Rivers of Living Water

Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.
-John 7: 38

When I read these words, I imagine a river of quiet abundance, a persistent and inevitable flow, but one whose beauty would be lost if you disturbed it.  Every movement and noise I make might ruin it, even the slightest breath will cause it to ripple, so that my presence feels like a contradiction.  

And so I try to preserve the quiet flow by making myself more like it, but this requires a lot of letting go of movement, of noise, of ambition, of plans, of ego.

The source of this water is not me, but goes through me nonetheless. It is my believing heart that gives it a place to flow. The sensation it leaves me with is that I, the whole of me, am God’s expression, that we, the whole of us, are God’s expression. 

How is this expression felt by my neighbor, coworker, child, enemy? Do they feel a living water?

-John Tan

Let us pray…

Eternal God, quiet our hearts and help us to be still.  May we be so filled by your spirit that it flows forth from us. Amen.