There’s a local park where I like to walk.  It’s a beautiful park with a 5 mile gravel trail that winds in and out of wooded areas and wraps around a rather large pond.  Stunning terrain; wonderfully landscaped.  A picturesque man made work of art.  The pond, however, is stagnant.  Still water never moving with a layer of scummy residue on top.  Once in awhile I would see a ripple where a fish or turtle had popped up to catch a dragon fly.  The pond then returned to that still and stagnant complacent place.

As I walked around the pond-the words stagnant, stale, still, and complacent penetrated my heart.  Watching the scummy residue float on top of the still water, I thought of where I was in my own life.

I asked God, “Is this me Lord?

Have I become stagnant and stale?

Have I become complacent with a scummy residue on my surface for all to see?”

I believe God’s answer to me was simply, “Yes.”

I have been dealing with some negative feelings that have consumed me with anger and resentment, so much so that I had forgotten my mission in life to always be about my Father’s business.

Oh, there is a ripple here and a tiny ripple there, but the water of my soul never moves, never flows, leaving me complacent and stagnant with the scummy residue of anger and resentment burning in my heart.

I’ve been praying lately for the Lord to remove my negative thoughts and help me to see only positive ones.  I have been praying that God would use me to be a change agent in the lives of the people around me.  I have been praying for the courage to change in the areas of my life that I need to change.

My heart has been stagnant far too long. The time has come to open the floodgates and clean out that complacent pond of my heart, remove the scummy residue that is anger and resentment and allow God to deliver fresh flowing water of grace.

Revelation 22:1-2 (NLT) states “Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  It flowed down the center of the main street.  On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month.  The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.” 

The water of life is a symbol of eternal life.  It will bring healing and strength wherever it flows.  The leaves will be used for medicine to heal the nations.  That gives me so much hope.  I need not worry about things of this life the way I have been.  I need not be angry or resentful of what the world around me has become.  God is faithful.  He showed me through this scripture that He will use water clear as crystal from the river that flows from His throne to rescue me from this complacent place.  He will water my tree of life in order for me to bear much fruit.  He will heal my heart and the world around me.

As we persevere toward the goal that God has laid before us, I pray for fresh-flowing, healing water from the throne of God to cleanse our impurities; to wash away any bitterness and anger and replace it with grace.  And I pray that our body of water will be an ever flowing river of strength and unity; healing to all.

Peace be with you.

~Julia