We rounded a corner in the headland and glided into a little cove snuggled in the contours of the island. After sailing all day with rising winds and a chop on the water, we were ready to drop anchor for the night.
Protected from the bluster and nip of the wind, the air was balmy and pleasantly warm. We quickly discarded our jackets, stowed the sails and set the anchor.
As our sailboat gently floated from its tether, we brought pillows from below and settled into the cockpit to enjoy the final magnificent display of a sunset in the San Juan Islands.
Birds circled and cawed to each other. A sea gull glided down and settled into the water with hardly a ripple. A blue heron watched us from the shore before returning to snatch bits of food from the water’s edge.
As the day continued its journey into evening, wispy clouds reflected the changing colors of the setting sun: red – coral – grey and gold. As it dipped behind the edge of the earth, sky and sea melted together and became one. And the heart and soul and mind experienced a deep peace.
At the end of a long day “sailing” in our world of business, family and work, we are ready to drop anchor in some quiet cove – a special spot where the harsh winds of the day are blocked and we can settle down for a night of respite and reprieve from the harsh realities of the day.
Snuggled into the companionship of our loved ones, we share the day’s events and give each other support; it is where we commune in silence as well as conversation.
Quiet Coves
The past blogs have been about relationships – relating to one another as couples, learning communication skills, and relating to our children as parents.
There is another vital relationship that is needed in our lives. It is the spiritual relationship with God. As a Christian, my faith is deeply rooted in God. He is my moral compass and the anchor of my values.
Easter falls on the last Sunday in March this year. It is when we celebrate the life and death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who chose to die the cruelest of tortured deaths – on a Roman cross, for us. The birth, life and death of Christ epitomizes the love of a long-suffering and patient God who encourages us to come to Him with humility, confession, to seek forgiveness and be healed. He offers grace, love and peace.
When I think of relaxing in the stern of our sailboat in a quiet cove in the San Juan’s, I am reminded that God is all around me at all times – in the stillness of quiet coves, the beauty of waterways and land masses.
We experience His timeless love in the magnitude of His creation; the endless skies, the birds flying overhead and the fish swimming under the sea. It is a time when communing with God is so easy.
I do not have to be in a quiet cove or resting in the stern of a floating sailboat to commune with God. That communing can happen any time I sit down and simply sit with my Lord.
Sometimes it is in the beginning of the day – sometimes it is in the evening. But as always, that quiet companionship and deepening relationship, brings peace and solace to the roughest of days.
Without these respite moments with God, life becomes stressful, hectic and more chaotic. It is within these quiet moments with our Lord that we find respite for our soul and spirits from the harsh winds of the day. They are a reprieve from the harsh realities of the day. As I commune in silence or open dialogue, I am fed by His Holy Spirit and love and I am at peace.
Marlene Anderson
Receive a Free Consultation: Fill out the contact form to receive a free consultation about Personal Life Coaching, speaking engagements, retreats or teaching workshops for your church or women’s groups on relationships or other topics that affect our lives.
Sign up today to receive the entire series: http://eepurl.com/baaiQ1