Waves and Light

Last week the Family Schwab went on a little vacation to Puerto Escondido, our favorite sea-side city.  There is a tiny cove we like to go to.  Normally the waves aren’t so big and Sally and Kelly can play in the water.  Last week was strangely different though.  The waves were huge, and it wasn’t safe for my little ones to go into the ocean, so they contented themselves playing in the sand on the beach.

playa carrizalillo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There was an elderly man that was not content to simply lie on the beach and just take things in.  He was in the water sitting  among some rocks.  One wave crashed into him and down he went.  I was concerned that he had whacked his head against a rock.  He looked a bit discombobulated for a few moments, and then returned to his original position among the rocks.  I settled into a comfortable position to read my book, occasionally looking up to see how the octogenarian was fairing.  He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

At one point, an unusually large wave hit the beach, and down went the old man, tumbling wildly, flailing away helplessly, as the surf did its best to pound the guy into submission.  His wife noticing what had happened, jumped from her beach chair and rushed, as fast as an old lady can rush on sand, toward her husband.  I wondered how she could possibly help him.  Then I realized she wasn’t going out to help him.  She was going out to laugh at him.  Making her way to the waters edge, she was busting a gut, she was laughing so hard.  Her spouse finally got to his feet, got stabalized once again, and then he too, started laughing.  It was a wonderful sight to behold.   An elderly couple, laughing like children, at the beach, thoroughly glorifying God by enjoying Him and His creation.

Later that evening, Anita, the kids and I were at our hotel, which has a large, common balcony overlooking Puerto Escondido and the bay.  I enjoy relaxing on the balcony, looking at all the night lights reflecting off the water.  One light was from a light house.  It was flashing and rotating, warning sea captains away from the jagged cliffs.  Another light that caught my attention was a great search light, moving back and forth in the night sky, probably inviting tourists and townsfolk alike to some kind of grand opening or special event.

faro de puerto escondido (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Of course there were thousands of normal lights fringing the bay, illuminating houses, and making the streets and walkways visible and safe.  The main highway through Puerto Escondido runs right in front of our hotel.  Looking out from the balcony, I can see a fairly constant flow of traffic.  Lots of taxi’s, trucks, buses and motorcycles.  At one point I saw a motor scooter coming down the way.  It carried a what seemed to be a family of three.  The driver stopped his scooter at a wide spot in the road, right in front of our hotel, under a street lamp.  The lady and child got off the bike, and then the man parked the motorcycle as far to the edge as he could.  The lady opened her backpack and proceeded to take out some food and something to drink.  It seemed they were having a little picnic, under the street light, on the edge of the road.  There was a small ledge there for them to sit on.  They seemed not to mind the traffic flowing by.  They had a light to see their food, to see each other, and the cars speeding by could see them.  What could be better?

Thinking about these different lights reminded me of Jesus.  He said he was the “Light of the world”.  I thought his light as a lighthouse, keeping people from making shipwreck of their souls on the rocky cliffs of sin, bad-gunky, and evil.  I thought of his light as a search light, spanning the world, inviting people into the kingdom of God, into a right relationship with him, into community.  I thought of His illuminating light that offers people a safe place to enjoy communion with him, to enjoy peace, while the mad world whirls by.  His light that shows me the truth of his love, mercy and grace.

I am so happy for His light in my life.  His protecting light.  His inviting light.  His illuminating light.  And I know that He wants me to reflect this light in a dark world.  He wants me to shine a protecting light, an inviting light, and an illuminating light.  God wants all of us to make this world a brighter place.  Let’s do it.

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“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

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Next blog – Participating in the Divine Nature