Grace Like a Waterfall

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Ozone Falls waterfall in Cumberland County, Tennessee. I’ve seen waterfalls from a distance and in pictures but have never been able to experience one up close. To say it was beautiful and amazing is an understatement. The incredible sight, the feeling of the cold water, the sound of the rushing cascade of water, the smell of nature– it was all soothing and peaceful for my heart, soul, and mind. I could have sat there and listened forever.

Today, I had a conversation with a pastor on how God’s grace for us is like a waterfall. I love this analogy because God drenches us with His grace, whether we ask for it or not. Much like the waterfall, God’s grace and love is present whether I’m there or not. That waterfall in Tennessee is still flowing today, even though I’m back in Texas. I did nothing to earn that beautiful waterfall much like we don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love and grace. Take Bartimaeus for example. Bartimaeus was a blind man, begging on the side of the road. Jesus healed him with no questions asked. Simply because Bartimaeus had faith, Jesus restored his sight and extended God’s love and grace to him. (Mark 10:46-52) God does the same for us.

You might ask what waterfalls and God’s grace have to do with mental health. The answer is:  Everything! Often when one struggles with their mental health they find it difficult to accept God’s grace. They may think they are not worthy of God’s love or the love of others. They might struggle with finding peace, feeling accepted and valued, feeling defeated and incapable of receiving or deserving the peace, love and grace that comes from our Savior. Some may believe that they must earn God's grace and that by being enveloped in sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, instability and conflict, God’s love and grace for them is unjustifiable. It's difficult to escape the mindset that one is not worthy when the daily emotional struggles become overwhelming.

Waterfalls tells us that we ARE deserving of God’s grace. There is nothing we can do to earn it and there is nothing we can do to have it taken away. God’s love and grace is omnipotent; it transcends our greatest understanding of what it takes to be loved. Because, as we know, love and grace from God is always there, accepting us amongst our imperfections, flaws, and struggles. This is a truth that I will hold close during times of feeling anxious, depressed or unlovable. I have earned God’s unmerited grace by simply being me, the hot mess of a human that God created through God’s perfect love.

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