agua. l'eau. wasser.

Over the past couple months, I've found that one of the most concrete ways I can try to understand God is in water.

(Don't you worry, I'll explain.)

It's always been difficult for me to comprehend how God can be so many things, so many characteristics, all at once. A couple weeks back, I was walking around Radnor Lake in silence with a friend when I had the epiphany that water, like God, displays multiple characteristics at once.

Think about it:

in the context of a waterfall, water is powerful. majestic. dangerous. terrifying.

at the base of that waterfall, the water is still. calm. serene. refreshing.

the same waterfall creates mist, which is almost unnoticeable, but is certainly there if you choose to be aware of its presence.

water is what we drink to sustain our physical bodies. those bodies are composed of 60% water.

it can freeze into a solid. ice in itself can do many things. it can sink the titanic. it can bring relief to an injury. it can enable humans to walk on the surface of a pond.

What a fickle friend, that H2O.

Over the past several days, the town where I live has experienced the worst flooding in its history. Water has become the enemy.

it's killed 30 people.

it's ruined hundreds, if not thousands, of people's cars.

it's left a lot of people without electricity.

it's filled the grand ole opry.

it's picked up houses and carried them away.

photo credit: Lonnie Fowler

I was personally unaffected. Well, for the most part. We lost power for a day, and our water heater is out of commission, but otherwise my house and roommates have come away from the flooding unscathed.

But the water is still everywhere.

It isn't forcing itself on me.

It's stayed out of my house.

But it's very present.

How God-like is that?!

He's all over the place.

Our very existence screams His name.

Yet He allows us to ignore it if we choose to.

If we want, we can deny His presence.

We can choose to drive on the roads that aren't flooded.

But that doesn't change the fact that He's there.

photo credit: Lonnie Fowler

Open up the sky; rain down Your love.

I don't care if I never get enough.

I just want to be caught in that flood

So open up the sky.