(A parable)
Once upon a time, there was a young girl who loved the water. She wanted to swim more than anything in the world. It wasn’t long until she happened to come upon a beautiful river. Immediately, she dived in. But the river’s current was strong and she soon found she couldn’t swim in the direction she desired. Before long, she couldn’t keep her head above water. She managed to get out (with a little help from her friends). After she dried off, she felt as good as new.
Soon she discovered a mountain stream. In her heart, the young woman still loved water and wanted to swim. She dived in. The stream also had a swift current and its bed was rocky. Weakened by the current, she was unable to keep herself from getting bruised from the rocks on the bottom. Again, she was able to get out- a little discouraged about swimming.
The young woman had a strong will, and the desire to swim soon returned. She traveled until she came to a high mountain river. She stood for a moment on the bank and looked at the current. It looked swift and dangerous, but the woman had learned that water is like that. She jumped in. This time, she didn’t really try to swim. She just tried not to drown. The mountain river was more rapid than anything she had encountered before. It rushed along and finally carried her over a gigantic waterfall. It is a miracle that a woman of such a kind and gentle nature survived. But she did (By this time she had a guardian lifeguard.)
It took the woman a long time to dry off. You would think that she would get bitter and hate water. But, as I said (I think I said), that this was no ordinary woman. She spent many years in quiet introspection. She read books and went to classes about water safety and swimming. To her surprise, she found that not all water was the same. She studied the differences between rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans.
It was during this period of growth that the woman discovered a peaceful, clear, blue mountain lake. Partly hidden by the trees, the lake was unseen by hikers and campers that frequented the area. She gazed at the lake for a long time. She couldn’t help but love it. It was so different from the rushing torrents of her past. The lake beckoned to her and she carefully inched her way down the pathway. She didn’t want to fall in. She took off her shoes and put one toe in the water. It was so cool and inviting. She was content there for a time. But the lake called to her. It was uncomfortable for her to think of the dreams she had hidden away. She was afraid of drowning. The river, the stream, and the rushing waterfall of her past replayed scenes in her mind- fearful scenes of confusion, pain, and weakness. And so, for a season, she sat.
Suddenly, the woman realized that she was letting her past control her future. Although the river, the stream, and the waterfall did not take her life, she had allowed them to steal her dream. In a way, they were winning even though the struggle was long over. This made the woman very angry! She stood up on the bank of the lake and called out to the waters of her past. She called on them to come and take a part of her that they had forgotten. And then she willingly gave to them her FEAR. It was the current, the danger, and the rocks that she should have feared- not the water. And then, after prayer, she did the next logical thing- she held her nose and jumped in!
I don’t know for sure how the story ends. But I have a feeling there is a “happily ever after” out there somewhere. And so begins the legend of the Lady of the lake.