Sunday, August 2, 2015

What God showed me on a ship, in the middle of the ocean

I have been waiting since Thursday to share this story with you, but I refused to since we were away on a family vacation.  I choose not to make posts or send pictures when the entire family is away from the house.  That's like me saying, "Hi Guys please break into my home while I'm thousands of miles away".  It's just not prudent! Now that we're back, I have so much to share with you. Here we go...

This past week, the Coleman family took a 5-day cruise.  Woohoo!  We had a wonderful time together.  We enjoyed the opportunity to rest, recharge and UNPLUG.  Because we didn't want to pay cell phone roaming charges, we opted to turn the phones off and be totally present.  Each of us had a walkie - talkie, so we could communicate throughout the day. (Now that was a hoot!)

One early morning, while my husband was still asleep, I decided to take my book on our cabin deck to sit and read for a little while. First I walked down to the breakfast area, got a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of orange juice, brought it back to the room, put my feet up on the balcony chair and began reading.  However, I was having difficulty concentrating on the words on the page because I was captivated by the soothing sounds of the ship piercing the water.  Though I initially fought the urge, I took my attention off of the book, stood up against the balcony railing and just began thinking about the greatness of God.  How could I be on a ship that weighs well over 100, 000 tons, carrying over 3,000 guests, floating in water that was 12,000 miles deep? I looked at the water and realized that I could not see the end of it.  The water just flowed and there was no end to it.  It was an amazing feeling to be in the middle of nowhere, realizing that God is everywhere and right there with me!  Mind blowing, I tell ya'!

As I looked out into the water, I was reminded of Eli's message, our cruise director, from the 1st night. He was trying to get us to understand where the front, middle and aft of the boat were located.  How could you tell which way you were going throughout the ship?  He said if you ever got turned around, simply look out into the water, and notice the flow of the water.  The water always flows toward the back of the ship, because the ship is moving forward.  It was joke that night, but it made complete since. That morning on that balcony, I realized something else.  I sat back down and watched the waters part as the ship cruised ahead.  There was never a time that the water wasn't moving, unless we were docking at one of the ports of call.  It was at that moment that God gave me this revelation to share with you.

Life is like the vast ocean.  Sometimes it's calm and other times the water is choppy and maybe even tumultuous.  Regardless of the condition of the water, the cruise ship moves THROUGH and parts the waters.  It made me think how God is like the ship carrying us through every situation.  God carries us through lay-offs, poor health, bad relationships, ugly situations and so much more. The ship was never overtaken by the water, but rather it simply forged ahead.  God made me realize that as long as He is carrying me, I would be alright.  Let's think for moment...Now if a storm had come, would I have put on my life vest and jumped overboard to swim on my own?  No way!  I would get closer to the core of the ship, back in the comfort of the cabin to be shielded from the rains.  Then why on earth do I try to fight life's battles on my own?  If God is navigating the ship, I must trust that He will protect me as I rest in Him.

As I was thinking all of this, I could feel the motion of the ocean and the boat rocking.  Not a scary type of rocking, but like a baby being cradled gently.  Before I knew it, I had been lulled to sleep, book lying on my chest and slobber coming out the side of my mouth.  God used the crashing of the water, to rock the ship, as it advanced ahead to put me to sleep.  The water never stopped... it kept flowing all around me...yet I was soothed into another state of being.

And that's what God is saying...

I can use your situation......divorce, pain, hurt, betrayal, sickness, no job, low money...whatever it is and use it to bless you.  Just because your faith is in God doesn't mean that trouble won't come.....it will come, I can guarantee this.  But what I do know is that even when the winds are blowing and life is tossing you around, God will envelop you, allow you to move THROUGH the situation and if you rest in Him, He will rock you in the cradle of His arms.  When the time comes, He will allow you to arrive at your port-of-call with a greater appreciation of who He is. We weren't able to see beautiful Cozumel or Progresso until we traveled through the vast ocean.  Sometimes you have to go THROUGH before you GET TO your destination.

What you're going through is not in vain,  there is a higher calling and God wants to show you some amazing things at the next port of call.  Just rest in Him and the ride will be much smoother.

Be encouraged, go to sleep and don't be tempted to jump overboard.  Your blessing will come at the end of the journey!

Now walk it out... (and put that life vest away)

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