Thursday, July 22, 2021
Sweeping the Beach
Diane Harvey
In his sermon on Sunday, Rob used the image of ‘sweeping the beach’ to describe the reality of our invitation from God to be part of the work of loving and caring for the world. The good news, Rob said, was that being part of God’s mission is great job security! There’s no end of the ways you and I can take part, and there’s always work to be done even if it seems overwhelming and crazy. Sweeping the beach, really?
Rob said many more helpful things on Sunday - such as you and I aren’t called to do it all, all the time; and we are invited to rest and have compassion for ourselves so that we can then hold compassion for others. However, his image of sweeping the beach is what has stuck in my mind and heart and has been capturing my imagination. Partly because I have a soft spot for sweeping – working as a chambermaid and church custodian paid my way through seminary. And the beach – that is my favorite place to encounter God and to restore my soul. It’s there I do my walking prayer and my soaking prayer. It’s there the salt spray mingles with my tears and the raging surf can hold my anger. The beach is where you see evidence of how broken things become beautiful over time, and where God is reflected in the ever-changing sea and sky and the never-ending waves upon the shore. Vastness and nearness all at once. But what does it mean for me to sweep the beach, besides the actual cleanups of which I’ve been a part?
In the past few days as I’ve reflected on this image, what first came to mind was the awareness I need to do some sweeping of my inner beach. In our home, I am ruthless about going through all our stuff at least once a year and giving away or getting rid of what we no longer need or use. But doing that kind of inner cleaning of mind and heart – not so much. I know I need to review and let go of regrets, old hurts and resentments. I know I need to offer compassion and healing to my worries and fears. Only then, after I’ve swept my inner beach and made some room, will I be able to better listen for and embrace God’s invitation for what’s next.
And as I think about what’s next, how I might be invited to sweep the beach on God’s behalf, of course I want it to be something grand and glorious. Something that will challenge me and stretch my abilities. Yet for as much as I might want to sweep the whole beach and be noticed and thanked for it, a still small voice suggests to me that it is also a gift to celebrate the sweeping I do unseen, unappreciated. Maybe the best way I can sweep the beach right now is to find new delight in the everyday tasks of daily living that seem like drudgery, and to do them with love. To see that that how I take care of what needs to be done with a sense of service and freedom is a wonderful way of loving God and neighbor. And for now, to let it be enough - grand and glorious in its own quiet way.
How about you? How you are being invited by God to sweep the beach? As you wonder in mind and heart, I pray you may discover unexpected blessings.