When Peace Like a "Kettle Pond"

I love the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul".  Throughout our 6 months in Boston, we visited this Kettle Pond on Cape Cod.  To me this Kettle Pond is "Peace Like a River".  It's not a river, but in my mind, I can't picture rivers as peaceful.  To me they are swift, speedy, thrift, and frantic.  This Kettle Pond is picturesque of calm, quiescent, serene, undisturbed, and restful waters.

When I was a child I recall a particular time I swam in a river.  Although I was wearing a life-jacket, I remember the anxiety I felt.  The current was strong, and I was fearful of being washed away.  Washed away into the unknown.  The turbulent waters scared me more than I realized at the age of six.  Now as an adult, I find security remaining in the calm waters.  Where the fear of being washed away is minimal, wading in it's sanctuary. I find security in my Father in Heaven.  A Father who's proven Himself faithful time and time again.  By mending a little girl's broken heart, giving me over and above the desires of my heart, and proving to my once skeptic heart, I can place complete trust in Him.

When my life seems to spiral out of control, when I endure sleepless nights, and when I feel distant from my Father, I think of this pond.  This beautiful, peaceful, quiet, and removed piece of art, created by the hands of God.  I will never forget the nearness I felt to God, while sitting along the shore.  When in a battle with sleepless nights, I ponder this quiet spot.  This memory where I can see, feel, and meet God!