When I Went Down to the River to Pray

I had a vision.

In my mind’s eye, I was with the Lord. He took me down to a beautiful river at the edge of a wide, yellow field of grass. We sat beneath a tree and talked.

The Lord turned to me and said, “You always loved the river.”

“Yes,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. “I always loved the river. It is so beautiful when the light touches it in the sunset.”

We sat for a moment, looking at the beauty of the sunset on the water. It shimmered across the surface, throwing dapples on the shore. Across the way, I thought I could see the tops of the apple orchards. They shone in the dying pink light, cotton candy pink and blue.

He said, “The light touches every drop of water.”

This was an odd thing to say, but it became clear to me what he meant. Every drop of water that formed the river caught the light. If I were to take a single drop out and hold it on my palm, it would reflect and shine that light, creating a tiny window of the great warmth and beauty that shone above.

I thought of all the water in that river, all those tiny, single droplets of light. Moving, heading towards the great ocean where they would go to rest. Together.

Then a thought occurred to me. I turned to the Lord. “What about the water that is lost? What happens to it?”

He looked at me. “No drop of water is lost.”

I considered the drops that would fall to the ground. They would go into the earth, perhaps coming up as grass or flowers. Some would evaporate in the sun. The animals might eat the flowers or breathe the mist and the water would become a part of that creature. The animal would die or turn the water to waste. No matter what way it happened, the water would return to the sky, where it would rain down.

Eventually, the water would find its way to another river. And it would join with the other drops of water and go to the ocean.

No drop of water is lost.

I think of this now, as I contemplate the world. There are so many who are lost, who feel lost. And those who feel that they have found the river that leads to happiness may not feel that way forever.

I’ve seen people I love splash away. I’ve seen friends and family on the shore. I have wanted to help them, but it seems that confronting them with ways to get back into the river are not as helpful as simply loving them.

What I’m trying to say is this:

We belong to something bigger and more beautiful than we could ever imagine. A trillion trillion points of light that are destined to return to our source. Just because someone chooses a different path than we do doesn’t mean that they won’t make it back to the source. Sure, the road may be more difficult. It might take longer. It may include danger or times of darkness. Still, the law of the universe is that we are created of divine materials that yearn to go home to our divine creator.

And whether or not you believe in Him, He believes in you.

He believes that you are good.
That you have hope.
That you are kind rather than selfish.
That you will listen to your mother.
That you will speak gently.
That you will be the peacemaker.
That you will change the world for the better.
That you can forgive yourself and others.
That you will seek out universal truths.
That you will believe things that will change your paradigms.
That you will act on your beliefs.
That you will let love be your guiding virtue.
That you and I are worthy of His grace.

Love those who may seem lost, especially if that someone is yourself. Forgive. Find ways to be vigilant and hopeful, because there is always a way to find the path back to our Heavenly Father.

You may be the one on the journey, or you may be the tool for someone to make their way back. Either way, you are an important part of the grand plan to reunite us back together again at our divine home.

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