What matters, what Heaven desires and Hell fears, is precisely that further step, out of our depth, out of our own control.
C.S. Lewis
The West Coast of Ireland is so hauntingly beautiful and Mark and I were so blessed to find a gift from God in a beautiful cottage 20 kilometres south of Westport overlooking Clew Bay. The history of the area is ancient and worth reading if you get a chance.
I was especially keen to read of its religious history with St. Patrick and the breathtaking Croagh Patrick Mountain.
I was also intrigued to read about Grace O‟Malley, the Pirate Queen who lived in the 1500‟s and by all accounts she was quite the character. In these lonely and remote places we found a little piece of heaven with the view out the window of Inishturk and Clare Island. Although the weather was rough it did not spoil our time. I loved to sit and lose myself looking out to these curious Islands.
God‟s creation has the power to enchant and even silence us, and don’t we desperately need to just stop talking sometimes. Being in places of rugged and unspoilt beauty is healing. We are reminded of the greatness of God and how small we really are. God also shows us that although we are small, we are not insignificant but dearly loved and cared for.
God has been throwing me into so many deep places in the last while and it has been really very exhausting. I have, many times, felt so out of my depth and yet looking back I know I have changed. I have faltered and I have failed, but thank God that he still loves me and calls me forward to risk the tricky currents out in the depths. The call to me and to you is to keep giving up our own control and set our sails to the wind of the Spirit. Embrace the opportunity to go deeper with God, even if it is a little daunting. God longs for intimacy with us and He can be trusted, I know.
With love
Diane