Summer and seaside are, in my mind, as closely connected as fish and chips and bucket and spade! Growing up in the south of England, the journey to the seaside only took an hour and we would frequently go for day trips in the summer. So, given that we are now in the season of summer, our theme for the next fortnight will be BESIDE THE SEA. We will look at this by taking a theme for each letter of the phrase: B for beach, E for encourage, S for sea, I for insight, D for drown, E for enjoyment, T for tired, H for harbour, E for exit, S for sky, E for everywhere, and A for always.
You may be familiar with the music hall song that John Glover-Kind wrote in 1907, “I do like to be beside the seaside”. It expresses the singer’s love of the seaside and his desire to return there each year for his summer holidays. The lyrics of the chorus are:
Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside
I do like to be beside the sea!
I do like to stroll along the Prom, Prom, Prom!
Where the brass bands play:
“Tiddely-om-pom-pom!”
So just let me be beside the seaside
I’ll be beside myself with glee
Beside the seaside!
Beside the sea!
How do these sentiments resonate with you? Take a few moments to reflect on:
- What you have enjoyed and relished about being on the beach beside the sea?
- Is there anything that you dislike about being on the beach beside the sea?
- How have you encountered God on the beach beside the sea?
You may like to record your reflections in your Journal and then use them in a time of praise and thanksgiving for all you have enjoyed and received from God while being beside the sea.