A Strange, Quiet Place

By Vickie G. Paver

I am one of those people who is an optimist at heart. God has given me the willingness to see the bright side of life's daily trials. However, on waking this morning I was feeling "down in the dumps". Not able to shake these feelings, or knowing the source of them, I decided to take my Bible and sit on the edge of the diving board overhanging our pool. With bare feet dangling in the water, I realized that it will be another month or two before we get to swim in our pool. It is still my favorite place to reflect. There is something calming about the water. As I sit here, I can hear the morning activity of human and nature. The chipper chirping of the birds in the pine, flies buzzing, and a tiny spider speeding in the direction of my body. I do find beauty in bugs, if they are not on me. I try to flick the tiny creature onto the cement below so that he can contentedly go his way. With one flick of my finger I accidentally crush him. My dance with nature stops, and I feel even more in the dumps. Other sounds are rushing in my ear now. I can hear the wheels of cars and trucks as they pass by, crushing the loose gravel deeper into the road. The neighbor's door slams, my husband is bumping around in the upstairs bedroom that juts slightly out over the patio. Looking to the sky to recapture my dance with nature, I realized the sun has slipped into the clouds, riveting more solidly my gloom.

My view of the water changes as I notice the slimy green algae and black potage of dead leaves in the bottom of the pool. I think what a strange, quiet place to draw near to God. Determined not to let the "elusive feelings of good cheer" keep me from having my quiet time in this strange place, I decide to read Psalms 103. My eyes and heart take in two verses that seem to be written in bold lettering: vs. 13. "As a father pities his children. So the Lord pities those who fear Him. vs. 14. "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust." Did my "down in the dumps" feelings pass with the reading of this scripture? The answer is, "no," they did not pass. God instead reminded me that whatever the outside world looks like, whether we are wounded by disease, poverty and tragedy, or filled with the perplexity of lesser things, like clouded skies, dirty pools, or "a down in the dumps mood," He cares. No matter in what direction my feelings are running, He still cares; "...He knows our frame...that we are dust." Knowing this gives me a deep, abiding joy.