Waterleap (5 Nov 2014; Sipi Falls, Uganda)
Waterfall. Always leaping down, leaping with joy, leaping with
willingness, leaping without return.
Waterfall. Each drop of water makes its own leap and yet all
fall in unity, fall in community. Each drop has its own individual path though
the road of the stream downward constant. Each take the path many travelled
before, yet find it new in individual experience. The fall downward unique for one
through the constant shape; the beauty of each individual drop’s fall creates
the beauty of the waterfall.
Waterfall. Selfless leaps down. Giving of selves to make a
beauty which others observe and thus recognize the Creator. At the bottom of
the drops’ fall, at the bottom of the waterfall, turmoil and twisting and
splashing and thrashing appears as each drop hits the stream below. The truth,
though, is that at the bottom of a waterfall is where each drop’s flight
downward ends and a new creation begins. The flight of individual falling ends,
and plighting together begins. The flight ends, and the plight together begins.
Lone falling becomes together flowing.
Is this not the body of Christ? To make beauty, to make others
stand in awe of the Creator with joyful giving of selves, joyful letting go of
all knowns and make the leap into faith? Let go of rights to a nice life with a
pretty view on the hills and mountains of independence…and jump. Take the leap
to joyfully fall, letting go of high self-made positions to be made low, to be
made love. Taking the leap that many have taken before. The road downward of
dying to self the same, though individual paths differ from those leaping
before and those leaping after.
At the bottom, those that leapt become new, made new, a new
creation and new creature. Though the process seems scary and maybe painful,
after such a leap, a full abandonment of what was once known to a full
submission to the Creator, such a transformation is readily welcomed, such a
transition from falling to flowing rejoiced over. The unity of flowing through life with brothers and sisters in Christ near and far.
Waterfall. After completing the jump, the leapers continue on
the way of unity, unity with others who have taken the leap, downward through
life, living a life of beautiful surrender for the sake of others to look upon
and see the Creator, the one motivating such a leap that has caused such beauty
and natural wonder. The streams continue downward taking smaller leaps of faith
periodically, and subsequent leaps of surrender to rights required as the path
guides down from the high places so that all the earth may know Him.
Waterfall. Fall in your name makes you sound like an accident, makes
you sound like the result of an injury. And you are. The body of Christ is the
result of an injury, the injury on humanity left by sin, left by rebellion,
left by unbelief. Waterfall. Might your name change to Waterleap? Each drop
leaps for joy down. Each follower leaps for joy after the Creator and Savior.
No hesitation possible, no turning back once the leap is made and feet leave
the ground.
Waterfall or Waterleap, no matter the name, I’ll continue to
stand in awe of your natural beauty, and your separate yet united way.
