I love to walk in the woods.  When life is loud or confusing, the quiet of nature calls me to come.  However, today all of nature was crying out as I hiked.  I could see life lessons in every stone, branch, and leaf.  I tried to shut out my thoughts without success. I could write a book sitting in one spot along the river.

I know that all of creation testifies of him.  I believe that is why I am so drawn to it.  It teaches.  The seasons, the storms, the ocean…are all instructors of his nature.  The play on words is intentional.  His nature is revealed in nature.  Please do not be confused by this.  God’s joy is seen in the waters as they leap over the rocks. Trees growing in strength over countless years show us his patience. The delicate wildflowers are evidence of his gentle kindness just as the great roar of the waterfall is a demonstration of his power.  All of nature cries out to us, “Look.  Listen.  The Creator is here.” 

I watched the water flow, slapping the rocks as it went, in such a hurry to get to its destination.  It giggles as it rolls along the banks…rushing towards the ocean as if it was a race. The
ocean of God’s love is worth racing towards.  In my life, I desire to flow in joyous abandonment like the water in the river.  I have a longing to give up my self-focus with a joyful heart so I can blend with others as we race towards God.  I want the joy of the Lord to be my strength. 

Along the edges of the river, there are stagnant pools filled with slime. The life of the flow does not reach these pools.  The water is putrid and dirty.  In life, there is no joy in holding onto bitterness, it stagnates the heart just as the pools beside the river.  With the flow of the water, there is forgiveness and without it, there is death.  I want to choose life and flow so I must also choose forgiveness. 

The rocks in the center of the river would seem to impede the flow and yet, the water swirls around them and continues moving towards the ocean.  In fact, the gurgle seems the loudest as it crosses the rocks.  The oxygen bubbles up and whitewater is the result.  The water closest to the rocks is the purist because of this oxygenation. 

Rocks of affliction try to stop the joyful flow of my life but despite the tumbling turmoil, I continue to move towards God’s love.  As I go around or over the rocks in my way, my cries to him become loud like the rushing of the water.  He brings his spirit to breathe life into me.  My heart is the most transparent when I am in this place of hardship.  I am cleansed in some way; having suffered and it deepens my relationship with him.  This allows me to gain compassion for those rock crashers around me.  We share this breaking in a common stream as we continue to move together through the rocky places in life…with joyous abandonment.  The nature of God is a river of joy.