The sky was as blue as ever, a perfect covering for a day of exploration and a weekend out of our dusty border-town home. We had been hiking all day, sweating under the Ugandan sun and clinging to the hope of potential shade that offered a drop in temperature in the dry heat around us. It was a day of peace and serene beauty despite the salt dripping in our eyes and down our backs, competing for a little attention and a much needed breeze.

As the path came to an end, we methodically found our way down the rocks to the edge of the water.

With each step, the atmosphere changed entirely.

The moisture in the air brought goosebumps to my entire body, leaving me with a chill that I didn’t think could go deeper. The sound of the water falling in front of me canceled out any thoughts that tried to fill my mind. The pool in front of us felt like ice, making any desire to wade across to the other side seem completely ridiculous.

But the challenge and the experience egged me on.

So I let my feet keep me moving, the shivering weight of my body resting on the tips of my toes to keep as much skin as possible out of the water. Each step was treacherous as the moss lining the water’s floor added a new dynamic to my stability.

I started up the rocks when the realization that my timing was off suddenly hit me like falling water.

I don’t know if you have ever stood under a water fall. It is the most exhilarating sensation I’ve ever experienced. In one instance you feel more alive and more invigorated than ever before, with every sense heightened and aware. In that same moment, the breath leaves you, the chill of the water hitting you like needles traps the air within your lungs, fearing an escape. It’s hard to see and hard to move, the tension between life and death hangs ever so clearly in your mind and in your heart.

And it doesn’t stop.

It doesn’t stop.

“…my cup runneth over.” -Psalm 23:5

I stood there on the rocks, under a waterfall in the middle of nowhere Africa with my hair standing on end, chilled to the bone with a shudder of strength and felt more alive than I have ever felt in my life.

It was His love. A love that didn’t stop, that didn’t end, that gave me life and strength even in my moment of weakness. It flowed beautifully, fiercely and relentlessly. It was an outpour.

It was everything He says it is.