Somewhere.........before that age when a boy becomes a man.: April 2020

A full moon lifting up and through the horizon on a clear night with high desert dark sky as the backdrop inspires a sense of awe. There is something about such mass ascending in slow motion that both humbles and enthralls. No doubt part of this fascination lies with the phenomenon known as the Moon illusion - the optical illusion which causes the Moon to appear larger near earth's horizon than it does higher up in the heavens. Studied for centuries, the explanation for this phenomena is debated even today. But for me the reason is simple - it's God's gentle way of reminding me there are things of His design beyond my understanding. As God lifts the moon so the moon lifts the tides.

And then there are locks.

The sight of one of M/S Diana's portholes slowly lifting above the rim of the lock chamber never failed to provoke a sense of wonder. Each determined lift in the east balanced with a gentle descent in the west. The locks at either end of our journey, Stockholm in the east and Gothenburg in the west, were quite large and allowed ocean-going vessels to pass with ease. The gates of these giants were powered by electrical motors of many horsepower. They boasted huge chambers cut from the rock and warning sirens brayed for all to hear.  Those bookends contrasted sharply with the locks found at the apex of our six day passage. Here, the Diana could barely squeeze in and the mechanisms of production were tried and true in centuries past.

By my count we passed through a total of 64 individual locks. The first being the Hammarby Lock as we left Stockholm and entered Lake Mälaren. Then the lock at Södertälje as we dropped back down to the Baltic Sea. Followed by the 58 locks of the Göta Kanal proper. Finally, the four on the Trollhätte Canal as we approached Gothenburg. Each unique with a character all its own yet all possessing common traits such as sluices and valves which allowed controlled waxing and waning of the waters. But above all, each possessed an unimaginable power to lift.

Now, some may credit the power of gravity. Others the magic of buoyancy. Alternatively, the inventiveness of man.  But for me the reason is simple - it's God's gentle way of reminding me that there are things of His design beyond my understanding. As the tide lifts the boat so the boat lifts the man.

And then there are blessings.

To quote Ecclesiastes 3:1: "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."
The next seven verses present 28 "times". Twenty Eight life events within the human experience. Dare I say 14 blessings contrasted with 14 trials. Birth/death. Plant/pluck. Kill/ heal. Breakdown/buildup. Weep/laugh. Mourn/dance. Cast/gather. Embrace/shun. Gain/lose. Keep/discard. Tear/sow. Keep silent/speak. Love/hate. War/peace.

Blessings flow in and our spirits are lifted. Then the ebb and our character is tested. So it is with the seasons of life and we're left to ponder the "purposes under heaven". In this hour I find the design beyond my simple capacity to reason. But this I know - As the man lifts the prayer so the prayer lifts the blessing.