Francine Rivers, a female American author once remarked: “Life is like a pond, and every decision and act we commit, good or bad, is a pebble flung into it. The ripples spread in widening circles.” Jeremiah 17:8 reminds us: “He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
The definition of a pond is chronicled as a small body of still water formed naturally or by artificial means. Ponds are an important, even considered essential aspect of life as many provide for the essential habitats of a wide variety of wildlife, supporting a significant portion of freshwater species, including several endangered ones. They are crucial for the survival of animals like amphibians, fish, insects (like dragonflies), and various other creatures, providing them with water, food, shelter, and breeding grounds.
Ponds can reflect the peace and calmness of God. They come in a variety of configurations, including differing shapes, sizes, and construction. They can be formal or informal, with structures ranging from square or circular to irregular kidney-shaped or even intrinsically preformed molds. Ponds can also be small, medium, or large, with varying depths of water. Additionally, they can be earthen, walled, or lined, and constructed by digging, embankments, or cut-and-fill methods. Ponds generally infer a relaxing and peaceful presence in life. The ambience created by the bright sparkling reflections of the sun shimmering on the surface of the water often creates an aura of calmness and peace. The gentle ripple or movement of water caused by a gentle breeze, or from its living inhabitants beneath the surface, all aid to diminish stress, anxiety and improve concentration.
Ponds can be linked to God through emblematic concepts and imagery, particularly in religious contexts like the Bible. Their symbolism of life can be seen as cleansing, and divine provision, as water is a recurring motif in many religious traditions. For example, in the Bible, water is often used to represent God's power, grace, and the Holy Spirit. Ponds not only represent life, sustenance, and divine blessing, they reflect God's furbishment and care. They can also symbolize the refreshing presence of God in believers' lives. They can aid healing and become a contemporary source of compassion. John 5:1-9 tells the story of a healing in a pool at Bethesda by Jesus. It states: “After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids - blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.”
Like life, ponds can be biodiverse in nature with differing species of aquatic life or plants. New species may be formed through the process of speciation, which is driven by the principles of biodiversity and evolution. Speciation, the formation of new species, is a key component of biodiversity, where populations diverge and become reproductively isolated, leading to the emergence of distinct species. This process is influenced by factors like geographical isolation, environmental changes, and the interactions between species and their environments.
The temperature of water in the Western Hemisphere (specifically the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans) varies significantly due to a combination of factors, primarily related to solar radiation, ocean currents, and atmospheric circulation. In this region, the water temperature in ponds can also vary significantly. Pond water temperatures change seasonally, with summer typically seeing warmer surface temperatures and cooler bottom temperatures, and winter often resulting in ice on the surface while the bottom remains cooler. Depth also plays a role, with deeper ponds generally having cooler temperatures at the bottom.
The general characteristics of ponds can equate to human life, in so much that parallels may be drawn to general human traits. A pond has the ability to adapt to its environment and its resilience in the face of changing conditions can be likened to human adaptability and perseverance. James 1:2-4 reminds us: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Many ponds contain pebbles which aid plant growth by providing a substrate for plants to anchor their roots. Pebbles, though not always considered as structurally sound or important as rocks, do have a syllogistical place in life. They can impact human strategics providing comfort and inspiration by influencing personal priorities and even fostering stronger relationships. If a stray pebble is located within a shoe, it can create pain or an uncomfortable sensation when walking. However if that pebble is removed and tossed into an apparently dormant or still pond, it creates a rippling effect that stirs activity. Life is suddenly formed from complete stillness. Pebbles can symbolize a particular journey in life where each represents a moment or challenge, and the journey is not always smooth or comfortable. Joan Z. Borysenko, an American author and psychologist once remarked: “We drop like pebbles into the ponds of each other's souls, and the orbit of our ripples continues to expand, intersecting with countless others.”
Ephesians 2:1-10 reminds us: And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The movement of water within ponds or rivers may potentially flow by artificial or natural sources, or remain dormant depending on individual circumstance. Whether there is stillness or visible activity present, they still remain a symbol of the abundant life and blessings that come from God, specifically through the grace and provision of Jesus Christ (the Lamb). They represent the Holy Spirit and the continuous flow of God's grace and power. Revelation 22:1-2 reminds us: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
Amen.
