It’s a sweltering hot day, one better spent indoors if you have air conditioning, or on the water if you have access to a boat. So I was drawn to this amazing photo by a good friend of a building wave, far from shore. I love how the water looks all the more blue against the golden sky, with wisps of fog up against the shoreline. I owned a small sail boat in years gone by. I loved to watch the water and the sky, adjusting my path to the currents and winds. Perhaps those sailing experiences colored my view of this building wave, until a recent surgery forced me to contemplate my own mortality. I began to ponder how this life relates to eternal life, and what it means to pass on. Then last week an old and dear friend passed away, after over 90 years of abundant life, a life of service to others. Our current experiences are all we know, all we can fully grasp in the flesh. Who among us does not strive to leave a mark, to make a difference, to leave a lasting legacy that extends beyond the grave? There is no one who can offer their experiences of eternal life. Any notion we have of what happens after death is pure speculation, limited by definition. Perhaps this mortal life is simply the crest of a building wave. If God is infinite, all powerful, steadfast love without beginning or end, then this eternal life must be beyond all imagining. Yet I also wonder if the eternal life is here and now. When we let go of the past and the future, when we enter into the here and now, we accept the gift of eternal life, the present. Take time today to celebrate life, to open your heart, to begin again. Stretch beyond what you know, or believe you are capable of achieving. Offer your insights and encouragement to those who share your interests. Build one another up in love, adjusting your path to the winds and currents of one another’s lives. And always remember, although this life will end, love never dies. Text by Connie Chintall ©2012
Reflecting on the Crest….
30 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Reflecting on...... Tags: awe, Connie Chintall, crest of a wave, eternal life, lasting memory, prayer, spirituality, steadfast love
Reflecting on Water….
16 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in Reflecting on...... Tags: Connie Chintall, God's love, Holy Spirit, Jeanne Mischo, journey, new life, prayer, spirituality, steadfast love, water
It’s so dry that the clay in my yard is turning to dust. The endless streams of pollen from our blooming trees are mixing with that dust, turning everything the brightest shade of yellow. It’s funny how we take some things for granted until they are in short supply, like water. So I was drawn to this amazing photograph by my friend Jeanne, showing water flowing from the base of a stone structure, slowly filtering into the cloudy pool below. Water is how I think of the Holy Spirit. When life becomes overwhelming, I pray for God to pour down his Holy Spirit, to drench me, to wash away the dust of life that clings to my skin. I recall drinking well water out of a metal cup as a small child, coming in from the heat of the day after playing outside. The sweet and slightly metallic taste of pure, cold water refreshed me better than anything. Perhaps God’s love is like that long, cool drink of water. We wander off to work or play, immersed in our endless activities, until we are overcome by thirst. Sometimes we seek to quench that thirst with worldly things, becoming more and more lost, less and less satisfied. We may even begin to doubt in God’s love, perhaps even wonder if God exists at all. Yet God remains, steadfast, faithful to the end. Take time today to turn again, to seek out God’s face, to open our hearts to His love, a love that was, and is, and always will be, a love without beginning or end. Take a long, cool drink of that love, allowing the Holy Spirit to drench your heart and cleanse your soul. And remember, just like water, God’s love is everywhere, always waiting for us to return, no matter how lost or busy we become. Photo entitled ‘Water Study’ by Jeanne Mischo, ©2012
Seek the Sacred Amidst the Ordinary 