My Spot

Posted on 31 August, 2014 by Claire Murray

Last summer was spent
cycling around the quiet country roads
of Dundrod and Aldergrove.
Somewhere along each route
I found a special place –
a place of tranquility and beauty,
a place where I could spend time at peace
in the presence of My God.
Each of these special places
became my own personal haven
and I referred to each one as “My Spot”.

Summer has been very different for our wee family
following the death of Danny
and I have found that I haven’t have the opportunity
to visit each of my precious “Spots”
from last summer.
Instead, this summer’s cycling destination
has usually been much more urban than before –
Belfast city centre.
But on my route this summer
I discovered a brand new “Spot” –
Botanic Gardens.
Here I found glorious avenues
of cottage garden flowers,
bursting with colour and humming with bees
in the summer sunshine
and here, against the background noise
of city traffic and lawn mowers
I found peace.

My summer has left me
with a deep conviction
that My God will always provide me
with new “Spots”,
sanctuaries in which I can spend precious time
enjoying the company of My God
and the splendour of his creation
no matter how many changes
life may bring.

Plans

Posted on 23 July, 2014 by Claire Murray

One beautiful summer’s day
I take a detour
to I cycle home past Derryvolgie chapel
where I spend some time in prayer.

The sun streams in
through a stained glass window
projecting a myriad of colours
onto the floor beside the altar.
Outside,
cars and lorries rush past.
Inside,
there is peace.

As I savour the stillness in the chapel
and in my soul
I find myself focusing on a conviction
that has been forming gradually in my mind
all day long.
I have a sense
that My God has Plans for me,
not just tiny, insignificant,
unimportant plans.
I sense Plans …
… with a capital “P”!

Today,
My God is calling me,
asking me to live my life for Him,
asking me to make a commitment to Him.
What can I say?
I answer, “Of course!”

As I continue my cycle home
I find myself shaking my head,
puzzled by the strange taste shown by My God
in choosing me.
As I cycle along
I realise that My God does have strange taste
because he has chosen each one of us
for a very good reason –
My God has Plans (with a capital “P”)
for every single one of us!

Contemplate Love

Posted on 20 April, 2014 by Claire Murray

As I cycle to work
along the Tow Path
I’m deeply conscious
that this is Holy Week.

This is a beautiful spring day,
a day of birdsong and blossom,
sunshine and still waters –
a day to take life slowly.

As I reach my usual stopping point,
where I can watch the bending river
stretch out on either side of me,
I am thinking about the Passion of Jesus
who died for me
and was tortured to death for me.
I am conscious of the suffering
that Jesus endured for me –
excruciating pain,
humiliation,
exhaustion,
betrayal.

Yet, as I ponder the depths of Jesus’s suffering,
I sense that I am surrounded
by the love of My God
and that My God is inviting me today
to think about why Jesus died for me
instead of how Jesus died for me.

Today My God is inviting me
to contemplate love.

That Friday Feeling!

Posted on 13 September, 2013 by Claire Murray

I leave work on a mild, September afternoon
after an unexpectedly trouble-free Friday
to cycle home along the Tow Path.

I feel the warm sun on my face
and the wind on my back.
I see patches of blue in an autumn sky.
I see the still Lagan reflecting a world
that is green, bright, beautiful
and only slightly imperfect.

A whole weekend stretches out before me.
Time to rest, take life easy
and spend precious time
with those I love.

Bliss!

But best of all,
a sense of peace and well-being fills me,
a sense that all of the difficulties that I face
can be resolved
with the help of My God
who can see a solution to each of my difficulties,
a solution that is sometimes obvious
and sometimes unexpected,
a solution that only He can provide.

I cycle home,
delighting in that Friday feeling,
savouring a sense of being cared-for by My God
and convinced
that all will be well.

Blue Sky!

Posted on 4 September, 2013 by Claire Murray

One autumn morning
I cycled to work
enjoying an unexpected treat –
the heat of the sun
on my face.

I glanced up
and saw a blue sky.
“Look, the sky’s blue today!”
I exclaimed in delight
to My God.

My God smiled
and began to tease me gently.
“Claire,
you do realise
that the sky is blue every day?
It’s just that sometimes
clouds get in the way
and hide it from you.
But never lose faith,
the blue sky is always there
even when you can’t see it
for all of the clouds!”

We both laughed
and on my way to work,
along the Tow Path,
I sat for a while
and took the time to enjoy
the unexpected pleasure
of a blue sky
on an autumn morning
in the company of My God.

