One of the disciplines I am trying to include once a month is to take a ‘spiritual day’. This is so I don’t get too caught up in the tyranny of time and routine. It allows me the deliberate opportunity to pause, reflect and listen to what God might be trying to say to me.

On one such day recently I decided to head to a location I have wanted to check out for a while and so I set my GPS to the Garden Island Dolphin Sanctuary and followed the instructions given.

I began to wonder if it had understood me correctly as I turned towards a heavily industrialized area with factories, freight terminals and giant electricity power poles heading from the Port Adelaide power plant.

When I was almost ready to turn back I rounded the corner to discover a green oasis on the banks of the river. It had a grassed area, bench seats, a BBQ and picnic table along with boat ramps, a large space for car parking and a boardwalk that appeared to head along the banks and over the water. I pulled in with mixed feelings of relief and wonder.

I prepared myself to explore this location as I felt God had something He wanted me to learn from this place.

I walked across the springy grass to arrive at the boardwalk and it wasn’t long before I noticed a number of things. First of all, the water level was quite low and I could see parts of the shore that showed evidence it would normally be covered.

I smiled as I thought about what would normally be covered was at this moment laid bare for all to see and allowed my imagination to play with that thought for a while.

As I stepped onto the boardwalk I observed the difference in the weathering patterns of the boards. It was evident that some boards were more advanced in their deterioration than ones laid next to them, while others had obviously reached a state that responsible council workers had come and replaced them with newer boards.

I gave some thought to why this would be so. Each board was subject to the exact same foot traffic and weather conditions and yet they seemed to be affected differently.

Often in life we compare ourselves and our experiences to others. We expect continuity or equality and I was caused to reflect on whether this is a realistic expectation. If these planks of wood responded differently to the exact same conditions why should we expect everyone to react the same as we do? People need to be allowed to do their own thing in response to life’s conditions.

I moved further along the wooden path, and I reached out to run my hand along the handrail. I didn’t do that for long as the weathering of this part of the structure was quite advanced and brought an increased risk of splinters with it.

I began to ponder the purpose of handrails to guide and offer a bit of stability should it be required. I wondered about the suitability of some of the ‘handrails’ I reach out for in my life on occasions and are they fit for purpose? If I do this mindlessly I may end up with pain and injury.

After reaching the end of the walkway I turned to head back and it was then that I noticed the poles holding the boardwalk up. In the low tide they were also more exposed and I could see the distinct waterline but even more than that, the barnacles that were attached.

The tide is a natural phenomenon that ebbs and flows everyday. Sometimes it’s high, sometimes low, and often in between. We have that in life too. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it’s hard, and most of the time it’s okay.

When the tide is low, when life is hardest, what we have beneath the surface, what we try to keep covered from others is often laid bare. We don’t have the wherewithal to keep it hidden when we are overwhelmed with other things.

What does my below-the-tide-line reveal about me? Do I have signs of growth, renewal, sustenance or decay? Am I ashamed of what may be exposed when life is tough? I have wrestled with these thoughts for a few weeks now, and I know sometimes I am fine to reveal what lies beneath, and sometimes ashamed.

God and I have been in conversation about the lessons from this day apart and it is at His prompting that I share them with you. We are still working on my growth areas, as we will be for some time, I am sure.

Can I encourage you to have a look at what is revealed next time the tide is low for you?

Be blessed.