The Shallows Lead to the Deep
The shallows of life, those still, quiet, and simple moments we do not think highly of these days, are gateways to the deep. They are everywhere, yet we overlook them without a notice. Worse, we sometimes go out of our way to avoid them. They do not clamor for our attention, there are no alerts, notifications, chimes - they just are, content to wait for the one with the sense to become their friend.
Brother Lawrence was a friend of the shallows. He reveled in them, enjoying their constant company and mystery as he went about his simple yet busy life, and they led him into the deep.
Life these days is like going to the beach. Most rush through the shallows that caress the shore, hurrying to get out there or down there. It is always about the next big wave, the power, or what is hidden beneath, not the gentle touch of water at the edge, at its shallowest part, with its soothing rhythm that nestles against the toes and cools the bottom of the foot. Is there anything better than that feeling? Maybe as good as, but you will have to prove it to me if you say better than.
As the sun rises or sets, this is when the shallows do most of their healing, in their stillness, quietude, peace, promise, communion. Alone with God and our thoughts in this place where the invitation to the deep reaches its hand gently toward our own to lead us on a journey into the mysteries of life. The shallows.
We are too busy, too much in motion, too full of life, too full of ourselves. We should be more at peace, even when doing the hard things. We should enjoy silence because it is in the silence that we hear.
There is a rock at Deer Creek Beach on the north end of Malibu, a place in the shallows that I know well. It is a seat in nature's great hall of peace, a place of encounter and communion. I love that place, but I am here now, and I've found a new place, the shallows of the quiet morning hours, and it is the same.