Monday, August 31st
Spinnaker’s Restaurant and Pub, Ireland
I took a walk today. I should have been packing, but the cliffs beckoned me. The weather was beautiful for a brief moment and I took advantage of all that God was offering in that moment. I walked along the shore fully enjoying how creation was glorifying it’s Creator without even trying. And I had to stop. In fact, I had to look away. My small and finite being could not handle all the beauty this moment provided. But mostly, I couldn’t handle why I was getting to be a part of it.
And as I continued to walk, I couldn’t come up with a good answer. I got up to the top and laid on a rock. The rock was perfect for spreading out and gazing up into the sky. From that spot, I could see the sun peaking through the fast moving clouds. I could feel the warmth of it on my face. I could hear the calls of the birds as they soared even with my eye level. And it came to me. The only good answer as to why I get to walk along the shores of Galway Bay is grace.
Grace is one of those things that is hard to define. Jerry Bridges, in Transforming Grace, describes it as contrast. Contrast between the desperate plight of mankind and the abundant and gracious remedy God has provided for us through Jesus Christ. Grace is also a word that is overused, and therefore undermines the magnitude. And I experienced the magnitude of His grace today, poured out on me like the fury of a waterfall.
The clouds began to cover the sun and the cold called me to move on my way. And as I walked away from that cliff, I turned to look at it one last time. Tears streamed down my face as I realized what I was walking away from. More than the cliffs and the sheer brilliance of God’s creation here, I am walking away from amazing bread and chocolate that Europe hosts; an amazing pastor that is both authentic and annointed; a mission that screams for revival in a city that considers Christianity to be irrelevant and outdated; an outreach director that has an amazing heart for people and the energy to back it up; accents that are fun to imitate and that create somewhat of a melody as they cross your ears; my first marriage proposal (from a 60ish man with two teeth who rode a bike and yelled about how awful the government was. But he was willing to make Ireland my home forever! However tempting, I am walking away!); beautiful people with fine hearts and great stories; and even the rain, that I am sure to miss in the hot, dry places that are to come.
But as I continued to add distance between me and the cliff, God reminded me of something. There is more. I have only stood on the shores of His ocean of grace (What do I know of Holy by Addison Road). And it became very literal, since I was actually standing on the shore gazing out at the majesty known as the sea. Water so deep and wide and flowing and life giving. That is His grace. And as hard as it is to believe or understand, there is more. So much more.
(Cliffs of Moher – not the cliff described in this post!)
