"Streams of Living Water"

My kids are like fish. They just can’t get enough of the water. Uninhibited, they race past the water’s edge and splash fearlessly in with total disregard to water quality or temperature. I am a bit more cautious. For me, it takes a bit of coaxing.

A few summers back, my husband treated the family to a visit to Calaveras County, California: home to giant sequoias, old gold rush towns, and host of many fond childhood memories. Sean’s family had been vacationing in the small town of Arnold for as long as he could remember. He gleefully shared his stories of carefree days at the lake nestled just around the bend from their cabin. His enthusiasm was quickly deflated when he was told the lake was now for “members only.” Some quick research yielded the directions to White Pines Lake. We packed up the car with children and supplies for a day away from home and headed out for adventure.

After a few wrong turns, we arrived to find the lake and the parking lot deserted. As we made our way past the remnants of last night’s bonfire and a pile of “empties,” I wondered “are you sure this is the lake they recommended for families with children? ” Could this be the right spot?

There was still a chill in the air as the warmth of the sun hadn’t reached past the tops of the tall pines. Yet, the kids were unfazed and took their turn getting slathered in sun screen. They were ready to get wet. I secretly wondered if this was the lake from “Friday the 13th” and if we were Jason’s next unwitting victims.

I kept to the shore, busying myself with our towels and toys, securing our location as a few more families arrived. “Mommy, come play with me,” my son, Charlie, pleaded. It was time to step in. I wanted to be part of the fun.

Charlie led me to the water’s edge. He brought me there and I was willing to be led. The sting of the cold water at my ankles quickly faded as we splashed in the shallow water. He brought me through the reeds at the shoreline to where the water reached my knees. It was harder to move around, and our progress through the water was slower. He brought me out to a deeper part of the lake. The shocking cold of water at my waist nearly sent me back to the shore, yet I persevered. As the lake bottom dropped away, I stretched beyond where I could walk on my tiptoes, I was no longer connected to the earth. It was time to swim.

At that point far removed from the shore, the sun finally arched above the tree line. As the rays of sunlight kissed the flecks of gold-dust embedded on the bottom of the lake, the magnificent sparkle illuminated the entire area. The transformation was heavenly. The golden hue brightened everything it touched. Ordinary objects pulsed with color so intense they seemed afire or alight from within. The water came to life! The water brought everything to life!

Would you welcome that sort of awakening and transformation in your own life? Would you eagerly exchange the ennui of every day for a lifetime of light and life? You’ll have to get wet. You’ll have to dive deep into the waters of His word. Ezekiel learned that “where the river flows everything will live.” (Ezekiel 47:9). The Lord offers an abundance of blessings in the deep waters. The unstoppable waters are teeming with life and purpose for us. Boldly explore your faith and allow the spirit to quench your thirst, enrich your heart and transform your life.

“The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into springs. . . . So that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” (Isaiah 41:17-18, 20).