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This is a piece I wrote some years ago when I was reflecting on the changes occurring in my life. It defines how a moment of contemplation can expand and reframe our circumstances.
My thoughts and feelings ebb and flow like the tides of the ocean. I close my eyes and pictures from the past flood my mind.
Seagulls wheel and soar above the ocean waves. On the sandy beaches below, patterns and ridges are being shaped and molded by incoming tides. Sea grasses dance in the wind at the ocean’s edge, weaving shadows of beauty and grace on endless sand. The sun’s kisses on the tips of waves turn them into sparkling diamonds that dazzle the eye.
An eagle soars high above an inland river, laser eyes focused on the ripple of water and telltale signs of fish swimming upstream. In one determined and skillfully executed dive, he retrieves a salmon for his dinner.
I let go, and in my imagination, become one of those seagulls carried by the wind over cresting waves, soaring high above the earth’s parameters. A sense of freedom and lightness permeates my being as I soar above and over my troubles and sorrows.
As I look down on God’s world, I see His creative love sprinkled everywhere. It leaves a residue on the sands of my soul just as the surf leaves a residue of foam and seaweed on the shore. It is that love that reminds me that He is as faithful as the tides.
While my thoughts and feelings ebb and flow, the consistency of his creation becomes the residue of memory on my mind reminding me that I will be carried during tough times when the night is at its blackest and the storms crash over me with such intensity, I think I shall die.
As I go through periods of loss, uncertainty, and insecurity, I am allowed to soar high up and over the horizon, taking in a broadened perspective, a new awareness and fresh understanding. While my mind ebbs and flows like the ocean, I see the world differently up here. I am more than my individuality. I am alone – yet a part of. I can look over the horizon and see possibilities and opportunities to connect with life once more.
Unwanted change threatens our view of the world. The familiar is gone and we only see destruction. It is here I take to the wind, spread my wings and soar like an eagle or seagulls surveying the domain below.
I see the promise of beauty, love, hope, strength, and endurance. My world is reframed and expanded. And I can return to my life and rebuild.