We live a couple of miles from the sea, in fact near an estuary which is designated a site of special scientific interest. It is a breeding ground and feeding place for a wide range of wildfowl, some resident and others just passing through. But it is the geese that are so noticeable, as they take to the air in their distinctive ‘V’ formation. Awkward on the ground, in flight they are transformed to a thing of beauty, if a little noisy!
For the Celtic folk of Ireland and Scotland the wild goose is also a spiritual symbol of the Holy Spirit. Doves are docile but a goose is unpredictable, noisy, free and seemingly always on the move. What a lovely image of God’s Spirit; unconstrained, not always predictable and free to move where he wills.
I find it a great comfort to look at the world in which I live and see images that remind me of the divine. They keep me connected, because in a busy world it is easy to forget about God and become totally self-centred. As someone who can be prone to bouts of introspection and self-doubt I need to keep the God connection open and running.
I look at a small mountain stream and consider that by the time its water has emptied into the sea it has carried much debris away with it, just as God’s cleansing Spirit works in our own spiritual lives. I can stand at the ocean’s edge and see within the crashing waves echoes of God wearing away my own rough edges and moulding me into something new!
If your life is full to capacity with activities and demands on your time; if you feel that life is just so full of noise and distraction that you are losing the plot then take time, find space, stand still and open your eyes and your heart to allow God to reveal himself.
As the poem by William Henry Davies says
“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare…”
