Certain dams burst open suddenly, others came down through attrition and prayer, others by re-direction. God’s strategies for un-damming people places and things to be what they really are, has always fascinated me.

Some of our dams are man made, others from other sources-some made of false doctrines, others from world distractions-materialism, celebrity-ism, competition between her parts etc. But in each historical epoch, He found ways to keep the water flowing, with specific seasonal strategies!

Been thinking lots after watching a show on beavers on how to un-dam areas of our lives which are blocked. How to roll away our stones, to use another metaphor…going back to the dammed river metaphor though. How do we remove the dams (curses etc) in our lives? This is the real question in counseling.

How dams, or things which block our true lives from flowing well and authentically; things which block our true names from being pronounced. I often look for these blocks in counseling, and see how God is breaking them down, or removing them. Sometimes, He is just blasting them off, other times there is a slower strategy so the person can learn dependence on God, or how Wise He is. He is the Wise healer, and knows how fast a person can handle removal of blocks in their inner lives.

Our earliest dams often come down quickly once we find and enter God’s Life, like the first city in the land was conquered in Joshua’s time, by the walls falling down supernaturally! God likes to make it obvious that it is Him who heals us! Later dams in the river of our lives, He partners with us in tearing down, so we understand more of His River wisdom. Like the second city Ai, in Joshua, there was strategy involved; in this case one redeeming a previous mistake. When we are young we get sudden deliverances, as we get older, we collaborate in unblocking our hearts, so we come as St John said of older ones, to KNOW The Father. When young we focus on overcoming; when old on knowing. I John.

Since one of our life goals is spiritual growth, it is good to look at what blocks it in ourselves, and how God wants to remove those blocks. So been studying the life of beavers in the Spirit, who both build, and tear down damns really well in family community. And cause the world’s rivers to connect and flow properly. What a cool gift! Plus, beavers are just cool. If we ourselves are little rivers, it’s good to consider how dams work! For better and worse.

I’m using the image of our lives as a river here, and looking at what is damming it up, and how far back in life, these dams are, which need to be removed. Usually if you can get the earlier ones out of the way, the later ones are easier. At first we are kids, and just need to trust; then we can collaborate later in working with God to remove ours and other’s obstacles to becoming who we really are in Christ. Finding and pronouncing our true names together. That’s life’s journey. How our rivers flow matter to God!