Jewel in the Crown

Posted on 17 August, 2013 by Claire Murray

Tullyrusk is a tough hill to cycle up
so I have developed a wee technique.
At a certain point on the hill
I stop
and I stand, panting
and looking at the crest of the hill
that rises before me.
I tell myself
that after this wee break
I’ll be grand.
After a couple of minutes
I hop back on my bike
and cycle on.

But today
I deviated from my plan.
I stopped at the usual place
but instead of looking uphill,
I looked down.

Wow!

Miles of fields and trees
swept all the way down
to a shimmering Lough Neagh
which glinted for miles
towards distant shores
in a view that was breath-taking.

I was flabbergasted.
How many times
had I stood, panting, on Tullyrusk Hill
concentrating on the hill ahead of me
and oblivious
to such beauty behind me?

Lord,
help me not to get so engrossed
in my daily work
and chores
and to remember to take a moment
to appreciate the majesty of your creation.
Remind me especially
to search for the beauty
in every person that I encounter
because people are
the jewel in the crown of your creation

Place in the World

Posted on 16 August, 2013 by Claire Murray

One day,
at the end of my summer break,
I hop on my bike at Dundrod
and cycle off to a favourite spot of mine
at the foot of Corbally Road
by the shores of Lough Neagh.

It’s raining.

As I cycle,
raindrops pitter-patter on my helmet
and drip off the end of my nose.
My trainers are sodden
and by the time I reach my destination
my wet hands are too slippery
to open my flask of tea
and I am forced to knock on a stranger’s door
to ask for help.

Yet, as I sit on the damp grass,
drinking my precious cup of tea
and looking out over a grey Lough Neagh,
I feel a deep sense of peace and contentment.

I think of Paul,
tied up at work
in an office in Belfast
and I feel such a strong sense of togetherness
that for the first time
I understand
why people refer to their husband or wife
as their “other half”.

I sense Paul in my heart
and the presence of Our God
surrounding both of us
and I know that I have been blessed
to find my place in the world.

I hop back on my bike
and begin my cycle home
at peace with myself and with My God
and in love with Paul.

Mary Chapin Carpenter sings “Place in the World”

Glimpse of Heaven

Posted on 18 June, 2013 by Claire Murray

Today was a jewel of a day,
a beautiful, sunny, June day
in Belfast.

A day to slow down,
to go to work
by the scenic route,
along the Tow Path.

A day to feel a warm breeze
and the gentle heat of the morning sun
on my face.

A day to take time
to sit on a bench by the Lagan.
and to relax and listen
to a symphony of bird song.

A day of leaf-filtered sunlight
and of calm, shimmering waters.
A day that was an oasis of peace
in a hectic life.

A day to sit in the sun,
to all appearances on my own
but in reality
in the company of My God.

A day to be still,
basking in the presence of My God,
and surrounded by the beauty
of His creation.

A day to feel
that My God had given me the gift
of a tiny glimpse of Heaven.

Grinning Motorcyclist

Posted on 24 April, 2013 by Claire Murray

You know that joke that goes,
“How do you know
the grinning motorcyclist?
He’s the one with all the flies
stuck to his teeth!”?
I was reminded
of that grinning motorcyclist today
as I cycled to work
along the Tow Path.

An injury and a long winter
had prevented me from cycling
for a long time.

This morning,
as I swung my leg over the saddle
I silently asked Eddie,
whose tenth anniversary it is today,
to saw a wee prayer for me
that I might arrive at my work
safe and sound.

As I cycled to work
I was filled with such delight,
joy and excitement
that I couldn’t stop grinning,
even at total strangers!

This morning’s cycle to work
felt like a precious gift
from My God.

Later today
as I wheeled my bike into the garage
I thanked Eddie,
whom I have never met,
for his part in a journey
that had not only been safe and sound
but also exhilarating
and that had left me smiling incessantly,
just like that grinning motorcyclist!

Grounded

Posted on 28 September, 2012 by Claire Murray

I came tumbling off my bike
at Custom House Square.
Concerned strangers
came to my aid
as I found myself
dazed,
staring at the Albert Clock,
trying to figure out
what on earth had just happened.

Now I find myself unable to cycle,
unable to drive;
I have a sneaking suspicion
I’ve been grounded
by My God!

But being grounded isn’t a punishment;
it’s an invitation from My God
for me to rest,
to take a break from a hectic life style,
to stop rushing around
and, above all,
to cease my habitual search
for that elusive goal
of being in two places at once!

Two thousand years ago
Jesus called Matthew
as he sat outside the custom house
in Capernaum.
Two weeks ago
Jesus called me
as I came tumbling off my bike
at Custom House Square
in Belfast.

In Conversation With God

Spiritual Reflections by Claire Murray

Category Archives: Cycling