Solemn Wonder

After a wonderful visit with my cousin’s family Friday night, I bundled up in my new winter coat on Saturday (thank you Gina), and continued my trek up toward Maryland’s Eastern Shore to visit some friends. This involved crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which I had no idea was 20 miles long!  http://www.cbbt.com/index.html

The Ocean has always been a part of my life, and it felt like home to look out over the bridge’s railing into the endless blue Atlantic. The thick gray clouds seemed appropriate to my mood, still a bit dazed by the move and feeling a little homesick.  Visibility was limited by the light drizzle of rain. Several barges sat on the water in the distance looking more like bobbing ducks than gigantic ships.  The water below the bridge churned and sloshed as if it were in a bucket being carried by a small child. I had to keep my eyes on the road to keep from getting seasick with just watching the rough water.  Seagulls were bullied by the wind as they flapped relentlessly but seemed to hang in mid-air. The familiarity of it all made me smile.

I could see the bridge curve ahead of me and it seemed to just end in the middle of the water.  Strange.  Beyond a long gap of tumultuous water, the bridge suddenly reappeared. Before I could process what was before me, I reached the entrance of a tunnel that descended steeply.  Ah, this was the bridge/tunnel I had heard about!  I have to admit that my childlike imagination got the best of me as I imagined the weight of the water crushing the underground road.  The lights flashing by didn’t help and all I could hear was a frantic Willy Wonka shouting, “The rowers keep on rowing and they show no signs of slowing!”  Ha ha!  Well a little humor on a cloudy day goes a long way :O) 

I think the bridge turned into tunnel three different times.  I’m sure this is just normal life for the locals here, but I felt like I had just gotten a $12 adventure (yes, there was a hefty toll)!  

The next day, as I was running on the beach of Assateague Island’s Wildlife Refuge, I took in the cold, the sun, the crashing waves, and the broken seashells.  Lyrics to a song played in my mind:

Stones and Sea by Eden’s Bridge

In the beginning,
I was counting the stones on the seashore,
Looking for the precious ones.
Among the stones, I found many pretty things
While the sea rolled on beside me all the time.

Time moved on.
I had collected many stones 'til I tired of them,
And I think they tired of me.
Some were lovely, but I was never satisfied,
And the sea rolled on beside me all the time.

And the wind rose, east and cold.
Whisp'ring sweetly to my soul.
And it said "Look you fool,
You are missing precious things:
Raise your eyes and look towards the sea."

So I looked:
It was as if I saw the sea for the first time,
And it's power captured me.
All the time I had wasted seeking stones,
I had missed the rolling glory of the sea.

The wind said "Look, you fool,
No matter what you do,
You can't contain the ocean like a stone."

I think the words are lovely and poetic.  They carry a message of missing greater beauty when our focus is misplaced. Somehow the song, like the ocean, has always humbled me and given me peace in God’s vastness.  There’s something bigger than me, something that can’t be contained or captured.  Compared to the ocean, I am so small... but compared to God, the sea is a drop in the vast universe.  

Such wonders fill me up.  I can’t help but be at rest knowing that God is in this boat with me.