Of course I wanted to add a waterfall to my pond. Why wouldn’t I? The sound of falling water was so peaceful. So I looked at photos and videos, learned some dos and don’ts. And then chose the waterfall I wanted to recreate. It was simple. Large, flat rocks stacked three high. Various size rocks along its side. ‘I can do that,’ I thought.

I dug out and lined the area, got my largest flat rocks, and began building. It worked! The water ran delightfully across the rocks and into the pond. The fake flowers I put among the rocks (until I could plant real one) added color. It was beautiful! There was just one problem. The waterfall looked out of place. It was too big for the pond. I could leave it. I should have left it, but I decided I would end up regretting not changing it while I had a chance. So I dismantled the whole thing except for the lining.

I placed a couple of flat stones, added a few rounder ones in different sizes, and turned on the water. The finished product was beautiful, but the water wouldn’t flow correctly. It kept going under the rocks instead of over them. So I got some pond spray foam and sealed off the bottoms of the rocks. Now the water flowed over them, but the foam in inexperienced hands was obvious. I could keep it but knew my eyes would always be drawn to the ugly foam that showed no matter how much I tried to cover it. I’d have to start over.

No foam, only one level, Surely this would work. And it did. The water flowed nicely, rippling over stones and pebbles in several streams. I absolutely loved it. That’s why it was completely disappointing when folded parts of the lining showed. Sunlight would eventually cause the lining to crack. I tried to cover them but no matter how I tried, the force of the water pushed the stones off the folds in the lining – the same folds that created the wonderful rippling. I could keep it but knew sooner or later I would only have to replace it. It would be better to do so now than a year from now when the plant life became established.

So I started over. Again. I removed everything, including the lining. I dug out the area a lot deeper before putting the liner back on it, kept the waterfall one level, and covered every part of the lining with rocks and stones and a few branches. A few harder- to-cover places were left for plants to cover. It didn’t have the nice, bubbling streams as the last waterfall, but it was nice enough. The water flowed quietly in several directions before splashing into the pond. There were plenty of places to add plants, including a couple of deeper pools. But there was one problem. I had gotten carried away and now it was too big for my pond. It looked huge. It was even bigger than my first waterfall.

I decided that I was NOT going to start over. It is what it is. Too bad I didn’t have this attitude with my first waterfall. It would have saved me days of toil.

But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are out potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

The work I put into this waterfall reminds me of the work God puts into me. He has a plan and builds circumstances to shape me into His vision. It doesn’t always work out. Maybe I don’t cooperate. Maybe I ignore His guidance because it doesn’t line up with my own ideas. Or maybe I complain, or worse, flat out reject it because I don’t like it. Then He has to slap be back onto the spinning wheel and start over.

I eventually gave up on the waterfall. But God will never give up on me.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

My only job is to cooperate with Him. He knows what He is doing. Do I trust Him enough to allow Him to do what He needs to do?

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 Corinthians 6:1

The Israelites often complained. Complaining showed lack of faith or belief. They were saying they didn’t think God was doing the best for them. He didn’t care. Or He wasn’t in control. They were receiving God’s grace in vain.

Are we any different?

We are concerned that we look perfect, fit in perfectly with our surroundings, and hide everything we don’t want exposed to the world. When God has other ideas, when He separates us from others, when He reveals sensitive areas that need attention, when he removes or adds people and things in our lives – do we accept it because we trust our good Father – or do we complain and refuse to cooperate?

Let’s cooperate. That way we won’t have to keep starting over and it will save all of us a lot of work.