Mandy's Musings

There has been a lot of talk in the media about seagulls by the seaside this summer. This has been largely centred around the fact that seagulls seem to appear from nowhere and take food rather aggressively from us humans who are frequenting the beaches and coastal areas. As well as this, they are a protected species, meaning that they can't be removed or destroyed from an area where they are nesting. The seagull story has often appeared as an '... and finally...' news item on the evening news and is usually followed by an amusing story of a seagull taking someone's ice-cream or fish and chips. More comically, there is the story of 'Steven' the seagull who actually stole an ornament from an open window where it was sitting on the sill. Or the story of King Charles having his suit splattered by a seagull during his visit to Northern Ireland, about which he joked 'It's as well it didn't land on my head'. This summer they seem to have been everywhere. However, now we're winding down our summer... saying goodbye to the heat and discomfort, the pesky seagulls and the long, hot nights. We will soon be coming into Autumn and some of our wildlife will be thinking about migration and hibernation in order to avoid the harshness of the winter. That's a much more comforting thought isn't it? The idea of finding a place to curl up in and be warm and protected from the harsh elements. For some of us, wrapping up in a large warm coat is the essence of comfort as opposed to dealing with exposure to heat and sun. We are more exposed and at the whim of the elements these days as we come to see the effects of climate change in our world. The recent devastating mudslide in Nepal/Tibet - whether attributed to climate change or not - signifies how much humanity is subject to the great forces of nature. One of my favourite psalms is psalm 8 which lauds the magnitude of God and the planets in the solar system: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? We have the contrast of the big and the small here, the powerful and the weak. So much of being a Christian is about understanding how these two states align with the purposes of God. When we are overwhelmed, somehow God comes to us and rescues us. That's my prayer for the people of Nepal/Tibet - that in the overwhelm of disaster, God would come and rescue. We can't often prevent disaster, especially in nature, but we can be rescuers of those who are overwhelmed and need rescue - not from pesky seagulls (!) - but in prayer and entreatment to God who is always mindful of us and cares.

Every blessing,

Mandy