Glimpses of God can be unsatisfactory - but Jesus shows the way
In Gaelic, the word “turadh” denotes a dry spell between clouds in which the sun breaks through.
It’s an appropriate name for a wonderful social enterprise providing holiday lets of three eco houses at Glenelg and Shieldaig. It offers rest and refreshment at non-commercial rates to people working “for the common good” in Scotland.
My wife and I recently spent a week at Taigh Whin (the Gorse House) at Bernera Beach, Glenelg by virtue of Lorna’s work with Highland Foodbank. I went in quest of a turadh of inner stillness and reconnection with God.
I was struck by the kindness of Sarah MacLaren and Sophie Howarth who created Turadh. It was so evident in the loveliness of the house and its furnishings. There were maps and photos to encourage exploration; books with titles like ‘Radical Rest’ and ‘How to do nothing’; art materials; the absence of a TV.
In their kindness, I saw something of the kindness of God, and yet I was not satisfied.
I was struck by the rich variety of terrain, and of birds, plants and animals. We walked to Sandaig where Gavin Maxwell wrote ‘Ring of Bright Water’ with its evocative descriptions of birdsong, wild weather, sea life and otters.
And I saw something of the joyful, extravagant creativity of God, and yet I was not satisfied.
I was struck by the scale of things: the mountains, the stunning view across the bay to Skye and Sandaig, and in the distance, Eigg. It reminded me of my smallness.
Whereas in Inverness I’m absorbed in my own agendas and life seems easier to master, in Glenelg the bigness and wildness of the world showed me my littleness, and my sense of control was revealed as illusional.
And I saw something of the immensity of God, and yet I was not satisfied.
And then, on the Sunday morning I reflected on the lectionary passage I knew our minister back home would be preaching on: Luke 15:11-32. Jesus’s famous story about a wayward son, a father’s patient love.
The father gives the son space to learn the lessons which will humble and grow him, and waits to welcome him home in an embrace of open arms and an open heart.
It was only then, as that story awakened peace and wholeness, that I was truly satisfied.
And I remembered that while we catch glimpses of God in the kindness of others, in the richness of nature, in creation’s staggering immensity, it is only in Jesus that we are shown the way to God and assured of God’s love for us.
In Jesus we find the Turadh we carry within us as we head back to the full-on challenges of life.
