LifeBoat

Poor old Noah had to build that ark in the middle of a dry place! It is doubtful that he fully realized what God was doing in the circumstances.  But, God asked him to complete a task and to trust Him for the outcome.  So, Noah obeyed.  He obeyed and persevered through the ridicule and long days of toil.  He obeyed and continued to offer hope to those who refused to believe.  He obeyed when it was lonely and scary and tiring.  He obeyed when he was the only one who believed God would do what He promised to do.  There was a long stretch of very rough waters, which was literally a completely new experience! Then, God smoothed the waters, Noah floated for a short time, and then came the rainbow of hope and promise.

When we are in a dry place, we are asked for the same diligent faith.  We are asked just to obey and to trust God to bring us through to the completion of His plan.  Does it always make sense?  Probably not.  Does it take its toll on our spirit? Does it seem to affect our general well-being? Yes, unfortunately for our humanness.  Can we be a witness in our obedience and uncompromising faithfulness? Yes, mercifully.

So, persevere.  Rejoice even in those dry places. Whatever the task set before us, however rough the waters, we must keep building for the Kingdom.  The Lord God Almighty has that rainbow of hope and promise set before us as well.  Be blessed by that assuranc

 

The lighthouse stands, waiting, no matter how frightful the fog in our life.  The Word of God, if hidden in our hearts, shines to lead us safely through the fog until we see clearly again.  We can reflect the light of His Love when we stand with someone who might be searching to see more clearly through their foggy circumstances.

I must mention that sometimes I tend to hang on to that bare bush which is so close to the lighthouse in this picture.  At those times, I am almost out of the fog but not able to reach across that last short distance to the safety of the lighthouse.  The light is so close and so bright, but it is difficult to make that leap of faith.  Eventually, I get tired of holding on to the old branch and finally jump anyway.

There is a feeling which each of us might experience during difficult or stressful times in life.  It seems, during those days, that we are swimming out there all alone, and the ice flow is blocking us from swimming where we would like to go.  Keep swimming anyway! Look for the moments of warmth which soothe the long season of winter.  Even if those winter days are long with little light, the ice is breaking and a thaw is on its way.  Stay close to shore – you will discover others are there beside you, waiting to swim with you.

Each day brings things to think about and experiences to share. I could write a book! How often have I said that out loud?  Well, now that I wrote that ‘out loud’, I suppose that’s a start! I will caution the reader that quite often I am the only one who ‘gets’ the joke of life’s absurdities, so, please, don’t be offended if my observations seem out of step with your own.  Life just strikes me funny sometimes and sometimes it is just too tragic.  The encouragement I seem to use most often, at least in recent years, is that we are all in this boat together, and it’s a life boat! We are here to help each other on this journey through the rough waters and to enjoy the journey together when it’s smooth sailing. I am glad to be in this boat of life with you!

We are all journeying this life together. Sometimes we need a life boat to survive the waves and storms. Sometimes we peacefully float or steadily row. But we will not sink if we sail on together.