Waters Edge

There’s something about a great view! This morning, I find myself looking out across water and a view that settles my soul. God’s creation is a gift, and I love that a different view can provide perspective or a refresher on things easily forgotten. As I look across the water, I notice that life comes through connection. Life teems around the water.

Not all views are the same, and this one is vastly different than what I experienced just a week ago.

Nothing comes easy in a desert. It’s hard to breathe, it’s hard to eat, and it’s hard to sleep. The daily grind of desert life takes a toll. There is a spiritual reality here. Desert living is hard. When we find ourselves in a spiritual desert, it’s hard to pray, stay grounded in Scripture, and engage in community. Nothing comes easy when we’re in the desert. We know our soul could use a big gulp of water, but our thirst doesn’t automatically lead us to a viable source.

Today’s view is the complete opposite. Water abounds. Life is here and it’s in abundance. Birds are singing and fish are breaching against a backdrop of green hues interlocking continuously as far as the eye can see. Life is thriving, not surviving.

The view illustrates a Scriptural theme. God didn’t design us to be desert wanderers. Not in a spiritual sense anyway. He provides life through a Living Source and the source is self-perpetuating. Life isn’t exchanged but generated. The source supersedes any variable.

Speaking of the righteous person who delights in God’s law, the psalmist says this: 3He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:3

Jesus is our righteousness, and Jesus has ushered in freedom through the Spirit. The Spirit enables us to live the God-designed life, which is a life illustrated by a tree planted by a stream. The source is plentiful and steady, allowing the tree to be a conduit for life.

Birds find shelter in its canopy. Squirrels enjoy a feast. The trees give off oxygen and evaporate moisture into the air. Life flows through a tree planted by the water, and the life flowing out of the tree never outpaces the life it is receiving.

We can be like a tree planted by the water. We don’t have to choose the desert even if I find myself doing this very thing. When I am tired or hurt, I often set out to discover life for myself, but deserts always leave me mineral deficient.

There’s a better option. We can establish our roots by the water. Jesus is life, and His presence is here. We release our circumstances to Him. We listen to and obey His voice.

Living Water is available. Jesus is life. He calls us, and He sustains us. Let’s abide by the water.