Sailing to the North Star
Wherever we are our faith voyage, contemplating who we are now and who we hope to be provides us a North Star. But what about all that stuff that impedes our sailing?
As we consider what flotsam and jetsam need to be cleared away, it’s tempting to drop anchor and stare dismally at all our floating crud. Though the point is the voyage, not the impediments, it’s easy to get trapped berating ourselves for our crud. Is there any source of help when we’re weighed down with regret?
There is: and it’s all around us. H2O. Good old water.
This month, we invite you to refresh yourself with God’s gift of H2O. Possibilities are
- Take a sip. Pour water into a clear glass and notice its clarity. Sip and let the water sit on your tongue. Swallow and envision the water replenishing your tissues and hydrating your skin.
- Take a shower or bath. As the water cleanses, notice how it also refreshes. Cool water invigorates; warm water soothes. Soak it in. Literally.
- Perk up a plant. Water a house plant, garden, or lawn. Note how droplets sit on leaves and petals, magnifying their structures: a universe revealed within a single droplet.
- Do the dishes. It’s a homely and wholesome practice to occasionally wash dishes by hand. Life is often nebulous and confusing. Transforming a grimy plate into one sparkling clean and stacking it away for use another time—that’s a soul metaphor we can all appreciate.
Water is a treasure available (for now) in abundance. This month we hope you let it work its restorative magic in your soul. Water smooths our sailing, wherever our soul may voyage.
How do you move through guilt on your soul voyage? We’d love to read your thoughts.