Walking on Sugar

I am away on holiday in Exmouth at present with my lovely friend Marilyn.  We came with very heavy hearts because Marilyn’s lovely guide dog Arlo had developed epilepsy which seemed to be increasing in severity so he had been taken to a specialist neurological centre for tests.  The vets were convinced he had cancer with secondaries in the brain.  It was devastating news.  We travelled to Exmouth hardly able to get our heads and hearts round the fact that we might never see our dear Arlo again.  

I kept trying to pray and found my thoughts constantly turning to the word ‘hope’.  It was like a whisper in my heart shining a gentle but persevering light into the grief of Arlo’s impending loss.  I sensed that it was Jesus whispering that word to me.  He was reminding me that He Himself is our Living Hope.  When all else fails humanly and we feel in despair, He offers us that gift of a living hope, a hope whose light will never go out.  He wanted me to take comfort in that Living Hope and as I prayed I felt He was encouraging me to look out for signs of His love and care and stand on it as a firm foundation.

Well, on the first morning we decided to walk on the beach and have a paddle.  The Exmouth beaches are beautiful with soft golden sand stretching into the distant deep blue of the sea.  It was inviting and enticing and we couldn’t wait to kick off our shoes and get paddling.  BUT there was a problem!  A big one!  I couldn’t walk on the sand.  We climbed down the few steps to the beach, but instead of nearly running over the sand as I’d expected, I immediately started flailing around, my feet sinking into the fine grains of sand almost as if I was trying to walk on sugar.  My legs went bendy like elastic and I couldn’t stay upright,sinking down in an undignified heap just a few yards from the steps.  

‘We’ll have to make this our spot  cos I can’t stand in the sand’,  I called to Marilyn and laughing she sank down too!

We knew we wouldn’t be able to paddle just then, how could I get down to the sea when I couldn’t even stand in the sugar like sand?  But we had a nice sunbathe and read a good book together before deciding to go back up to the prom to get a drink and find somewhere that sold walking sticks.  But, oh dear, we now had the problem of standing up!  Marilyn managed it first and I tried to follow suit.  I DID get off the ground and got half way upright, only for the sand to shift under my feet and send me back down in an ungainly heap.  Marilyn offered me her arm and I tried again, pulling hard on her for stability.  Too hard, for she then lost her balance too and we both collapsed down again laughing helplessly and covered in sand.  

‘I’ll have to crawl to the steps’ I shouted.  But just then a teenage boy came up and offered his hand to help us.  I was amazed at his kindness as he took on these two ‘drunk’ older ladies.  

With his firm hand I did manage to get to my feet and stay upright while he helped Marilyn up. Then, staggering, flailing and clinging to him hard we somehow got to the steps.  ‘Thank you so much, ‘ I gushed as I finally felt my feet stabilise on the  ‘rock’ of the prom!

‘Did you see it?’ the Lord whispered in my heart?

‘See what, Lord?’  I answered, puzzled.

‘My gift of hope.  The light of my ever present help in trouble,’ He answered. ‘I am your rock.  I don’t change like shifting sand.  I am always there for you.  My love is a rock that can never be shaken. I sent that boy to you to show you the sweetness of my living hope.  Sand like sugar will always unbalance you, but my hope and my love are rocks that will never fail.   Walk on the sweet truth of my love not on the shifting sugar like sand.’

Well there’s a lesson for us all and you will be glad to know that since that morning, I did manage to buy a stick so we have now navigated the beach keeping upright and we even paddled without falling in!  Bliss!

On a more serious and deeply thankful note, we have felt the Lord’s wonderful hope and peace filling our hearts about Arlo.  We don’t know yet what will happen and the tests are inconclusive, but God is in control as He is in every situation any of us face. 

May you too know you are walking on the firm foundation of His love and Living Hope.  Amen.