by June Friesen
In Arizona we have a little community called Carefree. It is a delightful little town that is rather unique in many ways. It has unique street names such as Easy Street and Ho Hum Lane. It has delightful little eating places such as Black Mountain café as well as a Tea Room. It has unique shops including antiques, Native American artifacts, Mexican artistry, and much more. In recent years it has also become a place where people love to retire. In the center of this village is a park which is unique in many ways. It has metal sculptures that portray the west including a few horses. There are a couple of play areas for the children to enjoy as well which have creative play things. My favorite however is this wonderful water feature. It is a manmade water fall which arches over a walkway. I love to such stand under the water as it cascades above me and imagine God’s presence washing over me. And when the sun is shining in the right space – as it was recently for these photos – God is there with a special presence. As I pondered the photos I took the other day I was led to these verses in Psalm 118.
Psalm 118:21-29
Thank you for responding to me; you’ve truly become my salvation!
The stone the masons discarded as flawed is now the capstone!
This is God’s work.
We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!
This is the very day God acted— let’s celebrate and be festive!
Salvation now, God. Salvation now!
Oh yes, God—a free and full life!
26-29 Blessed are you who enter in God’s name—from God’s house we bless you!
God is God, he has bathed us in light.
Adorn the shrine with garlands, hang colored banners above the altar!
You’re my God, and I thank you. O my God, I lift high your praise.
Thank God—he’s so good.
His love never quits!
God, as I ponder Your continual, eternal love
Cascading over this world every moment –
I am reminded as I watch the water in this pond
Cascading over these rocks –
How different each one of the rocks are,
Each one is a different size,
Each one is placed in a different space,
Each one has water flow in
Different ways, different areas –
For some the water flow is fast,
For some it is a trickle,
For some it goes over,
For some it goes around,
For some it has smoothed the edges,
For some it has made indentations,
For some it has brought a cleansing,
For others there are specks of dirt and a fallen leaf or two,
Yet, each rock simply remains in its space
Allowing those who come by
To stop and ponder and rest their spirit for a while
As I chose to do.
God too chooses to cascade His Spirit
Continually over this entire universe –
Especially upon the planet we call earth,
His Spirit cascades equally in all places worldwide
And I cannot but notice the similarities to His Spirit’s presence
And how it flows over all of humanity as well.
How different each one of us is,
Each one is a different size,
Each one living in a different space/place,
Each one has the Spirit present around or in us in
Different ways, different areas –
For some the Spirit seems to flow steady,
For some it seems to flow intermittently,
For some the Spirit seems to flow quickly,
For some the Spirit seems but a trickle,
For some it goes over,
For some it seems to go around,
For some it has smoothed the rough edges,
For some it has made indentations,
For some it has brought a cleansing,
For some there are specks of tarnish still,
And one could go on I am sure,
But the abiding and beautiful truth is this:
The Spirit is present,
Not will be or wishes to be –
He is present –
He is waiting for you and for me
To take the time to embrace His cascading cleansing
Allowing it to flow completely and fully within our spirits
Washing us with resurrection new life cleansing
Setting us free to embrace and live a life fresh and new once again.
Amen.
Now if you are like me you may find it necessary to revisit these times with the Spirit just as I do. And I love that I actually have the physical reminder to go to from time to time. Another reminder can be a fountain – a fountain inside or outside the home. I have also chosen to do that at times. In one of our homes I had a fountain on the patio and I often did my quiet time in this area allowing the fountain’s trickle of water to remind me of the Spirit’s presence. Embrace the Spirit – Jesus’ gift to you and to me – and to the world.
Photographs by June Friesen. Scripture is from The Message Translation.
Whether you are praying the stations of the day, in need of resources for rest, hoping to spark joy and find wonder, or simply want to enjoy beautiful prayers, poetry, and art – our digital downloads section has many options! Christine Sine’s book Rest in the Momentis designed to help you find those pauses throughout the day. Praying through the hours or watches, you may find inspiration in our prayer cards set Prayers for the Dayor Pause for the Day. You may find your curiosity piqued in the free poetry and art download Haiku Book of Hours. All this and more can be found in our shop!