(After the resurrection) Jesus revealed himself again
to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias ...
when it was already very early morning,
Jesus stood on the beach ... John 21:1, 4 (NET)
It may be that Jesus spent his most important days by the Sea of Galilee (also called Sea of Tiberias) wandering along the shore, drifting in the water, listening to the sounds of the waves rolling in and out. There is something quite mesmerizing about the natural flow of water, sometimes gentle sometimes wild. Of course, I have no idea whether there are waves on a sea like there are on the Gulf of Mexico. Perhaps there is nary a ripple more often than not. Yet, I read somewhere that the Sea of Galilee is known for its violent and life-threatening storms. As the story goes, Jesus calmed a storm on this sea by simply saying, "Peace, be still."
Peace, be still! As I walked along the shores of the East Beach in Galveston, Texas last week Tropical Storm Bill was brewing in the water. I wanted to have the power to say "Peace, be still" to the wind and the waters threatening our vacation. And yet, as the week unfolded we witnessed the glory of God through nature in ways we would not have otherwise. I am grateful for each and every moment spent in the solitude of the silence and in community with my family.
The first photo I took held the promises of God for our week ...
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| a double rainbow over Galveston Bay, Texas |
God is equally ever present in wind and storm, in silence and stillness. That is the promise I find in the rainbow and the waves.
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| Sunrise on East Beach the day after Tropical Storm Bill in Galveston, Texas |
If the waves could sing
what song would they sing
caressing the beach
with each roll of the wave
protecting the life
of the tiny sea creatures
the waves never pause
in their quest for perfection
even though surface fades
trying to catch them
as they gently race by
clouds overhead
it’s a day for living
moment to moment
for you just never know
when the rain will fall …
I confess the flags on Galveston Beach were red all week and yet I played in the rolling waves. They were enticingly delicious and the power of them crashing all around me was refreshing to my soul. I don't think I've ever seen this beach as lovely as it was that day.
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| Tropical Storm Bill rolling into Galveston, Texas on June 16, 2015 |
Spirit of God, I am here
with you the wind blows
softly softly softly
the sound of the waves
rolling rolling rolling
don't seem gentle
on a day like today
weather threathens
and my soul weeps
if I think
for more than a moment
into the future
just enjoying this moment
this beautiful moment
as the fresh gulf air
flows by
and my hair sings
of freedom and flowing. Amen.
pelicans glide by in tandem ... free and flowing
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| Pelicans in flight over East Beach in Galveston, Texas |
Each day I walked along the beach gathering up the most unusual shells and their fragments, especially after the storm. Such wonder in the colors and the shapes, even in their brokenness they are beautiful. They remind me of people and the way that God takes our brokenness and creates the vessels of love that we are ... if we surrender to the process.
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| My Collection of Shells begun a couple of years ago with a gift of shells collected by a Loving Friend just for me. |
Crabs were scurrying along the hardened packed sand of the beach and tiny fish stung my legs repeatedly as they were carried along by the waves. Seagulls were grabbing up their breakfast along the shore, joyously reveling in their abundance. Their appetite never wanes.
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| Seagull looking for fish food on East Beach in Galveston, Texas |
After the storm, people reappeared in all the wondrous places here and there and everywhere to live into their day and their love of the water. The world seemed to come alive before my eyes ... I am here, in this present moment, and I find the silence full of possibilities in moments like these.
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| People fishing in Galveston Bay |
“You see persons and things not as they are but as you are. ”
~ Anthony de Mello
~ Anthony de Mello
Oh God, I hope so! Amen.
