“I can’t do this,” June said, holding her head.
June had told God she could not be the caregiver for her husband. For two years, he’d shown signs of dementia, and their lives changed. They had successfully pastored churches together for decades. Now June felt her whole life become uncertain, fragile. Her husband depended on her. She remembered their doctors’ appointments. She reminded him to take his medicines. She made the major decisions in their home. It was too much, and she felt overwhelmed and alone.
Paul, too, found himself in a desperate situation more than once. While a prisoner on a ship headed to Italy, a Northeastern hurricane swept over the waters as the ship sailed along the shore of Crete. The storm continued for fourteen days, and the 276 passengers and crew lost all hope of landing safely.
Paul discovered the sailors’ plan to escape by lifeboat. After a night's visit by an angel, Paul informed the soldiers that everyone would be saved, but only if they remained with the ship. They obeyed and stayed with the ship. Sure enough, everyone made it to shore, although the ship broke apart.
Life can sometimes overwhelm us. We may feel inadequate or incapable of doing what is required of us. It is all just too much. We recognize our limitations and want to withdraw. Self-preservation has a strong pull when we are afraid.
Sometimes, our first response to a life storm is to jump ship. We want to get away from the immediate problem. But Christ is our ship of safety. In Him, we are secure, no matter what problem or storm comes our way. We find security if we stay put in Christ and hold to His promises.
What do you need to do to stay with the ship?
(photo courtesy of pixabay and Lumania)
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Phyllis Qualls Freeman is a freelance writer with twenty years’ experience and more than four hundred published devotions, magazine articles, and newspaper human-interest pieces. She lives near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Answered Prayers, and several anthologies. She writes devotions on assignment and enjoys mentoring new writers.