Reflections In Love

“We all reflect the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like Him.”  2 Corinthians 3:18

As I ran on the beach in the morning, the waves continually crashed onto the shore.  Some mornings they were more gentle and other mornings the white caps of the waves were visible.  In our grief, we talk about the waves of emotions and the waves of intense grief.  At the beginning, the waves seem to crash continuously one after another with hardly a breath taken between the intensity of the waves.  Some of the waves are so powerful we are knocked down and feel the water rush over us.  We believe it is impossible to stand up and face another day, but we somehow get to our feet.  Other waves are gentle and even bring a slight smile and memory.  The waves of the ocean just as the waves of grief never stop but change in the intensity over time and moments.

As I turned around on the beach in my run and faced the sun this time, I saw the reflection of the sun on the waves.  The waves still came but the beauty of the waves changed.  They glistened in the light of the sun reflecting the light onto the white beach.  The light was bright and almost overwhelming in brilliance.  God spoke to me in this moment and I gained a new perspective of the waves and grief.  Each wave of the ocean represents the reflection of the sun.  Each wave of grief reflects a moment of love experienced from my loved ones.  The sun reflects on the waves in the same way the Son, Jesus, reflects His love and the love of my loved one constantly in my life.  It is the glory of Jesus that is reflected.  Glory is the visible sign of God’s greatness and love.  Nothing stops the waves from crashing upon the shore.  It is how God created the ocean.  God also created the waves to reflect the brilliance of the sun.

Nothing stops our grief; it keeps coming because we keep loving.   Grief is the price of love.  When the waves of grief overwhelm us all we see is the crashing wave and the pain it brings.  As we turn to face the Son, Jesus, the reflection of love becomes more evident than the loss.  This happens over time.  The waves still come, but Jesus holds us up.  As time passes though we become fearful we will forget all the details of our loved one’s life and the moments spent together.  But I have come to understand it is not the details of the events with them or the details of their physical presence that really matter, but the reflection of their love that remains in my life.

The waves hitting the beach are a part of the great ocean.  The undercurrent takes the water back into the ocean and it keeps coming back onto the shore.  As I ran through each wave, I saw each wave as the reflected love of people in my life.  Each wave represented the love I experienced in the relationships of my life. They are part of the ocean of my life and give meaning and purpose to my life.  The love is then reflected through me to others.  Love never ends and the love remains in my heart forever.  It becomes a part of who I am.