Some years ago we lived on a North Wales hillside overlooking the Irish Sea. It was a beautiful and peaceful place in the summer months, but desolate in winter when icy winds blew hard off the sea, making it almost impossible to stand upright, and driving rain forced its way through the walls and into the house.
It was a period in our lives when we had very little money, could not afford to fix leaking walls and were struggling to meet bills for heating and basics. We questioned the decisions that we had made and the actions taken which had led us to this place.
However, there was one moment of magic that no amount of money could buy. It happened on clear autumn nights when the sun was about to set.
We would stand in our garden, gazing out to sea, and as the blood-red sun made its journey to the edge of the sea and beyond it would suddenly throw up an image of the Wicklow Hills on the horizon. This image would last for a few minutes and then fade, as light levels fell.
Believe me, you had to be there to appreciate it!
Now, the Wicklow Hills are in County Wicklow in Ireland, lying well beyond sight from that part of Wales. What we saw each autumn was nothing more or less than an optical illusion, explained by the laws of physics.
To us however it was the Creator putting on a rather special light show just for us, a little entertainment prior to the miseries of winter!
Sometimes it can be difficult to see anything good in the way life is treating you. The struggle to put food on the table and cater for the needs of a growing family can take every ounce of effort and ingenuity. It makes it difficult to stand back and appreciate anything good in the world.
Sometimes though you just have to be still and trust, that not only is God the creator of this world, he is also the one who can lead us out of despair and into a better place. That illusion of the hills thrown up onto the edge of the sea reminded us that this world is a place of beauty and mystery, and the God who is in control is the same God who would lead us out of our ‘captivity’ into a better place, which he did!
A beautiful thought. Thank you for sharing. My husband and I are in one of those places where money is tight. It's always been difficult to fix things around the house because of finances, yet God has shown Himself to us here and seems to say that we should stay, so we do. Our hearts are encouraged and we always seem to make it because of His grace. Praise His name.
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