Just read the latest copy of Upwords by Max Lucado. It was a simple message with a strong impact and thought I'd share it here. If I were on a ship in the midst of a thunderstorm, shaken in absolutely any direction, I would eagerly follow instructions from the captain, simply because I would trust that he knows best in such a situation. Any naive and inexperienced attempt to defend myself against the storm would probably land me in a worse situation. Not only that, my futile attempts would also distract me from the instructions of the captain who is my best hope of keeping truly safe, and I would be in a panic for nothing.
In the same way, when facing any tough situation, I know I, like almost every other human, try to work things out on my own. I magnify my own strength in the face of a strength that can never be surpassed, somehow thinking in my own little panicky state that with just a bit more effort, just a bit more concentration, just a bit more perseverance, I can handle the situation. Silly, really, that I fail to see my absolute inexperience stand in complete contrast with the Captain's absolute power to keep me safe whenever a different sort of storm rocks my life. A good and timely reminder that in my whole life journey, I really should stop relying on my own strength, because He knows best.
Wow this analogy is really powerful! a pity though in real moments of crisis, we humans are often too overwhelmed by momentary uncertainty and too paralysed by visceral fear to remember that we ought to entrust our lives to the captain of the ship. Which is why it is important to build a strong personal relationship with God, otherwise in the moments of storm, one's faith may "dry up" and we find ourselves relying on our own strengths once again.
ReplyDeleteby the way who is this max lucado whom you often seem to talk about?