Today’s find: Sea wall

It seemed like a good idea at the time: take a mini-hike along the sea wall.

The goal, as they might say in the Navy, was admirable – a chance to get up-close-and-personal with the (not-really-a) lighthouse at the entrance to Grand Marais harbor.

The reality was a bit more daunting. You can’t tell from the parking lot, but the sea wall’s concrete is actually pretty narrow in places … and dreadfully exposed to wind and wave.

Dreadful, at any rate, if you’re an Old Dude. A pack of preteens had absolutely no trouble scampering across the expanse as they overtook (and seemingly taunted) us on their way to and from the base of the beacon.

As for us Seasoned Citizens, we can’t say we weren’t warned. A sign posted by the US Army Corps of Engineers, keeper of the sea wall, more or less pointed out that we had no business being there. The structure is designed to aid ships, not satisfy curiosity-seekers.

The occasional burst of breeze focused our attention as we crept along the tombolo of the Great Lake, momentarily calling to mind the words of the Psalmist:

If You take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.

But survive the trek we did. And more than survive … we leaned into the wind a bit, and learned in time to revel in the adventure. Uncommon beauty awaited us along the sea wall. 

Like the Psalmist, we discovered a little something about ourselves I think – a little something about choosing to live in the Spirit:

When You send forth Your spirit, they are created,
and You renew the face of the earth.

It’s a lesson even an Old Dude can appreciate upon his return from the sea wall. The gifts of Pentecost tend to call us forward … not to remain trembling by the car on the parking lot. 

Sure, these gifts often entail some risk, some letting go. But obedience to the Spirit can open the door to unexpected reward. We are renewed, re-created, when we say “yes” to the invitation. What begins with ashes … ends with fire. Come, Holy Spirit. Come!

Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy & Merciful One.

IHS