Forces of Nature

The Background:

I captured this scene in the Zion Narrows in the Fall of 2021. The Narrows is an amazing hike along, and mostly in the middle of, the Virgin River. It passes between the towering canyon walls along the narrow path of the river (hence the name). The canyon was formed by the flow of the water of the river, flash floods and the freezing and thawing of ice in the cracks in the surrounding walls. You can see both the larger impact of the river in carving the canyon as well as the smaller impact on the smooth rocks in the bottom corner of the image.

The Message:

We often feel that in order for us to change (and the same applies when disciplining our children), we must take drastic measures, be unforgiving and demand total compliance. If we think about how water – something that we associate with softness, smoothness and flow – is actually responsible for major changes, we may re-think that approach. Perhaps more effective change (and discipline) would come from a loving, accepting approach – both for ourselves and those around us. If we love ourselves and accept our shortcomings – we can build ourselves up towards real and lasting change. Sometimes we need to give ourselves a big push, like the flash flood making larger changes, other times we just need to maintain steady flow to wear down our resistance, and a lot of the time it is an up and down process of freezing and thawing. But whatever we need to do, real transformation will come with gentleness, kindness and love.

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