked up from brushing my teeth this morning. A friend had put them there the day before. I smiled. I knew the Lord was using her to encourage me, and it was working.

They were simple notes, with simple truths. Simple to read, but not always simple to truly believe. They are truths that I need to be reminded of, time and time again.

God gives us one another. My post is brief tonite, as it is late. But I want to encourage you to encourage others in their faith, as I was encouraged today. It was a little thing; it did not cost much in money or time, but it was a gift of great value to me as I looked in to the mirror, feeling insecure and uncertain, wondering what God had for me in this day.

What God had for me was the encouragement of a dear sister in the Lord, who took the time to fill me with God's truths and remind me of God's love.

Hebrews 10:22-25 in the call to persevere says, "let us draw near to God ... let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess ... let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds ... let us not give up meeting together ... let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Dear reader, never underestimate the power and the grace that God fills the smallest act of kindness with. It overflows and brings refreshment to His people, strengthening them to persevere and to continue to walk upright in the path that He has asked them to walk. Take time to reach out and make a difference in the life of a friend who is hurting. Your investment will have eternal rewards.