I am blessed to have the opportunity to house sit for friends in the Bay of Plenty. This wee village is nestled along the shore of an ever-changing estuary. Beyond the far shore of this quiet and peaceful estuary comes the sound of surf pounding on the ocean beach. You can stand on the banks of this smooth inlet and hear the fury of the water “out there” and contrast it with the quiet lapping of gentleness against the lush green banks, that keep the water at bay, where I stand.
Every morning at about 8 am I set off to walk a “loop” that encompasses the reserve of the estuary. There are not many people about, maybe just one or two dog walkers. The place is quiet and peaceful, and if the tide is in, the water is still and reflective. It allows for quiet thinking and often thankful prayer, as I pace it out at the beginning of my day.
So, imagine my horror as I walked briskly through the dewy grass in my bare feet only to sink horribly into a wet muddy stretch of bank that carried on for some 10 to 15 metres. It was unexpected, and not obvious. Back in February I was here, walking this same path and there was no bog to negotiate then. The thing was, it looked very much like the rest of the embankment, solid and firm, the top covered in grass. But underneath that lay its true nature.
underneath that lay its true nature
Now, there are several “spiritual’ analogies that came to mind as I negotiated my way through the boggy ground. My feet and lower legs testifying to the fact that I had encountered some difficulty on my walk and pointed out by other walkers as I exited the reserve.
My first thought was that this was a metaphor for life. We blaze ahead into it at full throttle, only to get bogged down somewhere along the way. We all know that life is not all plain sailing. There are going to be storms that arise from time to time. Even when we think we know the way, or have travelled that path before, a challenge can arise when we least expect it. What could be the purpose of a “bog”, a difficulty, a roadblock in our life’s walk? Perhaps it’s a time to slow down, perhaps it’s a time to take stock, perhaps it’s a time to listen, perhaps it’s a time to learn, perhaps it’s a time to renegotiate something, perhaps it’s a time to stop taking something for granted, to value something a bit more, perhaps it’s a time to grow……or perhaps it’s a time to take a slightly different path. When you are standing ankle deep in mud, with another 15 metres of the same ahead of you, you do look for alternative routes.
There are going to be storms that arise from time to time
The next day I set off again on the same route, but aware of the boggy patch. At the site I met a local who commented about the bog and added, “Go around the very edge and you will be on firmer ground”. However, going around the edge involved taking a risk. I mean it was, after all, the edge of an embankment with a wee drop to the water below.
MMMM another spiritual thought………taking a risk to stay on a firmer path…. Do we take risks when the path is blocked by a difficulty. And what does that mean? Do we take a risk to follow Jesus? Do we take a risk to stay close to God? Are we willing to hold onto God as we walk the edge, trusting His promises that He will take care of our fear and give us the strength and courage required.
Are we willing to hold onto God as we walk the edge
My final thought about this bog was brought about by yet another conversation with a local. “Its actually an underground Spring “.
I became a little excited, as I read this:
“Springs occur when water pressure causes a natural flow of groundwater onto the earths surface. As rainwater enters or “recharges” the aquifer, pressure is placed on the water already present”.
Thinking of the BOG as a SPRING, immediately changed my perspective of it.
A Spring is caused by excess water. The water is “recharged” by the rain, so it has life, (LIVING WATER) and must flow somewhere.
God talks about LIVING WATER, in fact He describes Himself as LIVING WATER in Jeremiah 2:13, where He discusses the children of Israel and says, “My people have forsaken Me, THE SPRING OF LIVING WATER…” Later in Jeremiah, the prophet says of God, “Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, THE SPRING OF LIVING WATER”. (Jeremiah 17:13)
In these verses God is referred to as “THE SPRING OF LIVING WATER” who His people have abandoned to try and do things their own way. He has provided them with everything, yet they have turned away from Him.
God is the source of LIVING WATER; He IS LIVING WATER and He provides LIVING WATER.
In thinking about a Spring, it is recharged by the rain (which God provides). Perhaps a SPRING is what we need to plug into to recharge ourselves.
In John 7:37 – 39 Jesus speaks of LIVING WATER “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of LIVING WATER will flow from within them” …
Jesus is referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who was yet to come, (at that time) but who is within all believers today, filling us with new life that should be overflowing from within us and spilling out to others. So, perhaps we should be plugging into this LIVING WATER within us, recharging ourselves with the grace, mercy and power of the Holy Spirit, allowing ourselves to overflow and be awash with LIVING WATER from the Source of Him who provides for our every need, = GOD.
perhaps we should be plugging into this LIVING WATER within us
In conclusion, will I see this wet, soggy patch of ground as an obstacle to be avoided, or will I see it as a Spring, full of life giving water recharged by rain, and therefore be thankful for the lessons on perspective I have mulled over today!
Carole Denning-Kemp