The river continues to flow.
The ice that one time held the snow on top of the water now from upstream has broken up and many large pieces have crashed on the islands in the middle of the small river, but the water still flows. Even on the coldest days the river water still seemed to flow under the ice.
My wife and I speaking with a friend a few days ago was asked, is that rocks out on the island or big chunks of ice? Being unfamiliar with what we were looking at, hampered by the weather, and the ice being covered with dirt and debris, we both replied rocks. Now that the weather has cleared some and the dirt has been washed away by the recent rains. These are clearly large chunks of ice that are remnants of the frozen river a week or so ago.
All of this has been phenomenal to watch. The snow came, the river froze over, more snow came and then the river began to thaw. My friend said as the river thawed at night it sounded as if trains were crashing outside his window. If you look closely at the river, the trees along side the islands carry some major scars from the movement of the ice. There was one day that concerns grew intense over the potential of flooding but the river receded in time. What man could arrange such and event over such great a territory as the North East. No one.
My friend has moved on now, as my wife and I will do soon. Our job here is coming to an end but the river will still flow. As I looked at the river today I thought of life with family, friends, our circumstances and how they affect our life and our relationship to Christ Jesus in our own lives.
There’s times where circumstances seem good, life is pretty and clean like the snow. Then events seem frozen in time, covered by what seems the good life while we move on to ignore the frozen hurt concealed in the ice of wrong choices. Underneath, the river still desires to flow and sustain life and bring new life. As the frozen hurt seems to thaw over time, the results of the shifting ice that once seemed so pretty now comes crashing in like a train. Like the trees along the river the large pieces of shifting ice causes scars in our personal lives yet the river still flows. Some of the large pieces continue to hang on as long as possible, appearing as rocks with dirt and mud on them. Finally, they are washed with the water and appear for what they really are. Huge chunks of indifference that have yet to thaw and find their place of being gone for good.
Sometimes there is nothing we can do to cause the thaw of indifference and bitterness to go away faster, just let the river continue to flow. As the sun/Son continues to shine and the river continues to flow, the thaw for this season will come, some scars may remain in this life and even some life/branches may be broken away, but the river still flows.
Revelation 22 v17 puts it this way-“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosover will, let him take the water of life freely.”
In the book of John, chapter 7 v37,38 Jesus put it this way,-“…If any man thirst, let him come unto me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly/heart shall flow rivers of living water.“
May we continue learning to give thanks to God in all things as the river continues to flow. Amen
Threecrosses 