Water speaks to me. Not so much the kind in a glass that I drink, I actually struggle to get that down. However, any body of water: ocean, lake, river, creek, pond – I see it and immediately feel a “soul shift” toward peace happen within me.

I went for a walk along the river this weekend looking for that peace. I was disappointed because the water was so far down that much of my typical scenic view was mud flats as opposed to the flowing water. There was also a bit of a musty odor in the air. It made me think of the ocean marsh at low tide. The scent of rotten eggs wafts into your nose and clothes and high tide’s pretty water topped with green grass blades becomes odiferous pluff mud topped with fiddler crabs.

My spirit was pricked as I saw birds and ducks joyfully accessing food in the low water and mud. I realized that when the water is low, so much is accessible.

• Lots of birds and critters find food they cannot access when the water level is high.
• Trash and debris that has accumulated is visible and more easily removed.
• Tree trunks and vegetation that has overgrown or died and formed stinky clumps can be removed more easily without deep water to hide or complicate things.
• When the silt mud gets high, it can block the water’s flow resulting in stagnant alcoves. Dredging this mud out and restoring the flow is easier when the water is low.I began thinking how beneficial it would be to lower the high water flow of my day-to-day life so that I could get a better view of what lies beneath the surface. Once my mud is showing, I can ask God to reveal the trash and stinky things, then ask Him to help me clean out and dredge what I have allowed to accumulate.

A friend recently released a book called Live Slowly: A Gentle Invitation to Exhale (by Jodi Grubbs). This book beautifully articulates why and how we can “pump the brakes” on life so that we focus on our God-given purpose. This slowing allows us to nourish ourselves and gives us some bandwidth to better serve others. Slowing the flow, lowering the water, and asking the Lord to help us identify and clean out the debris in our lives gives us space to inhale the fragrance of the Lord, and exhale the must and rotten eggs.  A thorough cleansing allows us to more intimately FEEL the presence of God. He has always been there, but the gunk has been competing for our attention.

“We are a temple of the living God…Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 6:16, 7:1.

When we view the mud flats in our lives, prayerful attention and action can yield freedom, beauty, and clarity when the water level rises again. When God reveals what is hampering our movement, we must purge it in order to enable renewed splendor to our flow.