Unchanging Aldeburgh!

I was probably under 10 years old when my grandparents first took me to Aldeburgh, on the Suffolk coast. I expected sand, and got shingle. I expected plastic buckets, spades, and souvenirs – but there weren’t any. What a boring place!

That was around 70 years ago, and for the past 40 years, I keep returning. It hasn’t changed much since I first visited, back in the 1950s. In fact, it probably hasn’t changed much since it developed its present character, when the advent of the railway system in the late 19th century, opened up the town to middle class Victorian holiday makers.

It is largely unspoilt. There are no bingo halls, and no souvenir shops. The fish and chip shops have been there for years, and there are no modern chip bars. Or McDonalds. Or loud music. The beach is relatively deserted, especially out of season. The beached inshore fishing boats are described as ‘iconic’,  and supply the smokehouses where one reads that, ‘anything fresher is still swimming in the sea’.

The unspoilt little Victorian fishing town has not changed much during my lifetime. Boring? No – I love it, and generally spend two 3 or 4 day breaks there each year. Walking the dune path to nearby Thorpeness is bracing, and returning along the footpath through the nature reserve is a delight. Recently, I was surrounded by a variety of dragonflies and butterflies, settling on a myriad of wild flowers.

Change can be refreshing, and there are few who do not appreciate the changes brought in by the different seasons. However, there is something reassuring about those things which do not change. There is security and reliability.

Hence I appreciate the unchanging nature of the Bible, the word of God, reflecting the unchanging nature of the God who gave it to us. I read there of his care and concern for his people, and am thankful that he is the same today. Unchanging. I read of promises for the present day, and more for the future. The unchanging God is reliable, dependable, unchanging. And when, one day, Aldeburgh is gone, he will still be there for us. Unchanging.

The Bible says in Lamentations 3:22-23. The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Read my story in A DENTIST’S STORY, available at Waterstones, Amazon, and all good book shops.