Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The River


Walking wearily along this dry, dusty, empty road;
my life and all its lonely places.
 
 I reach a dark, cold and rocky place
where my feet cannot go but painfully slow,
 it's there that I hear a sound.
 
 A sound of rushing, gushing, charging and fullness.
 
 I'm drawn to turn away from my present place
to follow what I hear.
 
 I find myself so thirsty; my tongue is so dry,
but it's the depths of me that feel especially parched and desolate.

With every heavy step the louder the sound becomes,
it envelopes my hearing and deafens my thoughts.

And then I see it:
a mighty, tumultuous river of the deepest hues.

 Photo by Encouragement
Its fury is obvious by the sound yet the waves are gloriously radiant and compelling.

Oh, the sight makes my heart feel so desperate,
my soul so empty, my throat so tight.
 
The river is close.
The edge my feet are standing near is sharp and deep.

I know what I must do for I feel so dirty, so filthy, so dry, and exhausted.

My heart screams "JUMP!".
Yet my weary mind is terrified of the leap.
 
Longing.
I must get in this River.

I'm so tired of this land I've been traveling
and bound to for so long.
The thought of going back to that road sickens me to the point of courage.
 
 
I do it.
I jump!

 
I feared it would be cold;
I thought it would take me away in a dark, frigid gulp.
 
But I feel so light, so nourished, so warm,
as though I'm being embraced by loving arms.
 
What is this place?
 
I cannot move for the current is too strong to fight,
I give in and let it take me where it wants.
 
My heart is overwhelmed!
 
The strong fluid rolls me and captures me,
washes and buries me deep.
 
Oh, I feel loved!

 I feel life coming in to my bones!
 
I'm in.
I'm found.
I belong.
I am in the submergence of Love.
 
I've been captivated, captured and covered by the thickest, purest, deepest Love.
 
The waves roll me in gentle hugs,
I feel the jagged edges of my soul wearing away.
 
All the weighty burdens that were attached to my being have melted away.
 
That thirst I felt for so long is quenched, yet
I feel completely addicted to this fresh Water of Life.
 
Inside. Hidden. Forgiven. Clean. Included. Received. Refreshed. Adored.
.......................................................................
 
May my heart and soul jump into the deep Love of YHVH;
the One who always was, always is and always will be.
 
May I be so utterly intertwined and buried inside of HIM
that onlookers would be compelled to His character.
Flowing with Him. Used by Him. Carried by Him.
Alive in Him in an abundant, passionate, unstoppable union.
 
JUMP - FALL IN LOVE!
This is my nephew jumping in!

I wrote a similar allegory about 10 years ago and it keeps coming to memory and reminding me of my purpose: to jump into God and get lost in His love, His purity, His truth and His mercy.
 This is a song from Jeremy Riddle about the furious love I speak of. Soak it in.