My husband and I with our two young children bounced up and down in the Florida bay aboard my father’s 17 foot boat. For some reason the motor just wouldn’t start up again after we fished a bit. We were close to shore, but too far and deep to get out and pull the boat.
A passing boat stopped. (Must’ve been the frantic waving of our towels that they noticed.) They agreed to tow us to the nearest boat launch. We gratefully accepted. After securing the line from their boat, the journey began.
It took only a few minutes to see the drag our boat made on theirs that we came up with a brilliant idea. Let’s lift our motor, then they’ll be no drag and we can get to port faster. Without telling our “tow-ers” we lifted the motor us and immediately went faster. So fast our boat started swerving from side the side. I grabbed the children and told them to hold on tight. The forceful zig-zagging meant we couldn’t put the motor back down, and their big motor was too loud for them to hear our yelling. So it was back to the towel waving while holding onto the sides of the boat and our wild-eyed screaming children. Finally our rescuers saw us. To their credit they didn’t laugh, just shook their heads. The motor was lowered back into its rightful place. But my kids still wanted to hold on.
Strength from Stupid or Strength to Be Secure
“But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21
Did we really think through our “brain storm?” No. Was it good? No. The motor was lifted out of its position. We thought we could make things better on our own. We ended up holding on for dear life, well, at least for immediate safety.
Scripture tells of many things we must “hold fast” in our lives that benefit both the spiritual and physical. Here are a few.
“Holding fast the word of life.” Philippians 2:16.
Constantly hold on to His words that give us life.
“Let us hold fast our confession.” Hebrews 4:14
Keep up a good Christian witness.
“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.”
1 Timothy 6:12
Be aggressive and decisive in our faith and cling to the promise of eternal life.
“We may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.” Hebrews 6:18-19
All who seek refuge in Him must make a personal decision to cling to His promise of hope and encouragement. When our soul is adrift or swerving, about to be engulfed by the waters of the unknown, God is our anchor. Leave Him in the position to guide and stabilize your life.
Hey, that’s a promise. So hold on tight, sometimes it’s a bumpy ride.
A passing boat stopped. (Must’ve been the frantic waving of our towels that they noticed.) They agreed to tow us to the nearest boat launch. We gratefully accepted. After securing the line from their boat, the journey began.
It took only a few minutes to see the drag our boat made on theirs that we came up with a brilliant idea. Let’s lift our motor, then they’ll be no drag and we can get to port faster. Without telling our “tow-ers” we lifted the motor us and immediately went faster. So fast our boat started swerving from side the side. I grabbed the children and told them to hold on tight. The forceful zig-zagging meant we couldn’t put the motor back down, and their big motor was too loud for them to hear our yelling. So it was back to the towel waving while holding onto the sides of the boat and our wild-eyed screaming children. Finally our rescuers saw us. To their credit they didn’t laugh, just shook their heads. The motor was lowered back into its rightful place. But my kids still wanted to hold on.
Strength from Stupid or Strength to Be Secure
“But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21
Did we really think through our “brain storm?” No. Was it good? No. The motor was lifted out of its position. We thought we could make things better on our own. We ended up holding on for dear life, well, at least for immediate safety.
Scripture tells of many things we must “hold fast” in our lives that benefit both the spiritual and physical. Here are a few.
“Holding fast the word of life.” Philippians 2:16.
Constantly hold on to His words that give us life.
“Let us hold fast our confession.” Hebrews 4:14
Keep up a good Christian witness.
“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.”
1 Timothy 6:12
Be aggressive and decisive in our faith and cling to the promise of eternal life.
“We may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.” Hebrews 6:18-19
All who seek refuge in Him must make a personal decision to cling to His promise of hope and encouragement. When our soul is adrift or swerving, about to be engulfed by the waters of the unknown, God is our anchor. Leave Him in the position to guide and stabilize your life.
Hey, that’s a promise. So hold on tight, sometimes it’s a bumpy ride.
Photo: bigfoto.com
Posts
1 comment:
Wow, what a terrific word picture of our "bright ideas," as my mom used to say.
So thankful for God's grace. Like your rescuers, He never makes fun of our stupidness, just shakes His head and helps us out of our mess!
Excellent post!
Jen
Post a Comment