‘Stop the world, I want to get off.’

And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark the seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so.

God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.’ Genesis 1:14-16

‘Stop the world, I want to get off.’

Came the deep, desperate cry.

But the world continued to spin. Who has ever heard of the world stopping for someone to get off?

Gary tightened his grip on the sides of the bath as he dunked his head under again. Coming up gasping for air, he scattered water droplets everywhere as he shook his wet hair, attempting to shake his thoughts into place.

The only way to get off the world, he considered, was to end it all. And he didn’t want to end it. On the one hand, he had a fabulous life, and he recognised that. He listed off his blessings - great kids, a loving wife, a lovely home to live in and a great group of friends, and that’s before he even starts to count his supportive and extensive extended family, his dream car, golf membership and a place on his local town football team.

‘So, what is wrong? Why do I want to get off the world?’ He asked himself, feeling like the ground was falling out from beneath him, but not knowing why.

‘Maybe it’s a midlife crisis?’ He contemplated the thought. His kids were all grown-up and had their own homes and lives, successful ones. He wasn’t needed there as much anymore. Did that realisation destabilise him? He didn’t think so. He appreciated the peace and quiet in his now-mostly-empty house.

‘Don’t get me wrong,’ he chided himself, ‘I love them coming over, spending time with them, hanging out.’ But he was glad that the wild teenage years were over. The endless smelly shoes piled by the front door, spilling artificial sports-field pellets that cause trip and slip hazards, late nights sitting up waiting for them to come home, or driving out at some unearthly hour to collect them from some party or bar. He didn’t miss the endless worry about whether he’d done the right thing or said the right thing to maintain the relationship while also guiding and leading them into joyful independence. It seemed that he mostly had, as they were all doing well in life.

It wasn’t even the classic Christian assessment of the unbeliever who, having it all materially and financially, finds that wealth and possessions don’t satisfy and that they have a God-shaped hole in their lives, finds Jesus, and all is resolved. No, he knew Jesus, he’d known him for years, he’d been involved with churches for most of his life, he’d given out of his time and resources to mission and charity and been on crazy adventures as he heard the voice of God leading, directing and challenging him.

What about his job? His heart raced and sank at the same time when his job came to mind. He contemplated that over the last few years, things had changed. He had followed his interests and talents as a young man, qualifying in a subject he enjoyed, then landing a role in his chosen profession. He had started near the bottom and, over the years, worked steadily upwards in the company, so that now he held a lofty position. There had always been something to aim for, he’d buckled down, given it his all, and achieved each milestone, smoothly leaping over hurdles in his way. But now, when he looked at the next hurdle, it was like the wind had gone out of his sails.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it; it was more like he couldn’t be bothered to do it, and that was a new emotion to him. The environment was changing so rapidly, with technology and methods advancing at such a breakneck speed that almost every day he had to learn a new technique, a new program, a new system. In an environment where he was almost at the top, he felt he should have some control, but he didn’t; control was slipping through his fingers like running water. For most of his working life, he had climbed out of bed each morning, relishing the challenges ahead; now he pulled his head back under the duvet when his alarm went off and hoped the day would go away.

‘Was this depression?’ he thought.

He’d had friends who had walked through the dark and lonely days of depression, and he didn’t think what he was experiencing looked like that.

He climbed out of the bath, dried himself down and slipped between the fresh-smelling sheets of his bed, snuggling up to his sleeping wife. She made him wash when he came back from football, not wanting her home to stink of his sweat-drenched body and kit, which he’d stripped off in the porch and put straight into the washing machine.

He smiled affectionately to himself as he thought of her little foibles that he’d not only learnt to live with but also celebrated as the personality quirks that made her who she was. He loved her more for them, even though he teased her mercilessly about them.

They were in a good place in their marriage. The ups and downs of life and raising kids had obviously put a strain on their relationship over the years. But they were enjoying finding themselves and each other again, after the kids left home.

He drifted off to sleep with the question, ‘Why do I want to get off the world?’ going through his head.

‘Time and tide wait for no man,’

Gary jumped awake, startled, looking around for the audible voice that had spoken these words into his ears. There was no one there.

He looked at the clock; the soft fingers of dawn were pushing around the edges of the blackout curtains on the longest day. The clock said 4 am.

As he was now wide awake, he considered the possibility of a sunrise swim. He knew that the ‘tide’ in the quote he’d heard didn’t refer to the sea, but to the changing seasons. However, it reminded him of the sea and how high tide coincided with sunrise on the longest day of the year. He knew a crowd would be there on the beach ready to swim, a mixture of reasons prompting their decision to welcome the early sunrise.

He slid quietly out of bed, found his swimmers and dry robe and crept carefully downstairs. He left a note for his wife telling her where he had gone, but he planned to be home before she even stirred.

He was right, on the beach, a crowd had gathered to mark the summer solstice. He wasn’t interested in any of the pagan rituals, so he strode confidently into the calm, gently rippling waves, pulling with his strong stroke out into the bay.

When he was far enough out to feel alone, he stopped swimming and floated on his back, letting the water lap up against his ears, filling his senses. The gentle way the saltwater held up his body as he stretched his arms for balance calmed his tossing mind. He stared unthinkingly up into the clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight. The sunrise colours were magnificent; the blue of the morning sky passed through pale yellow, deepening to a darker yellow, and on to a vibrant orange, which in turn became an intense red as it met the horizon of the sea. The gently rippling surface of the sea reflected the colours individually, some ruffles reflecting blues, some yellows, some oranges and others red. Sky and sea separate yet merge in a dance of reflected colour. He felt privileged to witness such a beautiful display of colour.

As he lay there, held up by the sea, the sun gracefully appeared over the distant rocky outcrop, first visible as its light reflected bronze from the windows of houses on the opposite hill, travelling quickly down the hill until the whole hillside was glowing as if on fire.

Gary gazed, marvelling at the spectacle before him, until he could look no longer into the brightness. His heart responded to the beauty of creation with a surge of silent worship to the God who he knew held all of this in the palm of his hand. And who had orchestrated for him to be here at this moment, enjoying this unrivalled show. In that moment, surrounded by the awesome predictability of creation and the Creator God, of the crux point of the changing seasons and times, clarity suddenly flooded his mind.

He lay staring up into the sky for a few more seconds, then, turning over slowly, not wanting the moment to end, he pulled himself back to shore.

Standing on the beach, he pondered his revelation. The natural laws of time and tide, laid out by God, ebbed and flowed in front of him. He realised that he had been feeling at the mercy of technological advances, controlled by forces beyond his understanding or knowledge, changing his job, his environment, and the people around him in his workspace. At a time when he felt he should have achieved his work goals, he didn’t even know what those goals were anymore.

But did that matter? He realised that God was still in ultimate control, even if it didn’t feel like it. If that particular world seemed to be spinning out of control, why not get off? Seasons change; just because he had made a plan for himself years ago, he didn’t need to stick to that.

As he dried and dressed himself amongst the chatter of the other bathers, he felt a bubble of excitement rising within him. Nothing had changed yet apart from his perspective, but in his moment of clarity, he had realised that he didn’t need to be at the mercy of the ebbing and flowing, the spinning of the world. He could look to the One who set the world in motion, holds it still and cares intimately for him. He could keep going in the job, but that thought held no interest for him, or he could gather up his courage, look to other options and take the step off the spinning world into the quiet waters led by his eternal Shepherd.

It was time for a new adventure.