It’s worth looking round carefully on the beach. Light and water are constantly interacting, turning the ordinary to extraordinary: photos become alive in the details of a split-second moment.
Gently rippling, the wind-kissed water refracted the sunlight into waving patterns, like a tapestry being woven on the shore. Bognor has good sand when the tide is out, though there are soft rocks going out to sea. These are the remnants of a rocky spit eroded over many years. They offer a haven to the shore life and a solid base for seaweed fronds which wave in the tidal pools: tiny shrimp and fish take refuge there, and limpets, mussels and barnacles make the rocks their home.
I was fascinated by the light trails. Other people walked on by, not really looking, and certainly not noticing. I took the photo that anyone else could have taken- but didn’t.
To me, these weaving lines of light suggested thoughts of wonder and praise. In a small wet patch on an insignificant beach, moving light drew my attention. Perhaps it represents the way God lights our pathway: we see the end result that could only be caused by the Sun. We see where God is at work, where a life is touched, by the light that washes over the whole scene. Sometimes our awareness of God’s Presence comes from sights or sounds in the “natural” world sparking our imagination and probing our spirit.
As has often been said, “God is always with us” – it is our awareness of Divine presence that has to be unlocked.
Friday is forecast to be quite sunny, if rather chilly. I wonder… what if we all took a block of precious time and really looked at our surroundings? Might we see light in the wind-stirred leaves? On the beach? Or in the waving of daffodils, or new leaves beginning to sprout, reminding us the Spring is here and life is being renewed. Where do I need to be renewed? In what kind of revelation will I encounter the Lord God tomorrow?
Perhaps it will be in written words, or in the faces of children excitedly exploring their world and finding wonder in the simplest things. I’ll be in my garden, sowing seeds, planting summer bulbs, trimming untidy plants. I anticipate holding a conversation with God as I get my hands in the good soil and plant hopes of beauty. It could be a happy chat. Or, maybe, the pruning and weeding will remind me of things the Lord wants taken out of my life. Speak, Lord- and shine your light on me! And also on you.
A verse from John’s Gospel is worth meditating on:
John 12:46 (NLT) Jesus said: “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.”
God specialises in weaving with Light. May His eternal Light shine on us, and create patterns of beauty in our lives.
The Reflectionary 