Controlled Flooding

For the past seven years our family has camped at Lewis and Clark Reservoir near Yankton, SD.  This weekend we had the added bonus of not only boating on the lake in the cool water, (with nearly 100 degree days it felt good) but also driving to Gavins Point Dam to see the spectacular release of water from the dam.  The park lady told us that they were releasing 164 thousand cubic feet of water per second.  To get an idea of how much water that is, I read that Yankton's Memorial Park has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, which holds about 600,000 gallons of water. At 150 thousand cubic feet per second the water rushing out of Gavins Point Dam would take just half-a-second to fill it.  It’s a pretty awesome sight, but not so much for the folks downstream.  Their fields, homes and towns are flooded because of it.   Ironic isn’t it, dams were built for flood control and yet it’s the release of this vast amount of water that is causing the flooding.  Maybe the lesson to be learned here is that we really can't control mother-nature or always outguess what she’s going to do in a given year.  Floods happen.  The prophet Isaiah promises that a time is coming when those who are thirsty will be flooded with God’s spirit.  I’m thinking that through Jesus Christ the vast eternal reservoir of God’s goodness and grace is being released upon humanity.  It’s enough to fill every person, and to wash away all of our doubts and fears.  So may the flood gates of God’s mercies be opened wide enough until every soul is swept away in the unconditional love of God.