The Rock (God Moments)

One night while sitting around the campfire, there came a lull in the conversation as everyone’s thoughts turned into themselves.  Tired bodies and dancing flames induce such moods - reflections of goodness and dreams of the coming.  But those times were always brief at Blue Lake and the quiet was soon broken with, “Let’s go for a swim out on the lake!”  There was no debate.  The flotilla was summoned with chaotic haste and out we went.  Now the wisdom of that decision may very well be questionable at best.  But rest easy, I’m pleased to report that Air and Sea Rescue was not called out that night.

The fleet came to rest at a point on the lake where the stone cliffs of basalt dove vertically into the waters below.  Looming in the darkness some 300 feet above, the rock face blocked half the night sky from view while the Milky Way lived up to its name in the field of view still visible.  A second of silence followed as the engines were cut and the wash subsided into the distance.

Well, we all dove in - although I did hesitate another second or two.  You see, my buoyancy when measured is as close to a negative number as humanly possible.  And my swimming techniques can best be described as thrash and near panic.  Nonetheless, in I went even as some sort of water fight had already erupted into a full scale battle somewhere in the black and gray.  Well, after about a minute and a stealthily executed sneak attack, I flailed back to the ski ladder and with some relief pulled myself up onto the gunnels of the boat.  Legs dangling over the edge, the stars seduced my mind as the campfire had earlier.  A certain quiet and peace enveloped even as shrieks and howls of joyful mayhem echoed over the water.

And suddenly it hit me.  No, not a water cannon…..but a realization.  In the middle of the night, dripping wet, I wasn’t cold.  In fact, I was warm.  It startled me for lack of a better word and took a minute to discern.  But warmth was radiating off the majestic stone precipice towering overhead.  Rays that had been captured during the heat of the day were now being released and transferred to my skin.  And in that moment, my soul was warmed as well.  Because it struck me that God was speaking and that maybe I should pay attention.   

Now, to be sure there were no choirs of heavenly host or thunderous voices.  But just as surely a vague understanding took root deep within me in that moment.  For suddenly I was aware that my joy, my wellbeing in that place and time, had been composed and then orchestrated by a loving God.  And over the years that appreciation increased in scope and became instrumental in forming my views of God and His love for mankind.  A consciousness developed that would transform my thoughts on creation and the meaning of life.  A mindful certainty grew of a sacrificial love that each soul represents.  All of that and so much more.

Well, I really can’t take it all in.  Layer upon layer.  One to the next. Goodness over goodness.  The mind simply boggles.  But sometimes when the black of the heavens is its blackest and the stars shout with joy in the silence, the moment causes me to pause.  And I remember a rock……..and wonder…….and stand truly humbled.

Link:  Beginnings (Psalms and Prayers)