“Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live” Ruth 1:16 (GNB)
I have indeed learnt many spiritual lessons both in my time with you in Space and also in my enforced time away from you all. I have been reflecting on, of all things this summer – the hidden life of the limpet! The limpet is one of the most well-known sights on the rocky coastline. The strong conical shape of the shell is an effective way to resist the strength of the pounding waves, as well as making life difficult for predators who want limpet for dinner!
To most people, limpets are simply stuck on the rock and appear to be rather boring: we only see them when they are out of the water, and they don’t do much while they’re trying to survive being dried out. When submerged in salty water, no doubt you know, they can move at a rate of 1.5cm (just over half an inch in old currency) per minute. Pretty fast when you consider it is moving with its house on its back! As it grazes the surface of the rocks, it feeds on algae by scraping them from the surface using iron oxide-hardened teeth. The algae provide the nutrients to allow the limpet to lay down more shell and grow larger. If conditions are good, limpets can live up to 15 years.
Once the tide begins to ebb, the limpet returns home, each one having a place on a rock where there is a scar into which its shell fits perfectly. As the rock and limpets become once again visible to beachcombers, it appears as if they have not moved at all. Much of the ‘action’ from the limpet is hidden from us. I began to see that much of what we do spiritually is also hidden from all, except God.
Our own thoughts, feelings and prayers for others, and ourselves, are hidden from other people, as well as the time that we spend wrestling with problems, and trying to understand and help other people in their struggles.
There is the time that we spend trying to understand God and his will for us as we live our lives as Christians. There are times of pondering and worshipping God, whether for the beauty of creation, or the amazing things people have been able to make, and the skills they have learned and shared.
These are some of our hidden times and they are important for our spiritual growth even though no-one else knows about them.
I have been blessed to spend time among you all and although it seems lots of what God has done, and is going to do seems hidden at times – we know for sure that God is with us at all times. How much hidden time we spend on our spiritual life will, of course, depend on what else we have to do in each day, but the one thing we should make sure of is that we make really good use of that time for it will surely be pleasing to God!
Thank you for all your prayers, talents and gifts I am enriched by knowing you all.
With blessings – Angela Lawson