I love the sound of water. I don’t care if it’s a wave, a river, a stream or a fountain. Just hearing the gentle trickling, running, tumbling sound of this “fluid serenity” brings peace to my mind and soul. Since I don’t live near the water, I have fountains in my backyard. They each have a different rhythm and sound emanating from them. The type of flow is different depending on the size of the pump, the shape of what the water flows through, the size of the hole(s) and how far it has to fall and fill.

I had to learn about fountains. At first whenever there wasn’t any water flowing I thought it was broken. I came to find out that there were multiple potential reasons…but it didn’t mean I had to throw the whole thing out.

The first time this happened, there was a flow problem. This one particular one has an angel with a trumpet in its hand where the water sprays into the basin. The center tube kept clogging and then the trumpet clogged. I had to learn to take the tip off and clean the holes while clearing the tube connected to it.

The second one is a smaller angel that has water dripping gently out through a little bucket in its hands into a small basin below. My dog Luke thinks this is his private drinking spot. This one needs to be filled with water more regularly. Luke gets thirsty at times. It also doesn’t hold as much and when I forget, the pump burns out. Needless to say, I’ve replaced many a pump.

Then I added a Tuscan fountain that has three different sized urns that bubbles water through the top of them. I assembled this one myself. I followed all the directions and was so very proud I even was able to understand the written instructions. It was working fine and then suddenly started to stop flowing. I was ready to bring it back to the store as a defective piece of merchandise. Time did not allow for this and so I needed to find a solution. “It must be my assembly” I said to myself. I tried many varied approaches to solve this problem. Then one day…there it was. The basin was gathering particles from falling foliage. The suction from the pump pulled these unwanted pieces into the intake area of the pump. Once I removed the obstructions damning it up, the water vigorously flowed from the tops of the urns gently down the sides and into the large basin. This is a powerful pump so the debris needs to be cleaned out on a fairly regular basis. I had to also learn that forcing water through the holes on top did not solve the problem because the problem was deep inside.

Finally, I found this beautiful fountain that bubbles out, up and over a bulb-like opening. It’s tall, regal and elegant. It brings a sense of power and presence to the garden setting. The sound coming from its source is not as loud as the other smaller fountains. I find that strange. You would think that it would be just the opposite given its size, presence and external characteristics. However, observing the water as it flows out and over the round bubble and then cascade down its sides still gives my spirit joy and refreshing.

The basin that holds the water for this gentle giant is fairly substantial. One day I noticed the water only trickling over the top. There was plenty of water in the basin. This puzzled me since this was a new acquisition and shouldn’t be having any problems. I wasn’t sure how to access the pump. I decided to do the simplest thing I could. I filled the basin to the brim. Behold the water gushed happily over the top and down the sides! It was such a simple solution I was shocked.

About a week ago I was standing outside checking the water levels. Then the Lord spoke to me in relation to the large bubble-top fountain. He said “Your life is like this one. You have to keep it filled with My water…the water of My Spirit…to continue to be effective and flow without stopping. Keep asking for this filling, spend time with me for this filling and watch as I flow out of you more efficiently and powerfully. Without my water there is no life.”

In Acts 1 and 2 Jesus promised after His resurrection that He would send us a Comforter, a Friend, and that we would be able to do all the things that He did and even more. He said that this source of Power would give us what we needed to empower our lives and continue just as He modeled for us while on this earth. Acts 2 specifically tells how this promise was fulfilled in visible signs and wonders (miracles and demonstrations of the power of God).

Genesis 1 &2 talks about how and why God created humankind (man and woman) in His image and likeness. They had it all. They lived in a place that only knew His presence, power and peace. They blew it. They wanted more. Their decision was made as the result of deception. This aborted the plan of mankind that was intended from the beginning of creation.

But God had His own plan. He sent His Son. Jesus came to bring life to us again and to bring the power and wisdom of heaven to earth in order to restore all that was taken. He did nothing while on this earth unless His heavenly Father directed Him to do so. The scriptures talk about this. They also talk about how Jesus spent time away from ministry to refresh and be still. If God’s Son needed all this, why should we feel we don’t? I didn’t. I was busy doing tons of things and squeezing in a moment now and then. My heart was right …but my priorities, I came to find out, were not. I wasn’t bubbling out to my fullest because I wasn’t filled to the brim.

I try to remember to ask myself…”How’s my life flowing?” “Is my basin empty, half full or my source of life plugged or do I just have a lot of debris blocking the pump.” “Am I allowing the purpose of my flow to be diminished by internal or external causes or do I just need to go back to be filled up?”

There are all kinds of fountains in all kinds of shapes, sizes and styles with all kinds of purposes. But they all do the same thing. Water pours through them continually. Our lives should and can be like that too. We just need to make sure we are ready, willing and available to filled, unclogged or cleaned out to fulfill our purpose. We aren’t the same. He doesn’t want us to be. He just wants us to remember where our power and life come from and that He is there to refill us, clear away the blockage and heal our heart (repair our pump) so that we are always ready to bubble up and pour out.

Be Sociable, Share!

•