Let it Flow
"'I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, 'Is not this he who sat and begged?' Some said, 'This is he. Others said, 'He is like him.' He said, 'I am he.' Therefore they said to him, 'How were your eyes opened?' He answered and said, 'A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, "Go to the pool of Siloam and wash." So I went and washed, and I received sight.'" (John 9:4-11 NKJV)
I used to love to play in the woods near my home when I was a boy. I especially
enjoyed sitting by a certain crystal clear mountain stream that flowed musically
down the side of a hill. Green moss covered the rocks and made a
comfortable seat on either side of it and when I would bend down I could see my
own smiling face reflected back at me. I used to love taking a sip of its pure,
sweet water. It always tasted like a drink from Heaven.
Going back in my mind to those carefree days beside those blessed waters reminds
me of all the wonderful lessons they taught me. They taught me not to grasp too
tightly. If I did the water would seep through my fingers and I would be left
with nothing. Instead I learned to let the water flow over my hand and to lift
it gently in my cupped palm when I wanted a sip or to water the daises,
buttercups, and Queen Anne’s lace that lined the stream’s banks. I learned too
that just a few drops of that water helped those flowers to grow healthy and
strong. Most of all I learned that I didn’t always have to be doing something to
be living. Just sitting by that tiny mountain stream, listening to it gently
splash over the rocks, and feeling its peace was all that I needed for a great
afternoon.
That mountain stream is a lot like the river of God’s love that flows through
our lives. Just like that stream God’s love can’t be grasped and held tightly.
In order to drink from it and experience it we have to let it flow through us
and use it to bless the world around us. A few drops of that living water too is
all that we need to help us grow better and stronger each day of our lives here.
And sometimes it is good to just spend some time sitting quietly by the stream
with God and let His peace fill us once again. May you always let God’s loving
water flow through your life then. May you drink deep, live well, and pass the
cup on to all you can.
By: Joseph J. Mazzella