Faith | We find the greatness of God in the rhythm of nature

There are different bodies of water: creeks/rivers, ponds/lakes and oceans/seas. Here in the Columbia Basin, we are least familiar with the third.

Creeks and rivers are the most predictable in that generally they do what they do day in and day out, throughout the four seasons. Ponds and especially lakes are influenced at times by the wind, from ripples to whitecaps.

Oceans and seas are unique, influenced as they are by the moon creating twice-daily tides, with more dramatic differences the greater the global latitude. Over time, the range of tidal highs and lows varies dramatically and occasionally catastrophically.

Tides of any significance directly impact life along the shoreline. I particularly noticed this when visiting coastal communities in western Ireland.

Within the small-town harbors are nestled various boats for fishing, sailing, and transportation. The tides rise and fall with everlasting regularity, alternately floating and stranding the modest boats. For those whose livelihood depends on their boat the rhythm dictates their work, as one can only “put out to sea” when the tide is fully in. And when the tide is out, the vessels are left high and, well, muddy.

But for those who live away from the seashore, such a rhythm is missing.

Lake winds are fickle and rivers just keep “running through it.” As a result, landlubbers, shall we say, can easily ignore such tidal inhales and exhales.

It’s easy to forget our dependence on nature’s rhythms and demands for synchronization, and pretend we are in charge. We dam some of our rivers, assuming control over their presumed steadfast presence and forcing change on their functions. We monitor windy lakes, either using the breezes for wind-related recreations, or waiting it out knowing calm will return at some point so flat-water activities can resume.

So, when you or I gaze out over one body of water or another, what is my point of this musing? It seems to me that being in sync with nature contributes to our well-being. The angle of the sun rises and falls over the course of the year. The clouds come and go. Heat waxes and wanes. And yes, there’s the wind ... .

Rather than just consulting weather reports regarding what to wear outdoors, I believe there is much in nature to humanize us.

The forces of nature ground our lives. They pull us out of our self-centeredness, force us to adapt, call forth our attention to spontaneous rainbows and multi-hued sunsets, and challenge our assumptions.

They even lead us to pondering and wondering about the macro-frames and micro-frames of life and living, like the Psalmist who asks of God, “When I look at the work of your fingers, ‘what are humans that you are mindful of them?’” (Psalm 8:2-4).

Ebb tides (outgoing), flood tides (incoming), and neap tides (look it up) combine to create a meta-pulse for those on the seashore. For those inland, there are other ways to be in sync.

May we use our senses carefully, for the rhythms are all about us!