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Viewpoint from Dr David Watson 08/09/2023
 Dr David Watson
Retired GP
Authorised Worship Assistant, St Andrew’s Church, Gorleston
Life is Beach
As children, games so often started with, “let’s pretend”. Adults use less imagination and use experience and analogy to avoid pitfalls and make progress
Let’s pretend we are on the beach early with the tide going out. On high tide line there is flotsam and jetsam, maybe a beached sea creature out of its safe environment
How often are we beset by natural rubbish impacting our lives or adverse attitude or gossip? How often do we feel stranded or outside our comfort zone with no escape
 Sometimes the high water mark has a sandy cliff edge where the stormy sea has eroded thousands of tons away leaving a huge vertical scar. Sometimes we are impacted by adverse circumstances outside our control that leave us horrendously scarred
Yes, but maybe the sea has washed up some little treasure or cleared sand to reveal something precious
As the tide goes out we see the flat clean expanse, maybe a little rock pool with potential for exciting finds, lives bring up all sorts of surprises, great and disastrous with an in-between spectrum
Wind, rain, and sunshine affect the results of the ebbing tide. Onshore winds blow up 'stuff' while offshore winds leave the sand barren and occasional tragedy. We can be overloaded with stuff or barren with an overwhelming sense of emptiness. Rain leaves a beach lonely while sunshine brings out crowds enjoying the sand but at the same time, trampling irregular features, glorious sandcastles or children and dogs digging
 The beach reminds us of joyous happy memories, time with loved ones and friends but we can use these metaphorically to reflect on our experiences which perhaps have overwhelmed us
We have storms. People trample over us, we are victims of gossip, we have deeply personal life-changing tragedies, outside our control
Take heart when the tide comes in, the new cycle wipes out these affects. Like our lives
Where is the Christian message in this?
Jesus walked on water and calmed the storm for his disciples saving their lives. They called on Him for help and He saved them
A life given back to God doesn’t stop the problems but His Spirit within us has a huge calming effect and ultimately that changing tide wiping all the beach affects away is what He did for us on the cross – cleared away all the stuff, preparing us for heaven
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