Lily and I went to Lincoln City last Saturday looking for an Espresso/Gift Shop that was for sale. The ad said there were living quarters above the store. We thought maybe we could get a business loan and start a business at the coast. A critical element for any business is location, location, location. Well, we never could find it, but there was no reason we couldn't enjoy the beach and a bowl of chowder at Mo's.
When is an escape to the coast not welcome? Isn't the Oregon coast almost sacramental to a Portlander? It is a welcome respite to a starved imagination, a balm to an open wound, and calm to a frustrated heart. With each wave that came to shore I thought how God continues to come to us through nature.
Lily pointed out a flock of birds so thick they looked liked locusts. "Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? (Isa 40:26) How do they twist and turn and change direction as if they had one mind? Is that what the Bible means by being in one accord? They never bump into one another like I bump into the wall going up and down the stairs, or the way people jostle one another for the best seat, place in line, parking space. Birds have no air traffic controller to keep them from having accidents, yet when they are alone they sometimes crash into windows. Do you crash into windows when you're alone?
Do you ever feel like your imagination is looking in the kitchen cabinets for something to eat, but nothing sounds good? Do you sometimes wonder if Brandon Roy will ever come back to help his wounded team? Have you applied for so many positions that if someone called you about your resume would you know anything about the business or organization they represented? Maybe it's time for you to go to the coast.
R.H. Thomas wrote,
Let despair be known
as my ebb-tide; but let prayer
have its springs, too, brimming,
disarming him; discovering somewhere
among his fissures deposits of mercy
where trust may take root and grow.
I know at times the ocean roars, but at other times its ebb and flows, its smell, the sounds ... it can be not only an exhibition of God's power, but an expression of God's love and mercy.
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