When the Waters Get Rough...

"When the going gets tough, the tough get's going."

For the record, I still wonder what that means. I used to think it meant, 'When it gets so bad that it can't be worse, then things will eventually get better.' I still don't know if that's the correct definition of that phrase, but...tough!?

Anyway, for school I've been reading the Book of Acts, and in chapter 27, Paul and his fellow shipmates are shipwrecked. But I noticed that before they are wrecked, they "lightened the ship" (v. 18) or as other versions of the Bible read, "throw the cargo overboard" or "jettison the cargo". That's what happens in most movies, when there's a big storm - the crates and random objects from the ship are thrown overboard.

As I was reading, I thought about our lives. We cling onto things that don't matter, and only let go of them when the waters get really, really rough. Sometimes, when things get really rough - that's when we finally decide to pray. That's when we finally decide we'll open our Bible sand read a random Bible verse, hoping it will help.

But that's not how our friendship with God is supposed to be. It's a relationship, not an I-talk-to-You-when-I-want-to-and-not-before kind of thing. God gave His precious Son for us, for our redemption. We could at least spend time with Him! God, the Creator of the universe, loves us and wants to have an epic relationship with us. Why do we cling onto things that don't matter - popularity, friends, gossip, material things, etc. - and push the One who really does matter, far, far away, only pulling Him close when things get tough?

Sometimes God allows trials in our lives to get our attention. Sometimes He allows trials in our lives to strengthen us. Sometimes we don't know why certain things happen, but when they do, hold onto the One who sustains us.

Spend time with the Lord today...don't wait to throw away the things that don't matter.

Prayers,
"Klarabelle"