I recently returned from Ireland and learned that rivers speak to me in that beautiful country, just as they do in my country. The accent may be slightly different, but I can clearly understand a river’s message in any country. As I walked miles along the Avonmore River in gorgeous Glendolough, every so often I encountered waterfalls. The sounds were lovely and soothing, and the constant movement was mesmerizing. I had been reflecting on spiritual lessons from nature when I heard someone nearby say, “you know that waterfalls form from the weakest parts of the rocks.”

Really? I had not contemplated where they came from. I just enjoyed their beauty.

Erosion, or wearing away is a common process forming waterfalls. They also form from faults, or cracks in the Earth’s surface, often resulting from some kind of trauma such as an earthquake, landslide, glacier, or volcano.

So, I now hear the river tell me that some of its most stunning beauty often comes from wear and tear, trauma, and weakness. God continues to speak to me… through the river.

If you feel worn down, torn up, weak, and eroded…close your eyes and picture the most beautiful waterfall you can imagine. Listen carefully for the peaceful flow of waters, and remember that God can form your cracks, wear and tear, traumas, and difficulties into awe inspiring, jaw-dropping reflections of His grace, beauty, and glory. He simply must flow through those weak spots. Then, it’s quite something to behold.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12: 9-10)

(On this “Riverfront Christian Coaching” blog, I will share lessons I learn from rivers as they “speak” to me.)

The first waterfall pictured is from the Glendolough walk, the next one from Dublin, and the third is in Waterville Valley, NH.