The Power of Water

I was watching "Planet Earth" on the National Geographic Channel last night. What a great program! The countless hours spent documenting life on this planet is a treasure for all times. Especially when life forms are being snuffed out at an alarming rate - and humans are crowding out what's left with their own overproduction and ego-centric behavior.

I first watched a show about fresh water. A fact that struck me was that over the course of 5 million years, the Colorado River has carved what we call the Grand Canyon. Five million years and still creating as we speak! It is a chemical maxim that given enough time, water can and will dissolve anything. Two hydrogen and one oxygen atom when combined, yield a tremendously powerful substance that is both a creative and a destructive force.

The following program on Planet Earth was about deserts - those arid places on the planet that receive water only sporadically. Water falls as rain often in the mountains many miles away and comes roaring down dry wadis (ravines) and ultimately runs out of steam and gets absorbed. The power of the water in that instance is what happens when it gets absorbed. Suddenly, seeds that have lain dormant for up to 30 years (!) spring into life and carpet the ground with new growth and flowers. Water becomes a powerful life-giving force as it stimulates fruitfulness and new growth.

Water dissolves and creates, it renews and it destroys, it can not be ultimately controlled. If we turn our focus to how water affects our health, wellness and wholeness, we see that our bodies are about 60% water (as adults) and that without water we soon die. Water is a necessary and life-giving substance for us and all living things. The Abrahamic traditions all grew out of a part of the world characterized by lack of water. Thus, it's not surprising at all the prominant role that water metaphors play in the teachings. In Christian teachings, the "Living Water", "a cup of cold water", and the "River of Life" are but three instances that indicate the power of this simple chemical compound.

As you travel this week, think about the power of water in your life - not just physical water, but spiritual water. Frozen water has resulted in my children missing school for two days, and for incredible amounts of frustration and inconvenience here in the Washington, DC, area and up the East Coast. The power of uncontrollable water - that the opportunity to consider its effect on us.

Peace,
Dan