Cuthbert,
a 7th century Christian monk and mystic, is associated
with a “tidal island” called Lindisfarne.
Twice daily, rising tides separate the island from
the mainland. Then, receding tides reconnect the
land with the mainland, and activities between the
two resume. Cuthbert often spent time on the island
alone with God during the times of separation, afterwards
returning to model gentleness and hospitality with
his community.
Ebb
and Flow: Community and Solitude
Lindisfarne,
an island of both doing and being,
chronos and kairos—
an island that permits and celebrates
ebb and flow,
connection and isolation,
an island that proclaims both doing and being
as nature’s teaching gift to all.
Cuthbert’s island resonates within me as a
true symbol of foundational, God-inspired living.
Its image helps explain the polarities that draw
me:
—one
to the noise and hustle of community life, invigorated
by the energy and activity of movement and building
of dreams
—one
to the quiet, inner times away from the crowds (or
at least limited to one or two like-minded quiet
travelers)
Imbalanced times are the most distressing—those
times when I get stuck, immobilized, in one of the
two extremes. In the first, the noise of daily living
is too much, drowning out my ability to hear the
still, small Voice. Or, conversely, there are times
when it can be too quiet for too long, leaving my
anxious thoughts room to spring forth in full array.
So there it is – a spiritual call for balance,
on an island that sounds like a great place to call
home—
for God is there.
And, indeed, my heart is such an island.
—Virgil
Fry
