Somewhere in my shelves of books is one written by a nun about prayer. I don't remember the specifics, only that in the book she suggests coming up with imagery about where you meet Jesus. It’s a way of strengthening one’s prayer life by adding imagery to it. I remember that she had suggested on the shores of a lake.
While I don’t recall exactly how the conversation came about, it was a priest who had suggested to me that I imagine surfing with Jesus. At the time, I was still able to surf and this became an important part of how I formed my prayer life. I easily saw myself sitting on the beach with Jesus, our boards beside each of us, as we talked, having already been out on the ocean.
But recently I also began to realize how much I associate God with water. I am admittedly not much of a bible reader so I’m not going to count the references, I part of me wonders if there are more references to water than desert in the bible (and if I’m wrong, I don’t care– I like my idea better!).
I meet God in the gym pool five mornings a week where I swim my laps and contemplate my writing for the day. I meet God at the ocean when I’m there and need my inspiration replenished. And I meet God at my own swimming pool when I’m frustrated or irritated by whatever life might be throwing at me.
Something to think about in this new year– where do you go to meet God? Maybe by knowing that, you can find the peace and solace your inner world might be lacking. I know that’s helped me and the more I acknowledge it, the more I use it.