For me, being near a lake, an ocean, a river or a stream is like stepping into a sanctuary, into a church with no boundaries. It’s the presence of God in plain sight, offering life and rest.
Lake Michigan, specifically, has this effect on me. The lake appears endless, falling off into the horizon. Its vastness and power invite me, always, to begin again. It reminds me that I don’t always have to know where I’m going. I can show up with open hands and a willingness to be carried.
In those moments of life when I feel like I’m drowning – the times I refuse to ride the ups and downs, the times I fight, or the times I’m too scared to even enter the current – those are the moments I find it most necessary to go back to the water. When I have no words or direction, or feel overwhelmed, I find a lake or a stream. It’s the most honest form of prayer I have when I feel like I don’t have anything at all.
This message is excerpted from “Out of deep waters” by Amy White in the June 2018 Gather magazine. Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Today we commemorate Justin, martyr at Rome, c. 165.
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