Longing for Simpler Times!

             Those who know me well, know that the beach is my “happy place”.  It is the place where I find peace and quiet.  It is the place where I feel most connected to God.  In short, it is a place of calming amid the chaos this world has to offer. 

            As I watch the news day after day, seeing the anger, hatred, and discontent that spew from both sides of the political spectrum, I long for the quiet of the beach.  Walking at the edge of the water, with the sand in my toes, a gentle wind at my back, and the sun shining brightly gives me a sense of peace, like no other.

            As I thought about that peace this morning, I was taken back to a time several years ago when my beach walk was not so peaceful.  As I walked along in quiet communion with God, I encountered three young boys, not more than 11 or 12.  At first, I thought they were building a sandcastle.  I started to caution them about building it so close to the water’s edge.  Then, I was confronted with the ugly reality of their real intent—accumulating a mound of sand that could be used to attack unsuspecting seagulls.  The birds were oblivious to the danger.  They were just looking for breakfast.  Hurriedly, I walked ahead of the boys, hoping to scatter the seagulls before the boys could attack.  Fortunately, the sand didn’t clot the way snow or mud might.  The boys were only able to throw a few small pellets that did little damage.  Still, to the birds, it must have been very frightening.   Can you imagine a creature six or seven times your size chasing you down the beach?  Unfortunately, that was the boys’ misguided attempt at “fun”. 

            I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to simpler times—when it was fun to skip a rock across the water or see how big a splash you could make with a seashell.  Whatever happened to coaxing the birds nearer so that you could feed them or even try to touch them?  What happened to burying your friends in the sand or trying to build the most spectacular sandcastle ever?

            Unfortunately, many of those simpler times have been lost in the demands and challenges of the culture we live in.  The more we do, the more we are driven to do.  Those quiet walks on the beach are all too often a thing of the past.  I think most of us probably still long for those simpler times, but we feel trapped in the rat race of life.  Perhaps it’s time we stopped to smell the roses or to take that quiet walk on the beach.  Maybe we need to teach our kids about the simpler things in life instead of focusing on all the things that money can buy. 

            I realize that we don’t live in Mayberry.  Life is hard and the current anger and division make it even harder.  Let’s find some time to step away from those “hard things” and just enjoy the creation God has given us.  Let’s learn to love and enjoy each other as well.  Maybe then, we’ll find some boys exploring the treasures of the beach rather than trying to destroy part of God’s creation.

Psalm 19: 1 – 6

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