Still Waters of Peace

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. Isaiah 42:10

I love the water. All water. Rivers, waterfalls, lakes, ponds, the ocean. The sounds and smell of water soothe my soul. I love to paint the water as well. It is a common subject in many of my paintings that I am slowly bringing down from the attic. The one at the top of this blog is my interpretation of the ocean at Hilton Head. (It is for sale. Contact me if interested at vickychooseslife@yahoo.com.)

I love to be on the water. Not in the water. Too many gruesome creatures are in the water. But when I am in my kayak on the water, I feel like the oar is an extension of my arm. I feel completely in my element, where I am supposed to be. I wonder if I was meant to be a fish and God changed His mind at the last moment.

Anyway, I have a lot to do before my mastectomy surgery Friday. I finished off a major illustration job. I mailed a bunch of paintings to customers. I catalogued new ones down from the attic. I repaired an oil painting with some scratches on it. Then, I had lots left to tackle, but I slipped out to Lake Wylie with my kayak.

As soon as my kayak drifted onto the lake, the world and all its worries slipped away. The waves rocked me and sang a lullaby. The sun tiptoed on the reflections of sky and trees. Dogs on shore barked at me as I drifted by, wagging their tails. Fishermen waved at me, and commented, "That's good exercise."

I asked God what He was telling me, in the midst of all that peace and joy on the water. He didn't speak, but I think His silence was the message. He wanted me to chill out, lose my worries, and just enjoy the peaceful interlude He provided. Sometimes God is not actively teaching. Sometimes He just wants me to BE.

Humans are Human Beings, not Human Do-ers. I am a do-er, but my challenge is to be content be-ing. I am most able to capture that when I am on my kayak ( on the water, not in the water).

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With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel. Jeremiah 31:9

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. Psalm 23: 1-2