The leisurely days of flip flops, sunshine and seashores are fading into memory like a disappearing sunset. Hopefully you enjoyed a glorious summer.
A summer highlight for my family occurred on July 12 in my hometown located on Lake Michigan. My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Can you say a culture-defying milestone?! It was a deeply moving and memorable celebration in every way.
One of my great joys was to create a commemorative video to show at the party. The resulting 30-minute tribute depicts my parents’ love story as well as their love of God, family, friends, fun times and long-standing traditions. After his first viewing, my Dad made an observation that still has me thinking. He said, “Water is a definite theme throughout the entire video.” Absolutely. True. In fact, having the same realization early on – I included this favorite piece in the video in an attempt to explain the magnetic power of water:
“Being on the water fulfills a hardwired need to connect with nature that cannot be satisfied by ordinary life in an advanced nation. We ‘go to sea’ to forge a connection with the wild and we seek to share that elemental connection with family and friends, thus renewing and strengthening the bonds between us.” – Unknown
Flying back to Atlanta, I wondered: Does everyone have this “hard-wired need”? Or is it only forged in the souls of people who grew up on the water like my parents did….like I did? These questions were tucked inside my mind when, weeks later, a big light bulb went off for me. I was reading Psalm 23 while hanging out with God one morning. It’s as if God illuminated this very familiar passage for the very first time:
“The Lord is my shepherd….He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23: 1-2
That’s it! My soul is restored at the water’s edge which explains its alluring nature. But this realization led to more questions. Why? How? So I went back to “the beginning” – curious to recall what day water was created.
“In the beginning…the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:1
Eureka! Even before God gave form to the universe and filled the earth – water existed. God is the “same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) which means He still hovers over the waters. This explains why I’ve always felt God’s presence most profoundly at the water’s edge. This explains why the sun-scorched areas of my heart are soothed at the ocean’s shore and the dehydrated areas of my life are quenched. God’s “super” flows out and hovers over the “natural” and SUPERNATURAL RENEWAL is the result. There is power in His presence.
As we bid farewell to summer, let not your heart be troubled. You don’t have to wait until next summer to pull up a chair at the water’s edge. There is a way to get rehydrated all year long. You can pull up a chair any time during the year and drink of the Living Water. That’s what Jesus promised:
“If you knew the gift of God you would have asked Him and He would have given you Living Water. Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4: 10, 14
Jesus is always ready to fill you up and replenish your soul. Ask Him to pour into you. Saturate your soul in His presence and His Word. Soak in the Living Water. It’s the best kind of refreshment. It’s the best kind of unbelievable.
J-Crew @ Lake MI the night before the big soirée
July 11, 2014
Mom’s wedding dress circa 1964.
Dad’s cummerbund and bow tie circa 2014.
