“Where Water Flows” 36x48
Does the water’s edge bring you peace? There is something undeniably peaceful about water, and I think most of us can agree on that. The inlet where I live, Mobile Bay, geographically scoops into the northern coastline of the Gulf of Mexico collecting the waters of 5 rivers before releasing them into the Gulf. Its port city is steeped in history, but so is its surrounding land. There is rich story in “America’s Amazon” where the 5 rivers meet before flowing into Mobile Bay. But when we say “history”, don't we all go to the “who’s who” stories of the past:
"Who settled where? Who claimed what? Who sacrificed? Who fought? Who said that? Who gets credit? Who do we thank for this?”
Who?
Perspective influences the way we look at what we have, and when we back up our view of time, we perceive all that took place before this day and who was there. Before this day’s bay of fisherman fishing, skiers skiing and bay boats boating— a lot happened in this encasement. That sense of perspective keeps us aware of all that came before our simple days on the bay. It helps us to remember just what value we have in these waters. So what do we see when we back the view out even further… even higher?
When we look past the early Spanish explorer of 1519 who reported a sense of Holy Spirit in this northern inlet, what do we see? What do we see when we look even further, past the Native tribes who first resided in the fertile land of the delta? What was here before them? Who was here first?
Land is handed over man to man, generation to generation, and so it is easy for us to forget who truly holds the deed. But the water, it still actively moves along the surface of the earth, pushed and pulled by the moon. There is still a notably cosmic effect happening in the water. It is moving before our eyes at the hand of something so much bigger than our own. While land can seem so man-handled, water is undeniably still in its Creator’s hand. To stand near a body of water is to witness first hand the powerful presence of spiritual Peace, an undeniably massive power. To stand before an endless waterscape— one can feel so minuscule. Just as one can feel so unnecessarily frantic when standing before the stillness of a low tide. Standing near this earth’s natural bodies of water, our worldy troubles are put into perspective. Our restless anxieties and nervous energies can seem so powerless, so needless.
Water is so much more than pretty scenery and a luxury for leisure. Water front property is a front row seat to an ancient history. No wonder we sense Peace there. He is there.
