I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t love bubbles. The fascination begins in childhood, and never leaves. Regardless of our age, we have always loved bubbles at bath time, having your nose tickled as you lift a carbonated drink to your lips, practicing blowing bubbles with chewing gum, even making shapes with the soapy dishwater in the kitchen sink. I also think we are eternally curious about blowing INTO a straw in our drink to see what bubbles we can make, all for the sheer joy of it!
Most of us are familiar with those small plastic bottles of soapy water that come equipped with a plastic ring. We dip it into the container, carefully pull it out, get our lips as close as possible without touching it, and gently blow into the soapy film. Then we playfully chase after those mystical, magical, twinkling, shimmering orbs. It is a skill to master: dip, gently blow, chase, repeat.
This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2018 issue of Unity Magazine. For more inspiring articles, give the gift of a subscription today – for yourself or a loved done!
A bubble is fragile. It’s essentially air wrapped in soap film sharing a basic shape, but each different in size. Every one is unique, shimmering, colorful, and reflecting the beautiful world around us on its surface. If you look deeper, you discover that the outside and inside surfaces are made up of soap, yet there is a thin layer of water between these two surfaces. Think of the bubble as a water sandwich, and the atoms of soap are the bread, which you need to hold the bubble together. Eventually though, bubbles disappear. If left alone they pop on their own because the water in that layer in between, evaporates.
So what do bubbles have to do with faith? Well, life can be fragile too, and I think faith is the water. The element of water is a symbol of wisdom because it adapts and conforms to its environment, moving in the path of least resistance. Water demonstrates the power of such presence as it is easily able to transform itself from liquid to vapor to solid, modeling the value of embracing change – and so it is with faith.
Two bubbles found they had rainbows on their curves. They flickered out saying, “It was worth being a bubble, just to have held that rainbow thirty seconds.” – Carl Sandburg
Even before we can speak, our faith is being formed through the world around us. Just like bubbles, our faith is fashioned by awe and wonder, through playtime as well as everyday experiences, and always because of our simple curiosity with life. As we grow up, we become more focused on how faith is defined, evolves, and how we use faith to make meaning in our lives.
Yet at times faith seems like it’s evaporating before our eyes in moments of suffering and challenge. Our faith may seem elusive, carried away by the wind, as easily as bubbles. However, the bubble may be vulnerable, but the water inside is vital and life-giving. We humans are largely made of water, and also made of faith. It helps hold us together, even if we forget or doubt our faith. Remember, when the water evaporates and the bubble pops, the water still exists, just in a different form.
So it is with our faith journey, it evolves and changes form. Like water, faith is a universal solvent, it has the power to dissolve blocks to expressing our healing and wholeness. Perhaps adding bubble blowing to your spiritual practice will help you remember that doubt is a part of faith, and allow yourself to glimmer and gleam, like bubbles, as you move through life. When life is flowing with ease, we see the rainbow colors of these soapy spheres. Then when the bubble pops, we don’t question what we were just enjoying, we simply make more bubbles.
Lovely!