Berwick Thought for the Week article: Reconstruction

The winter storms and high tides have transformed our beaches.

On Cheswick beach the dunes have been undercut, leaving towering cliffs of unstable sand. At Cocklawburn, sand and pebbles are stripped off entirely in many places – revealing flat areas of solid rock surrounded by heavy boulders.

Our nation, society and way of life has, in these last few years, experienced many “storms” and an invasion of destructive elements; it is in the process of radical reconstruction.

Many of our values that have been tested for centuries are being eroded: morality, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and faith, social care, social norms.

The value of our money has significantly decreased. There is rampant sickness and disease and reduced accessible healthcare. Law and order are being undermined.

Social media has been largely subject to bias, even propaganda. Truth has become relative; we can believe what we want or feel like, even absurdities.

Our life events too are being eroded: the opportunities for leisure, travel, entertainment, sport and even a variety of local shops, as long-standing stores and banks close and everything moves online.

We, and particularly the younger generations, are becoming alarmingly dependent on technology, mobile phones, smart meters, the internet, and impersonal social media.

How would we cope if there was a widespread cyber attack, or power cut?

Under the threats of war, what “sand” of comfort can we now bury our heads in to hide from our fears?

As these recognised securities are challenged, where do we go to find unchanging stability?

What is the “rock” of our lives? Who will care for us? How will we survive?

Psalm 61:2 – “From the ends of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I”.

Rev Kirsten Coulter is a widow, living with two elderly rescue dogs. She is now supporting the leadership of Waypoint Church in Berwick. This is an independent, all-age, community church.