WOW! Waterfalls of Life ~ by Christina

Recall a time when you were amazed by something, in awe of something, or in a very special place that was overwhelmingly beautiful or meaningful to you.  How did you feel inside?  How did you express that feeling?  Sometimes all I can do is exclaim “WOW!” repeatedly both audibly and quietly in my thoughts.  That’s how it is for me as I crest the top of a bridge heading toward the ocean; what I see is this enormous expanse of unending ocean and beauty.  That’s how it is for me when I watch the sunrise beginning to peak up over the horizon with its array of colors and the way it casts beams from its rising place to the very place I am.  Or a sunset that glows a warm expanse of orange, red, yellow, blue and gray colors. That’s how it is for me as I am in a valley in the middle of majestic mountains surrounding me.  That’s how it is as I look at rushing waterfalls as the water rapidly pours down the surfaces creating more movement and momentum until it flows into the flowing river below with such urgency that it pushes its way into the body of the river.  “WOW!”

 

Expressions come out in many ways.  As we have all experienced, sometimes we wish we hadn’t shown our true expression when it comes out in anger or with a tone that isn’t kind.  While we can have strong expressions as we experience the emotion of something really beautiful, something really awe-inspiring, we also have strong expressions as we experience the emotion of something really hurtful, sad, difficult, uncontrollable, fearful, etc.

 

As I shared briefly in my “about me” post, and as I imagine we all have, I have had some life experiences that were difficult.  My husband and I met when we were both stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood Army base in Missouri (I’ll share about how I became a U.S. Army soldier at another time).  We dated for two years, and ended up getting married earlier than planned due to an unplanned pregnancy.  Those times, during the time when I thought I might be pregnant, when it was confirmed that I was pregnant, the nine months I carried my baby in the womb, the birth of my child, and every moment thereafter, has been a whirlwind of emotions with both excited “WOW!” and that just happened “Wow.” moments.

To begin with, I was that girl, the one who was going to remain a virgin until marriage.  I took it seriously and meant for that to be what would happen; but I failed.  You see my dreams as a young girl didn’t go as planned.  One pivotal time in my life is when my parents divorced just before my senior year in high school.  It was a crazy time and each of my siblings could tell you of how they experienced it and it would sound completely different coming from each of our perspectives.  Because of the divorce and surrounding situation, we ended up moving out of the house I called home the majority of my life up until that time.  When this happened, my older sister and I moved into our own apartment and not long after that I moved into my own “low-income” apartment.  Yes, I was living basically on my own my senior year of high school. I was making my decisions and playing “grown-up” even though I was just a teenager who was hurting inside.  I worked several jobs and hung out with friends. I was pretty naïve and did things that I didn’t plan through that typically ended up with a bad result.  I did what I didn’t think I would do – I began to drink, have parties at my apartment, run around with friends and meet guys—big mistake as I lost my virginity, not through some great “love story” but a rape type situation. That changed my next steps and path for my future.

Fast forward, newly married and giving birth to a baby!  This was my “WOW!” moment, the one that was life changing in the best way ever.  Just thinking back I still get that awe-inspired “WOW!” that overtakes my thoughts.  Giving birth was like the waterfall! 

Stay with me here 😊  The water above the waterfall is like my life, just moving along, going through the motions curving through the bends in the path, just stepping along.  Then out of nowhere the water seems to be picking up speed with the bends coming faster and more intensely than before.  Everything starts coming at me so fast that all I can do is try to keep moving and not hit the big rocks or obstacles that will hurt me, until I begin falling.  All it seems I can do then is find the least resistant path and fall.  Let go and let the flow take me.  The amazing thing is when I let go and fall, like the waterfall, I am carried through and get to the calmer waters faster than if I try to control it.  I take a breath and see I have been carried along to a beautiful place of open water that is gently flowing and where I am able to simply breathe.  To take in the beauty of what is right there.  Childbirth, the same idea, the baby is trying to fight and is pushing their way out and through the birth canal; eventually posturing themselves to go with the flow and birthed into the arms of those there to greet them; placed in the arms of their parents where they find peace and can simply breathe.  It’s a beautiful experience where the emotions are overflowing – WOW!  While not everyone will give birth, all of us can think about the paths we have taken and how they can begin slowly and quickly become so fast moving that we feel out of control.  It’s when we recognize we are not in control and we can let go and trust that God will carry us through to the other side, that we can experience peace and where we can simply breathe. Wow.  It’s that kind of “wow” that we can pause and calmly recognize that what just happened was different than what we planned but God was there, in control, only allowing so much before he brought us out on the other side.

 

Trust that when we allow ourselves to let go, to trust and simply breathe, that God will lead our paths.  Let the “WOW!”’s in our lives be what is magnified in our thinking.  Remember and hold true to His truth:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

While we sometimes feel we are drowning, there will be a joyful ending – whether on this earth or in the arms of our Heavenly Father.  Trust His path each moment by moment and Simply Breathe.