Thinking Out LoudThis morning I did what I have done for decades whenever the opportunity has allowed it and headed to my local beach for an early morning surf. I’m no Kelly Slater but pulling on the wetsuit and paddling out in the half-light, waves glassy smooth, with crisp winter water and the sun about to burst over the horizon, is my favourite way to start a day.
I’ve always made a practice of standing on the sand and offering a prayer before entering the water, and if I’m with friends we do this together. The prayer is one of gratitude for the natural world and the gift of a creation that is full of wonder and awe. We also pray for safety.
Those prayers have felt more urgent lately. Shark attacks on Sydney beaches are historically rare, but a spate of recent serious attacks has spooked even hard-core surfers.
It feels like it’s getting worse. There are so many shark alarms, closed beaches and near misses that don’t make the news. The paddle out now comes with an extra sense of nervous anticipation.
We are fragile beings and our preciousness relates to that fragility.
The Bible declares the natural world to be the gift of a loving creator and on many days, it feels exactly like that. But the creation is also fallen, enmeshed with loss, and brokenness and death. Sometimes it is our enemy. Interacting with it comes with risk.
The Biblical picture is of the creation, like all of us, awaiting God’s redemption and ultimate restoration. The vision is one of harmony, where no one will be harmed: lions lying down with lambs, people swimming with sharks. It’s captivating.
In the meantime, we walk (and paddle) into creation with gratitude in our hearts and adrenalin in our veins.
This Thinking Out Loud was first published on Facebook.