You Are the Stream: A Reflection

Think of your favorite stream or body of water. One that you know intimately. You’ve studied its bend, its runs, its contours. The shallow flats and the bottomless holes. You know all of its secret spots and its perfections, the ones that require a long hike or boat ride and time spent finding. They are never seen or explored by the casual angler. You care for the stream, always with its best interest in mind. You don’t pollute it, and if you see that someone has, you clean it up. You know all of the stream’s imperfections. The stretches which don’t harbor any fish. They are overgrown with brush, chocked with weeds and snags. They are devoid of structure or depth. These places are present in the stream and you are aware of that, but yet it doesn’t stop you from revisiting it with all of the same feelings of excitement and awe as when you first discovered it. In fact these imperfections are what draw you in. Without them, there would be no basis from which to compare with. It’s the knowledge of hiking past the unproductive stretch because of the certainty that what lies ahead is worth the journey.

God is this angler and you are the stream. He knows you intimately. He has studied your heart, your mind and your character. He knows all of your secrets and vulnerabilities. He has explored the most remote parts of your soul untouched by any others. He cares for you. He never pollutes you and is quick to gather away the pain or filth that others may inflict on you. He is aware of your imperfections, all of your shortcomings, your sins and your fallen nature. He knows they are present, but yet revisits you with the same awe and amazement as when He first created you. In fact these imperfections are what draw Him closer. Without them, there would be no basis to compare your goodness or love. He sees beyond these imperfections because He knows that what lies beneath them is worth it. You are the stream.