Throughout most of my adult life when things have seemed confusing and I needed space to think I would head to the beach. A walk along any seafront at any time is the space where I have been able to process my thinking: from dealing with big decisions, attempting to make sense of difficult news or simply to clear my head the beach has been the place. It is a place where I think and pray and attempt to find some perspective. A place that reminds me of God’s eternal sovereignty.

I’m not totally sure what the reason is for this. Perhaps it is the constancy of the waves coming in and going out. Standing and watching it is difficult to fully work out the direction of the tide unless you are prepared to commit some time, because as each wave comes in it then goes out. Over time you see the direction to the tide, but you need to commit time to work it out. Just recently I was at the seafront on a day of a particular high tide and observed something different about the waves. Some went in, whilst others retreated but some waves rebounded back off the sea wall. It looked more confusing than normal. The direction of the tide was harder to work out as waves were coming from all directions.

In our politics at the moment things seem very confusing. It is hard to work out what way things are going or what way they should be going. The language of all sides seems hostile and partisan. We are told we are living through tumultuous times and this seems to be the case. There appear to be no simple answers as all sides are entrenched and believe they are acting in the best interest.

I would love to have a snappy soundbite that would give my view and advice as well as bringing clarity for others, but this eludes me. So, I guess you may continue to see me more down looking at the sea, praying, thinking and finding some perspective and attempting to trust God even when it is hard!