Soul Submersion

First of all, welcome to my blog! I've had this thing set up since April, but this is my first real entry. Sad story, I know, but I'm working on it. This is a little something I wrote in the spring of 2009. Recently I had been thinking about this piece that I wrote, wondering which notebook or notepad contained my precious thoughts. I don't keep a strict journal or anything, I just write sporadically in whatever book is available. On Friday I went to Panera to study with a friend. As I was flipping through my notebook, I found what I was looking for! Ever since I read it again I have been feeling an increasing urgency to post it, so here goes. Comments and questions are always welcome.

You don't bother to investigate beyond the visible surface. You stick to what is comfortable, and though your hands and feet may swirl through the depths, you fear plunging your head beneath the surface. For then you will be completely surrounded and the pressure will build, closing in on you. Pressure to explore the depths of your own soul. You are fearful of finding out that your depths are just a vast, dry canyon instead of a rich, deep quarry. We see the tumbleweeds, things with no substance or purpose, blowing around on the desert floor of the canyon. In the quarry, however, beautiful rocks and sparkling water reflect fortitude and strength.

Maybe the surface looks murky brown from the outside. You cannot see through it. Beyond the translucent may lie dangerous things. If you venture too far you may be bitten. Bitten by love, taken by something that you longed for and so wanted to find. You are curious to see the things underneath, to put a name to them and grab hold, but fear overrides your curiosity. Those things might hurt you or make you uncomfortable. They might challenge you to do something bold or different.

Plunge. Dive. Do not be afraid. Though the depths may pull you under and toss you around, you will break the surface again. Just when you think you have had too much and you begin to panic, out of control, your legs and arms move and you feel an upward push. The depths release you. As you rise from the water and breathe the air, you realize that playing at the top and skimming the surface is not enough. You can barely resist taking another dive, if you can resist at all, because you have been set free.


Shine on my friends

Shep