Behold, All Things Are New

The lake finally warmed up enough for swimming and my first ventures in were enjoyable, though the water was a bit murky with pollen. Just a day later, it was less pleasant: not only were there undulating layers of pollen, algae, and milky streams of who-knows-what, but when I got out, there was a distinct odor of fish/frog eggs. I was glad for a hot shower back at the cabin.

My swim happened to coincide with an annual spring occurrence. I'm sure there's a scientific name for the phenomenon, but around here we say the lake is "turning over". When I went for a swim two days later, the water was clear, clean, and odorless. It was, as always, a marvel to me.


Why does a lake "turn over"? How does it know when to do it? Is there a point beyond tolerance of its condition which triggers it? Is a lake programmed to cleanse itself?

A thought occurred to me--what about us? The times when we sense that our current state is unsatisfactory and wish for change. We can't "turn over", but we are urged to turn about, to repent. We hear it in the psalm, (51), "Cleanse me, and I shall be clean...create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me". And, aftermath, " Behold, all things are new."

- Marian Stewart